Canadian Treasure Hunt

Debi

Owner/Admin
Staff
Joined
Sep 16, 2013
Messages
240,734
Reaction score
232,134
Points
315
Location
South of Indy

A group of Canadian entrepreneurs have created a novel new business in the form of a treasure hunt featuring a rather sizeable reward. The company, known as 'Gold Hunt,' has reportedly hidden treasure chests worth around 100,000 Canadian dollars in the cities of Edmonton, Vancouver, and Calgary. In order to recoup their investment and, hopefully, make a profit on the venture, the group is selling 'maps' and sets of clues for each of the treasures through their website.

Likening the treasure hunt to "the Goonies in real life," the company's spokesman Chris Cromwell explained that the group worked with officials in each of the cities over the last three months to make sure that the entire enterprise was perfectly legal. Those looking to pursue the prizes can begin searching on June 1st, when the digital 'treasure maps' will be sent to them at the stroke of midnight. According to the company's website, the document will feature "a poem which contains a series of riddles and encrypted messaging that will make your job of finding the treasure more active and engaging."

"You're going have to have your wits," Cromwell told one news outlet, "a lot of riddles have to be solved and a lot of clues have to be discovered." To that end, he mused that it would be "very unlikely" for someone to unearth the treasure without participating in the process designed by the company. Should the venture prove successful, Gold Hunt hopes to expand beyond the initial three cities in western Canada and bring the contest to communities on the other side of the country, ultimately offering up around 1 million dollars in prizes.

Alas, for our American readers considering heading up to the Great White North this summer and taking part in the hunt, the contest is only open to Canadian citizens, presumably for legal reasons. That said, we're guessing that if Gold Hunt makes money off of the concept, it will only be a matter of time before some enterprising American outfit decides to try their hand at the idea. Until then, of course, there's still the Forrest Fenn treasure waiting to be found here in the United States.
 
Part of Canadian Treasure Hunt Solved in Less Than 24 Hours - Coast to Coast AM

aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY29hc3R0b2NvYXN0YW0uY29tL2NpbWFnZXMvdmFyL2V6d2ViaW5fc2l0ZS9zdG9yYWdlL2ltYWdlcy9jb2FzdC10by1jb2FzdC9yZXBvc2l0b3J5L3RodW1ibmFpbHMvY2FuYWRpYW4tdHJlYXN1cmUtZm91bmQvMTExMTM2MC0xLWVuZy1VUy9DYW5hZGlhbi1UcmVhc3VyZS1Gb3VuZC5qcGc=


An elaborate treasure hunt that launched in Canada over the weekend saw one-third of its sizeable winnings snatched up within 24 hours by an Edmonton family with an affinity for puzzles. Dubbed 'Gold Hunt,' the ambitious for-profit endeavor featured three 'treasure chests' valued at $100,000 hidden in three Canadian cities. The search kicked off on June 1st when participants received clues that they purchased from the company behind the hunt. And, before the day was over, one of the three treasures had already been claimed.

According to a local media report, Bryon Duff and his family decided to try finding the treasure because they enjoy doing puzzles together and exploring the outdoors. "We didn't do it with the belief that we would find the treasure," the dad said, "we thought it was a good fit because of all the stuff we do regularly." Among that 'stuff,' is the recreational activity of geocaching, which apparently proved to be an enormous help in their quest for the treasure. After working through the riddles at home, Bryon and his son ventured out on Saturday evening to where the family believed the riches could be found and, after a brief look around, discovered the prize.

Their success was confirmed by the company behind the hunt, who one can only imagine is a tad unsettled by the fact that one-third of the competition finished before the weekend did. To that end, they stressed that the treasures in Calgary and Vancouver are still hidden and encouraged people to purchase clues for the chance to find them. Meanwhile, it would seem that the company has another problem on their hands that many probably could have predicted: wreckless treasure hunters digging on private property. The issue is apparently significant enough that 'Gold Hunt' took participants to task via Twitter on Monday and asked them to be more responsible in their searching.