This weekend I went home to my cottage with a specific goal in mind. This weekend, was the 78th Annual Hillsdale County Treasure Hunt, and what a hunt it was.
If you've never been on the hunt (and let's face it, unless you've lived in Hillsdale you've probably never heard of it) let me tell you what it's all about. The treasure hunt is an event where cars, typically of four people, drive recklessly around the county hunting down and finding 10 clues and in some cases, tokens, that are to be retrieved and then returned to the final destination to see who wins. The clues range in type from crossword puzzles, to cryptic clues, to clues where you must count mailboxes and road stripes in the dark, all in a route that spans many miles, takes many hours, and never takes you outside Hillsdale County.
This year, my Mom and Dad decided to come along with myself, one of my best friends, and one of our good neighbors. It was a great dynamic in our car and a quality team as we all had our strengths and useless knowledge stored away in our heads. Armed with flashlights, maps, and naturally pencils and paper, we set off to see what we could accomplish.
The race almost always begins at the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds, home of the most popular fair on earth. (Really, there's a sign.) And it usually draws around 100 cars full of people out ready to hunt. This year was no exception as the sun was creeping downward and we all waited in light jackets as the crisp fall air swept lightly through the grounds. To any who don't know about the Treasure Hunt, I'm sure the sight of a couple hundred people gathered around a building must look strange, but alas, this is a normal sight in Hillsdale.
Our first clue was taped to a wall of the Merchant's Hall, and after a brief welcome, a few ground rules, and a few hints, the hosts of the hunt allowed us to push and shove to our clue on the wall. To those with more aggression or anger issues the run back to their car was quick and easy. To those with a bit less aggression, the run back to their car was still quick and easy.
It was an audio clue on a CD (which, thank goodness we weren't in my car as I don't have a CD player) and the song set the tone for the night. After the song we learned that on the opposite end of the fairgrounds we would find our first clue (a word search) and the hunt was on.
It was 6 o'clock when we ripped those clues of the wall of the Merchant's Hall, and though we did get stuck a few times, we traversed the county until around 2:15 a.m. when we had all 10 clues and 2 tokens in hand. Naturally, we were outside the money as it took us a short 8 hours to complete the hunt, but the fact that we completed the hunt was a great accomplishment.
For me, (though I can't speak for all members in the car) this was never about winning. This hunt was about having a good night and having some fun doing something outside the ordinary. It is so easy to get swept up in excitement during the race as figuring out clues is always incredibly rewarding and finding clues in the dark, lonely roads of Hillsdale County near Halloween is always a bit thrilling. The teamwork and the frustrations that take place in the car are irreplaceable and it is a mark of the love of others that nobody ever gets too mad at their car mates.
I think the Treasure Hunt is one of those things that really allows you to see the true colors of a person. While its all fine and dandy at 6 p.m. and its still light out, doing complicated puzzles at 1 in the morning in the pitch black having never left the car except to stumble around for a clue changes how you might react. Your brain is groggy, your eyes are tired, and the perseverance it takes to continue solving a riddle or reading something backwards or decoding a puzzle of jumbled words is taxing.
But, that is the joy of the Treasure Hunt. And if you pick the right people (which we did) you always have fun. Inside jokes are made and memories are created and in the morning light you can sleepily reminisce about the hunt, look where we were on the map, and talk about how if we had noticed one detail a bit earlier we may well have been in the running, even though every year we are always one detail away from being in the running.
No, just as in travel the destination is never the best part (usually) and how in good movies and books the pieces leading up to the memorable ending are always better, the Treasure Hunt is far more about the clues in between than it is about coming in first place.
I'm glad I was able to participate and I'm glad I had the people I did in the car. I only hope when next October rolls around I'll be in a position to rally the crew and start hunting.
This year, my Mom and Dad decided to come along with myself, one of my best friends, and one of our good neighbors. It was a great dynamic in our car and a quality team as we all had our strengths and useless knowledge stored away in our heads. Armed with flashlights, maps, and naturally pencils and paper, we set off to see what we could accomplish.
The race almost always begins at the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds, home of the most popular fair on earth. (Really, there's a sign.) And it usually draws around 100 cars full of people out ready to hunt. This year was no exception as the sun was creeping downward and we all waited in light jackets as the crisp fall air swept lightly through the grounds. To any who don't know about the Treasure Hunt, I'm sure the sight of a couple hundred people gathered around a building must look strange, but alas, this is a normal sight in Hillsdale.
Our first clue was taped to a wall of the Merchant's Hall, and after a brief welcome, a few ground rules, and a few hints, the hosts of the hunt allowed us to push and shove to our clue on the wall. To those with more aggression or anger issues the run back to their car was quick and easy. To those with a bit less aggression, the run back to their car was still quick and easy.
It was an audio clue on a CD (which, thank goodness we weren't in my car as I don't have a CD player) and the song set the tone for the night. After the song we learned that on the opposite end of the fairgrounds we would find our first clue (a word search) and the hunt was on.
It was 6 o'clock when we ripped those clues of the wall of the Merchant's Hall, and though we did get stuck a few times, we traversed the county until around 2:15 a.m. when we had all 10 clues and 2 tokens in hand. Naturally, we were outside the money as it took us a short 8 hours to complete the hunt, but the fact that we completed the hunt was a great accomplishment.
For me, (though I can't speak for all members in the car) this was never about winning. This hunt was about having a good night and having some fun doing something outside the ordinary. It is so easy to get swept up in excitement during the race as figuring out clues is always incredibly rewarding and finding clues in the dark, lonely roads of Hillsdale County near Halloween is always a bit thrilling. The teamwork and the frustrations that take place in the car are irreplaceable and it is a mark of the love of others that nobody ever gets too mad at their car mates.
I think the Treasure Hunt is one of those things that really allows you to see the true colors of a person. While its all fine and dandy at 6 p.m. and its still light out, doing complicated puzzles at 1 in the morning in the pitch black having never left the car except to stumble around for a clue changes how you might react. Your brain is groggy, your eyes are tired, and the perseverance it takes to continue solving a riddle or reading something backwards or decoding a puzzle of jumbled words is taxing.
But, that is the joy of the Treasure Hunt. And if you pick the right people (which we did) you always have fun. Inside jokes are made and memories are created and in the morning light you can sleepily reminisce about the hunt, look where we were on the map, and talk about how if we had noticed one detail a bit earlier we may well have been in the running, even though every year we are always one detail away from being in the running.
No, just as in travel the destination is never the best part (usually) and how in good movies and books the pieces leading up to the memorable ending are always better, the Treasure Hunt is far more about the clues in between than it is about coming in first place.
I'm glad I was able to participate and I'm glad I had the people I did in the car. I only hope when next October rolls around I'll be in a position to rally the crew and start hunting.
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