When a $100,000 treasure hunt launched in three Canadian cities on Saturday, things didn’t go as planned.
The online system that participants were supposed to use for their map and clues wasn’t working, and organizers had to improvise fast.
“It’s been a little bit frustrating as a participant,” Katelyn Shierman said from the hunt in Calgary. “About an hour before the start, they came out with an email saying: ‘OK, guys, we’re abandoning that system altogether.'”
It meant many treasure hunters faced delays and uncertainty about their clue answers on Day 1, but by Monday, those pursuing the big prize seemed to be satisfied that the technical glitches were being dealt with, focusing instead on finding the 200-pound chest full of silver and gold.
“I’m married to a full-time graduate student. We have the student debt so we would gladly pay some of that off,” Shierman said.
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GoldHunt, the Edmonton-based company behind the treasure hunts, has only been in business for a few months, launching just 30 days after a group of four friends came up with the concept.
“We thought it’s a very romantic idea to actually go and hide treasure for people to find and we asked ourselves: ‘Is this something that we could do? Could we make it happen here where we are and make it real for people?’ And it looks like so far, we’ve been able to do it,” said company co-founder Chris Cromwell.
The first round of treasure hunts was launched in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver back in May.
The prize was found in Edmonton in just 20 hours. Calgary’s hunt lasted five days, while Vancouver’s hunt went for seven.
This time, organizers say the clues are tougher and the treasure may take longer to find.
“We definitely listened to our community. We had a lot of requests to make it last longer. A lot of people were disappointed that it was found so quickly in Edmonton.”
The business model is simple: participants purchase a map for $50 and away they go. A total of 7,800 people took part in Round 1, and Cromwell says he doesn’t yet know how many people are hunting this time around.
There are already plans to expand GoldHunt, with treasure hunts slated to launch in Winnipeg, Hamilton and Halifax on Aug. 31 and in four Texas cities — Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio — on Sept. 14.
“It’s been really thrilling to go from a small idea where we’re giving away $300,000 worth of treasure — now, we’re giving away over $1 million this summer,” Cromwell said.
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Back in Calgary, though, GoldHunt is still working out a few kinks. A clue took participants to the Ronald McDonald House — a charity that provides housing for the families of kids being cared for at the Alberta Children’s Hospital — where the organization was caught off guard when treasure hunters started showing up on its grounds over the weekend.
“There was no damage. It was just a surprise to everyone,” said Suzanne Pescod, marketing and communications manager for Ronald McDonald House.
“We like to be a calm, compassionate space for families and this was a little out of the blue.”
GoldHunt responded in an Instagram post, promising to donate 30 per cent of all map sales in a 24-hour period to the charity. It also revealed the answer to the clue that was to be found on the RMH grounds so that participants could stay away.
The Military Museums in Calgary also encountered problems with GoldHunt participants.
“The last time we actually found people moving things around in our dioramas to see if anything was hidden there,” said Rory Cory, the museum’s senior curator, in an email to Global News.
This time around, Cory says, GoldHunt has been clearer in its direction to participants that the museum’s displays cannot be disturbed.
“This has been helpful so far with the current rollout, although we have signs up this time and are better prepared after the last time. If GoldHunt inspires people to come to the museum and learn about our proud nation’s military history, then it will be a win for us,” Cory said.
Despite the hiccups, Edmonton participant Jen Rush says she is having a great time. The marketing manager spent the weekend solving as many riddles as she could on her own, but she says it’s pretty tough.
“If you go into it with a positive attitude, knowing that you’re here to have a good time, then it’s going to be a positive experience,” she added — an experience that might lead to $100,000 in silver and gold.
WATCH BELOW: Albert Delitala tees up the GoldHunt treasure hunt in Edmonton on May 24, 2019.
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