While we certainly have our share of finders in the Cooler Crew, indeed most, if not all, of the mock hunts we've done have been found by coolerheads, there are a bunch of us who have our claims to shame. Here are our "almost had it" stories. Most of the time, its because we gave up just a little too soon. If you have an "almost had it" story that you'd like to share, Contact Us
| Name | Claim To Shame |
|---|---|
| TerryV | Claimed Hunt: 1989 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: State Capitol Mall How close were you: My daughter and I were out looking for the medallion. She picked up a pair of earmuffs that were on the ground. I told her to put them back since someone had probably lost them. Those earmuffs contained the medallion. |
| Ares | Claimed Hunt: 1990 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Como Park How close were you: At the ripe old age of 13, my parents figured out the torpedo reference from "fish". Drove out there right past the torpedo. Didn't bother stopping to see where the fish pointed. |
| Ares | Claimed Hunt: 1999 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Conway Park and Rec. Where were you close: At the NW backstop How close were you: Out hunting with my brother, sister, and a friend of my brother. Decided there was nothing at that backstop worthy of a hiding spot, so we shoveled out the opposite backstop's stands instead. We should have stayed in our first spot. They haven't hunted since. |
| Mr. Mn Mikey | Claimed Hunt: 2001 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Como Park Where were you close: Right nest to Cathi Hogan as she found it. How close were you: Right next to the finder, Cathi Hogan. |
| Lisa and Amy's Mommy | Claimed Hunt: 2002 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Merriam Park Where were you close: Second Base How close were you: My husband was digging up the bases on the ball field and I really wanted to go check out Harriet and told him to stop digging up Second base because they wouldn't put it right on the base they would probably put it 20 paces from the base or something because everyone looks at the bases first....ooops I think the next day it was found on second base....YIKES! I didn't tell him to stop looking anywhere else after that let him do his thing... |
| Ares | Claimed Hunt: 2002 Marley King Mock Hunt Location: Mears Park Where were you close: Under the Clock Tower How close were you: I checked three of the four corners underneath the tower, leaving the fourth. Five minutes later, Jake checked the fourth and pulled it out of the gum that was supporting it. |
| Ares and Me2 | Claimed Hunt: 2003 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Como Park How close were you: Called Como at Clue 6 when "they found a way to stick it where the sun ain't shining." We made the mistake of following the crowd, and spent the next several clues hunting on Harriet Island instead. Actually called it before clue 6 as we'd been on Como since clue 4 and the we succumbed to peer pressure at clue 6 moving to Harriet Island despite not being able to put every cliue there. :( We did learn from this lesson by the time the 2020 hunt came around. We could fit everything in Como there, and weren't swayed by the masses who tried to convince us that the medallion was in Swede Hollow or Indian Mounds. It didn't do us any good then either, as it was in Highland. |
| Clue Master | Claimed Hunt: 2004 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Phalen Park How close were you: Took a picture of the mosh pit the night of the last clue; picked up a reflection of the puck in the camera shot. |
| KCØGRN | Claimed Hunt: 2004 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Phalen Park How close were you: I walked past the mosh pit on clue 4, too scared to get into it as I saw a flannel shirt in the bushes and thought the area may be occupied. |
| MrMnMikey, Clue Master, Me2 | Claimed Hunt: 2005 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Crosby Farn Nature Reserve How close were you: Took a picture of the hiding spot at the second or third clue; posed at the hiding spot. |
| Wicked Nick | Claimed Hunt: 2005 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Crosby Farn Nature Reserve How close were you: "Relieved" myself on the fallen tree branch that the puck was under. |
| A bunch of coolerheads | Claimed Hunt: 2007 Pioneer Press Hunt II Location: Central Park, Roseville How close were you: We were sitting around a fire ring, waiting for the clue to come out the night the second medallion was found. We watched the finders find it and head down to the Pioneer Press building with it, a mere half hour before the clue was to be released. |
| Treasure Chest | Claimed Hunt: 2009 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Swede Hollow Park How close were you: Sat on the original hiding spot after imbibing. |
| MrMnMikey and the Medheads | Claimed Hunt: 2011 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Battle Creek How close were you: I tossed the medallion from its hiding place as I was clearing snow, a half hour before it was found. |
| Coldest Hunter | Claimed Hunt: 2015 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Snail Lake How close were you: I kindly overturned the chunk of ice containing the medallion the day before mappy found it. |
| Marley King | Claimed Hunt: 2015 Onamia Days Hunt Location: Onamia How close were you: Two weeks before the hunt started, we're in Onamia. I told KAL "See that turkey that's where the Onamia medallion will be". The night of 1st clue we went there. I didn't want to get out because there were peeps around. We pull away and lady walks over and finds it there. |
| Inasuitcase | Claimed Hunt: 2016 Stillwater Lumberjack Days Hunt Location: Stillwater How close were you: Turned it over raking and the finder picked it up. |
| Inasuitcase | Coldest Hunter: 2017 Ham Lake Snowbowl Medallion Hunt Location: Ham Lake Park How close were you: Standing next to the kid who picked it up. |
| Too many of us to list | Claimed Hunt: 2018 Pioneer Press Hunt Location: Harriet Island How close were you: It was in the snowbank at the end of the west parking lot at Harriet Island. We all drove past that snowbank countless times going in and out of the park. All of us came within feet of it. |
| Ares, Ed Brodie, Matt Littlefield, Josh Ellingson | Claimed Hunt: 2020 Apple Valley Mid Winter Fest Medallion Hunt Hunt Location: Scott Park How close were you: Underneath the stairs to the slide that none of us could get under |
| Ares, Diggorius Rex, Coldest Hunter, Jon Palla | Claimed Hunt: 2020 Champlin Father Hennepin Festival Medallion Hunt Location: Doris A. Kemp Park How close were you: On top of it. Literally. As in the thing was pressed into the ground near the brush-line on the boundary of the pond (lake?). A rake should have been able to pull it out, but in the end it took a metal detector to make it happen. |
| Me2, Ares | Claimed Hunt: 2024 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt Location: Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary How close were you: We walked toward the hiding spot as the finders were taking a family picture on the spot. We though they were taking a nice family picture, and walked around so we wouldn't photobomb them. Minutes earlier and our rakes would have kicked up the medallion. |