How would you check the Kincaid cave story against the map?

I’d start with the paper trail, not the pin on the map. Look for the earliest version of the story, then separate details that appear in that account from details added in later retellings. If there’s no dependable basis for the route or the reported elevation, those parts can’t carry much weight in a location search.

An AI-generated coordinate is a hypothesis to check, not a source. Keep a note of where each detail came from, and treat a match as interesting only if it can be checked independently.

For the mapping side, turn the story into a few testable constraints: direction of travel, what could be seen from the river, approximate height above the water, and whether the terrain fits the description. Then check each candidate from the river’s viewpoint rather than relying only on a straight-down image.

A dark patch can come from shade, rock color, image stitching, or a real recess. Compare different image dates and viewing angles if available, and don’t count a feature as a cave unless there’s evidence beyond its appearance.

The elevation comparison is a useful filter, but it doesn’t identify a location by itself. A difference that resembles the story’s range could fit lots of places, and map elevations may use different reference points or be approximate.

I’d write down the uncertainty for each clue instead of making every detail a firm boundary. If the route, viewpoint, or height only works after several guesses, that’s a reason to be cautious about the match.