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I know it's been quiet around here lately, but things are about to get going again for a while as the 2022 Allison Wonderland Mock Hunt is imminent. In fact, the first clue will be posted today at 5pm. As usual, the hunt will run for up to 12 clues or until found with each clue being released at 5pm. It will be hidden on public land in St. Paul. It will not be on a body of water, up a tree, indoors, on a roof, inside something electrical, on a steep hillside or anywhere else that would make you wonder if looking there might be a bad idea.

You can register for the hunt up until the release of the 4th clue for $10. If you do, you are entitled to the full $250 prize (maybe more depending on the number of registrations). You can also hunt for free and win $100. You can send the money to me via Paypal at AllisonWondrland@.... We're also having a gathering at Joseph's Grill tonight at 7pm where you can drop it off. You can also contact me for alternate payment methods.

The medallion is already out there somewhere. Now we're just waiting for someone to find it!

Yeah, 2008 was bad and then they pinpointed it off in the 11th clue. For the last 6 years or so, I've been convinced the PP has a database of clues 2-5 that are designed to generally fit near the river and then they are tweaked a bit to fit the specific location the medallion is hidden in.  I think the strategy really avoids an early find like in 2007 or 2015. If you think it is hidden near the river, your instincts take you away from places like White Bear or New Brighton. With how unique a park like Silverwood is, we should have all known it was there a lot sooner.  

Oh, I hated those 2003 clues. Worst ones ever except maybe for 2008 I think it was, the year it was at Indian Mounds.

I thought the same thing as David. I figured it was off of the path and across the street from the Forest Bathing Trail, and that they would explain the "far away" piece just meaning it was not hidden off of that specific path or trail. I keep on thinking they are going to hide it in the woods again, like when they started that pattern in 2003 at Como, which had the most misleading clue in history in my opinion: "Standing here, you can see, so clear A view of our Capitol dome." 

Okay.  I'm starting to taste the sour grapes now.  That bout with the "Invisible Enemy' 5 weeks ago must have messed with my sensory faculties.  Have you any cheese to go with my whine?  I'll stop now.  Happy Trails to all!

Just a couple random thoughts:-the distance to the forest bath trail was by far the most controversial clue from what I’ve heard.  I just wanted to note that the clue is “far from the path that leads TO the bath” - so this is actually the path to the beginning of the trail in my opinion which is closer to the park entrance and not the one across the street from the lot.  Not a massive difference in distance but I think it holds some significance-agree in general clue 9 was not great but talking to the finders at the park they seemed to think this clue confirmed their spot for multiple reasons, including tempo=flow (overflow lot), and “take a break” = park aka parking lot.  Whether or not that was the intent of the clue it’s hard to argue that it didn’t do it’s job!
Fun hunt all around this year, was great to see so many people in Silverwood over the weekend of clues 6-8.  See you all next year!

Maybe I'm just more used to it, like the time it was at Cherokee and they said the treasure was "due east" of something when it was actually due south. I have to admit, when I saw it say far from the trail, my first thought was "so probably not very far from the trail".
Clue 9 was largely indecipherable except for that I know of one person who did, and she is even in this group (Jennifer). But Clue 9 is almost always really hard and generally useless if you already know the park. So again, maybe I'm just used to it and am judging it on a curve.

If you managed to finish, then you didn't start too late! I'm glad you enjoyed it. There is a certain worry about making the puzzles too hard, but at the same time you have to push people to their limit sometimes to give them maximum satisfaction at completing them. In the end, only 8 teams managed to get them all. I'm hoping to do it again next year.

I respectfully disagree.  You question the use of "fresh." I object to the use of "park" to reference a parking area; and not even an actual defined lot. 
The explanation for Clue #3 absolutely does not direct the reader to the hiding spot, which is practically adjacent to the forest bath trail and not at all FAR from it.  It is misleading at best; a flat out lie at worst.
And tell me that even an accomplished clue-writing savant like yourself could ever decipher Clue 9  That one is just a ridiculous waste of vowels and consonants.  

We did the East Wind hunt this year, I think we waited a little too long before starting since we were wrapped up in the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt. We did finish just under the gun. I just wanted to to tell you that it was quite the puzzler and it took all four of our brains to figure it out, but it was really fun, so thank you for taking the time to do these scavenger hunts.
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I often feel that way, though not as much this year as others. The clue explanations never seem as comprehensive as they should be. I do think it's possible that people find things the cluewriter didn't intend because that has happened to me in my hunts. But I refuse to believe that they just happened to pick the word "fresh" to refer to a park remodel. But otherwise, even if incomplete, the explanations generally mesh with what people thought the clues meant at the end which I consider to be a good sign.

IMO, the clue explanations for this hunt are absolutely worthless.  I refuse to believe that they are comprehensive enough to archive & refer to in the future.  I personally feel dumber for having read them.

Lol....What brought me to Silverwood by clue 5 was the Salvation Army Fresh Air Camp name. The fresh in the name was not mentioned in the PP explanations after all. That seems to be a common repeating pattern for me. I got there by some luck.

Ah yes, I should have posted them.

The 2022 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt ended Monday when Skyler Sawyer, 22, found the medallion in Silverwood Park in St. Anthony, after nine clues were published. Here are all 12 clues for the hunt, and their explanations:

Clue 1

From delta to omicron, what a marathon
Getting from last year to this
Strap on your mask, get down to the task
Let fresh treasure be your bliss

We open by laying the ground rules, and urge hunters to wear a mask. Fresh refers to the recent makeover at Silverwood Park.

Clue 2

Get out of your bed if you want some hunt cred
Don’t wait ‘til temps hit the 30s
With the prize as your driver be a vigorous striver
For success means a life of ease

“Cred, 30s (as ‘thirties’), striver” are an anagram for Three Rivers District, which includes Silverwood Park.

Clue 3

Far from the path that leads to a bath
The treasure waits so alone
Step out of the dark go to the park
But avoid obstacles of cone

Silverwood has a forest bathing trail. The puck is hidden in a parking lot.

Clue 4

An item hot is the current lot
Of at-home tests for COVID
Ours is nice, in block of ice
Inside the medallion’s hid

The prize this year is tucked into the box of an at-home COVID test, which we then froze in a chunk of ice.

Clue 5

When the buttons showed up, we screamed out ‘what?!?’
Still, we didn’t cancel the order
So when we hid the puck, we pushed our luck
And hid it so close to a border.

A nod to this year’s registered button misprint – the button appears undecided if it’s 2021 or 2022. Likewise, St. Anthony Village is actually in two counties – Hennepin and Ramsey. Silverwood Park is in the smaller part of St. Anthony that’s included in Ramsey, which had us making sure we didn’t cross any borders when we hid the prize.

Clue 6

Ride this rhyme for a trip through time
From stone circles to the flood
From a raised elevation you’ll make observation
That all of us spring from the mud

Among the sculptures in Silverwood Park is a time machine, stone circles, a memorial to the 1927 Mississippi River flood, a raised platform, and a sculpture that focuses us on the “early developmental state that all living creatures take before developing their own biological directions.”

Clue 7

Scale the heights, look for the brights
Where nature inspires the arts
Is it life eternal or heat infernal
That strikes at your heart of hearts?

Silverwood Park, near Columbia Heights and New Brighton, is known as a place where nature inspires the performing, fine and folk arts. One of the sculptures at the park is “Eterne,” an archaic form of the word “eternal,” and the visitors center is heated and cooled by geothermal energy.

Clue 8

If saving souls is among your goals
Then this hunt is for you
Bring your legions to these regions
And stay a week or two

Saving souls = salvation; legions = army; stay a week or two = camp. Silverwood Park is the site of a former Salvation Army Camp.

Clue 9

See how brave, bucked and raved
the tempo of the hunter
take a break for your sake
and tear the words asunder

Silverwood Park’s sculpture tour includes a giant “5” at the south end of the visitor center parking lot. It’s called “High Five,” and we’re riffing on it with an anagram (“bucked” and “raved”) about jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, suggesting readers “take a break” – a nod to Brubeck’s well-known “Take Five.” Tempo is a nod to the speed or flow of notes in music, which could lead hunters to one of the park’s overflow parking lots.

Clue 10 (not published)

Don’t skip ahead, follow the thread
You need to observe beginnings
Every clue has a bit that’s true
Rely on it to find winnings.

For folks who have found Silverwood but not the lot, we’ve started each line with a letter that spells out “Dyer,” a reference to Dyer’s Hill at the park, which overlooks the hiding spot.

Clue 11 (not published)

The finder will plot and search a lot
Avoiding where others go.
Away from the trail, how can you fail
Your riches will overflow.

The medallion is hidden out in the open, under a few inches of snow, in the middle of one of the park’s overflow parking lots. So don’t get stuck in the woods or searching the usual stumps and grass patches that many do.

Clue 12 (not published)

Noodling good? You’re at Silverwood.
What you seek is so near.
At county’s edge, this is our pledge —
The prize is in the clear.

If it’s night, turn on your light
And head from car through woods
Atop a rise you will surmise
Benches overlook the goods.

Down below, an expanse of snow
Bisected by small trees.
It’s out from those, 15 paces or so
The treasure lies at your knees.

It’s the final clue, so this one almost puts you on top of the prize. Again, we note the puck is out in the open, or “in the clear,” and give directions to head from the main parking lot to the adjacent wooded hill. If you follow the well-worn foot trail through the snow, you’ll end up at Dyer’s Hill, which is marked by several benches. Down below is an open patch of snow – an overflow parking lot, closed in winter – that is split in half by a line of trees. Out 15 paces to the north from one of the middle trees, the medallion sits beneath the snow.

I missed it, has the clue explanations come out yet? I imagine so. Anybody know where I could find them?
Thanks!

Thanks David for hosting. You were correct about the Ease being E street or highway
and the Brights standing for New Brighton. Anyways it was a fun hunt in a beautiful park and was warm this year! Wish we had a rehash party but maybe next year???

Are you up for a challenge this weekend? The St. Paul Winter Carnival is still going on and so are the Scavenger Hunts. As I write this there are just about 48 hours left until they end Sunday at 5pm. Do you think you can solve 30 clues about various notable St. Paul locations and then visit them all in 48 hours? Only 7 teams out of 57 have done it thus far! Join in on the North Wind Hunt if you want to try.     Or perhaps you prefer an even greater challenge? The East Wind Hunt features ten puzzles ranging from difficult to diabolical. Each one you solve leads you to a specific sign at a St. Paul location which will give you one letter. Unscramble those ten letters to get the final location! Out of 36 teams, only 3 have made it to the end!     Or maybe an easier challenge is more your style? Try the South Wind Hunt. The clues generally aren't too cryptic, but they do require you to find and/or do 30 fun and wintry things in just 48 hours! Only three teams have managed them all so far!     We also have a family option where you can include the kids. The West Wind Hunt takes you to Como Park. 15 clues aimed at the parents will guide you to 15 different features in the park. Go visit them all and let the kids look for one of the West Wind's horses. Each horse has a riddle for the kids to solve that will reveal the name of the horse. Figure that out and solve the mission. 9 out 35 families have found them all going into this last weekend.     Each hunt does cost $20 with the proceeds supporting the Winter Carnival. This hunt is sponsored by St. Croix Hospice. Visit https://www.wintercarnival.com/events/saint-paul-scavenger-hunt/ for more details and to sign up. Remember, you have just 48 hours to do what so many other teams have thus far not done!

Yea, usually the pity party is the night of the find and the Rehash is the Sunday after the hunt. As you can guess the Pity Party comes together kind of last minute. But it seems this year, because of Covid, we're not doing the traditional Rehash, so they just called the Pity Party the Rehash. I didn't actually make it there myself even.

Got it.  I'm a little slow sometimes. But I can take a hint.

The re-hash was a couple of days ago at Silverwood.