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MN Treasure is a Mike Nowak treasure hunt project in Minnesota.

MN Treasure supports the active and growing treasure hunt community in Minnesota.

Read more on my passion for treasure hunting to promote active lifestyle and community while enjoying the great outdoors!

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“Throughout the year, health and wellness guru Mike Nowak runs MN Treasure hunts—wherein a one-clue trailhead, designed for multiple finders, quickly branches into mini-games and puzzles designed to educate and mystify all at once!”

– Review by TC Treasure

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MN TREASURE HUNT ARCHIVE

HUNT #1 – GLADIATORS OF THE HUNT – Langton Lake Park. Roseville, MN. Found by Littlefield with Brodie and Sanftner on August 30, 2023.

HUNT #2 – FIRE & ICE – Como Regional Park. St. Paul, MN. Found by Fischer with Ellingson, Weber and Breger on January 14, 2024.

HUNT #3 – THE ANCIENT CRYPTEX – Benson Park. White Bear Township, MN. Found by Brodie with Sanftner and Littlefield on June 12, 2024.

HUNT #4 – CHEMISTRY OF THE HUNT – Lions Park. Maplewood, MN. Found by Littlefield with Sanftner and Brodie on January 7, 2025.

HUNT #5 – GLADIATORS OF THE HUNT II– Priory Neighborhood Preserve. Maplewood, MN. Found by Hendrickson with Smith on March 23, 2025.

MINI HUNT #1 – HAWAIIAN TIKI IDOLS – Priory Neighborhood Preserve. Maplewood, MN. Found by Littlefield, Brodie and Hendrickson on March 23-24, 2025.

CACHE DASH HUNT #1– Floral Park. Arden Hills, MN. Found by M. Moody with C. Moody on May 3, 2025.

CACHE DASH HUNT #2 – Lauderdale Community Park. Lauderdale, MN. Found by Hendrickson with Smith on June 11, 2025.

CACHE DASH HUNT #3  – Turtle Lake County Park. Shoreview, MN. Found by Casci with C. Moody, B. Moody and M. Moody on July 7, 2025.

CACHE DASH HUNT #4 – Vista Hills Park. Maplewood, MN. Found by Brodie with Littlefield and Sanftner on September 23, 2025.

CACHE DASH HUNT #5 – Cherokee Park. Saint Paul, MN. Found by Brodie with Littlefield and Sanftner on February 15, 2026 plus Hendrickson with Smith on February 14, 2026. (PRIVATE, SILENT AUCTION)

SNOW HUNT #1 – Gateway Trail at Snowman. North Saint Paul, MN. Found by Littlefield on December 30, 2025.

SNOW HUNT #2 – Lake Josephine County Park. Roseville, MN. Found by Brodie with Littlefield and Sanftner on February 7, 2026.

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CACHE DASH HUNT #5

(Private Event)

FEBRUARY 14, 2026

RAMSEY COUNTY, MN

CASH CACHE 1: FOUND

CASH CACHE 2: FOUND

 

Congratulations to Ed Brodie with Matt Littlefield and Steven Sanftner plus Melanie Hendrickson with Matt Smith for finding Cash Cache Treasure at Cherokee Park in St. Paul, Minnesota!

 

 

 

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

 

“Two is better than one” hints there are two finds for this hunt at $50 per treasure for $100 total cache value. This is the first time the MN Treasure Cache Dash format had more than one find. The finder of treasure #1 may have been confused at first since the total cash prize for this hunt is $100.

 

“real people” references Cherokee Park. The Cherokee people have referred to themselves as Aniyunwiya, meaning “the real people” or “the principal people”, which reflects their deep connection to their ancestral lands and sophisticated, organized culture.

 

“give you the bird” is the first indication the cash is concealed in mini birdhouses at Cherokee Park. The birdhouse dimensions are approx. 2” x 2”.  “give you the bird” is also an Angry Bird reference for the main bird, “Red”. Red is a Northern Cardinal, which is the state bird for Ohio; the cache treasures are closely aligned with Ohio St at Cherokee Park.

 

 

“East”, “West” and “Blvd” describe the old, original West Side Boulevard Park in St. Paul that was established in 1905 from land and money donations by West Side residents, comprising a ten-acre section East of the High Bridge. A second nine-acre section of the West Side Boulevard was purchased West of the High Bridge in 1906 thanks to a donation from James J. Hill. The St. Paul Park Board then expanded the park to the South in 1915 (and later 1970s) and renamed the park as Cherokee Heights Park. The mini birdhouses with cash were hidden in the far East section of Cherokee Park representing the original West Side Boulevard.

 

“East” and “West” further suggests there are two cache finds; one more West aligned with Ohio St/Isabel St W on a footpath along the bluff with the other birdhouse located more East near the Ohio St/Isabel St W bend off the sidewalk and footpath entrance at Isabel St W. “East” was listed first as a subtle hint to focus on the East section of Cherokee Park, which used to be designated “West” Side Boulevard.

 

“second-to-none” is another confirmation there are two treasures while suggesting it is important to be top tier, if you will, or in this case near the high bridge East bluff zone.

 

“wise blast” anagrams to Isabel St W. The two treasures are in search zones aligned with Isabel St W; that is, Isabel can be “overheard” or over/aligned with the cash.

 

“reject and process” supports the local Twin City Refuse and Recycling center in the vicinity of the search zones. “Refuse” means to avoid or reject unnecessary items to prevent waste, while “recycling” is the process of collecting and processing waste materials to turn them into new products.

 

“deception” hints at the anagram in the previous line of the clue, but also confirms the treasure is in the “bluff” zone with spectacular views of the Mississippi River Valley, Minneapolis and St. Paul. One may further consider “deception” in the hunt with having no advance warning that two treasures are at play.

 

“enclosing” is consistent with the cash being concealed within mini birdhouses. The initial plan was to hang these from tree branches. The lack of leaves and heavy branch coverage in the search zones in Winter caused me to pivot the hiding locations under leaves and sticks; one within a large tree cavity and the other at the base of a tree cluster.

 

“cardinal is key” along with the reference for “give you the bird” help draw the correlation to the Cardinal state bird of Ohio giving Ohio St for general street alignments at Cherokee Park; one house more West at Ohio St/Isabel St W and the other house more East at the Ohio St/Isabel St W bend.

 

 

“key” is a clear indicator of Cherokee Park as the grounds for the MN Treasure Cache Dash.

 

Thank you again to the Minnesota treasure hunt community for supporting Brad’s silent auction. Congrats to the winners! As always, I appreciate you checking out MN Treasure!

RULES

• This is a one clue hunt for cash in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
• This hunt is a private experience as part of a silent auction gift package donated by MN Treasure to honor our fallen friend Brad ‘Cluey’ TeGantvoort in the Minnesota treasure hunt community. The silent auction was held on December 20, 2025. The auction winner selected the hunt start date and time as February 14, 2026 at 12:00 PM CST.
• The winner of the Cache Dash hunt earns a prize up to $100 total cash. Cache = Cash! The winner also keeps the MN Treasure concealer valued up to $25.
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find MN treasure by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please send visual proof of your find with you in the picture at the find location.
• The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends. The finder of the Cache Dash earns +5 points while any team members earn +3 points. The silent auction winner decided to share the hunt with a group of participants. As such, the auction winner will automatically receive +3 points at minimum for a shared find.
• MN Treasure hunts are typically free to the public with no registration required. If you would like to donate to MN Treasure to support the costs of future hunts please message me for details. Thank you for the support!
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Please stay away from standard golf courses, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and BVNS.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect areas with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. The treasure will not be hidden far off trails in these zones. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed.
• The clue explanations will be posted immediately following the hunt.
• Bug spray is recommended during summer months. Please check for ticks.
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.
• Good luck and have fun!

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SNOW HUNT #2

FEBRUARY 7, 2026

RAMSEY COUNTY, MN

SNOW MEDALLION: FOUND

 

Congratulations to Ed Brodie with Matt Littlefield and Steven Sanftner for finding Snow Medallion 2 at Lake Josephine County Park in Roseville, Minnesota!

 

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Discover” is a subtle hint the medallion is hidden in such a way that is accessible without having to dig hardcore through snow, ice or fallen sticks and bark. Rather, Hunters should investigate the bark and tree cavities off the ground to locate the small copper medallion treasure. Furthermore, copper was one of the first metals discovered by humans dating back to very early years BCE.

 

Congrats to the winners! As always, thank you for checking out MN Treasure!

 

 

RULES

• This is a one clue hunt for the MN Treasure Snow medallion in Ramsey County, Minnesota. The hunt clue was posted on this webpage at 12:00 PM CST on February 7, 2026.
• The winner of Snow Hunt #2 earns a cash prize of $100. The winner also keeps the custom MN Treasure Snow medallion valued at $40. Do not delay as these hunts may go fast! 
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find MN treasure by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please send visual proof of your find with you in the picture at the find location.
• The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends. The finder of the MN Treasure Snow medallion earns +5 points while any team members earn +3 points.
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required. If you would like to donate to MN Treasure to support the costs of the hunt please message me for details. Thank you for the support!
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Please stay away from standard golf courses, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and BVNS.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect areas with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. The treasure will not be hidden far off trails in these zones. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Always be alert for others enjoying the parks and trails. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled. You should not have to pay to park.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed. 
• The clue explanations will be posted following the hunt.
• Bug spray is recommended during summer months. Please check for ticks. Stay warm in winter!
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.
• Good luck and have fun!

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SNOW HUNT #1

DECEMBER 29, 2025

RAMSEY COUNTY, MN

SNOW MEDALLION: FOUND

 

Congratulations to Matt Littlefield for finding the Snow Medallion on the Gateway Trail at Snowman in North Saint Paul, Minnesota!

 

 

 

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

MN Treasure Snow Hunt #1 was designed on short notice after the originally planned December Cache Dash Hunt #5 was donated to private silent auction in honor of a local treasure hunter. The snow medallion was hidden at the start of a major snowstorm in the Twin Cities metro to make sure actual “snow” was involved in the hunt! The clue was released the next day after the storm subsided when the roads were more safe and clear for travel.

 

“spontaneous” hints at North Saint Paul’s “World’s Largest Snowman”, which was a spontaneous idea by former barber and civic leader Lloyd Koesling in 1969 to build a village symbol that represents the city. He was inspired while on a family vacation to Disneyland by the scale of the statues. Lloyd decided a snowman would be the symbol of the city since the North St. Paul Jaycees annually built a snowman at the Frolics Festival using excess snow from clearing the roads. The snowman was completed on July 23, 1974. “spontaneous” also confirms this hunt was created on short notice.

 

 

The first line of the clue ends in “snow” as a first suggestion that the medallion is hidden near the famous North Saint Paul snowman. The second line ends in “man” thus confirming snow-man. This should have dialed hunters into the medallion location in broader Ramsey County. The medallion was also concealed in white wrap to blend in with the snow.

 

“it’s been one of those Years” reflects on the highs and lows of 2025 for the Minnesota treasure hunting community. Although there have been challenges, excitement is building as we near the flagship $15,000 Pioneer Press Winter Carnival hunt in a few weeks!

 

“Enter” and “Way” in line 3 correlate with gateway or the Gateway State Trail that runs along the North Saint Paul snowman and “high Way” 36. The medallion was hidden below the snowman along the wall in a narrow section of grass and trees off the Gateway Trail. The wooded section can be accessed without stepping foot on the Gateway Trail, if desired.

 

“Holiday” is the Holiday gas station across the street from the snowman. In addition, we are in the Holiday season.

 

“fare of the fAn” supports the fanfare surrounding the grand unveiling celebration of the snowman on July 23, 1974 when the head was placed with a crane to complete the local landmark.

 

“fan” further references the large North Saint Paul wind turbine that is visible from Highway 36 and the Gateway Trail tunnel zone near the medallion. North Saint Paul is one of 11 Minnesota cities with a wind turbine to create clean, renewable electricity as part of the Hometown Wind Program.

 

Line 1 of the second stanza is all about the BOTG visuals in the vicinity of the snow medallion to focus the search zone. The graffiti found in the surrounding Gateway Trail region below the snowman includes “I SEE U”, with a pair of eyes, and “ACE”. The snowman is facing both the Gateway Trail zone and Highway 36 so the graffiti is in front of his face. You can see the snowman’s head, Gateway trail, highway, and graffiti all from the general medallion location. If you walk down the path to the tunnel you can see the wind turbine to the West through the tunnel. This search zone is rather limited mostly comprising a sliver section of woods along the South wall. If you draw a direct line between the “I SEE U” and “ACE” graffiti you would find the medallion on that line, which narrows the zone scope even more.

 

A secondary meaning to “I SEE U” is the North Star Medical building on Centennial Drive at the Gateway Trail Snowman for ICU or generally an Intensive Care Unit.

 

 

“44-20-16” is another clue to direct hunters to the snowman in North Saint Paul.

 

44 – snowman stands 44 feet tall

20 – snowman weighs 20 tons

16 – snowman smile spans 16 feet across

 

These metrics are presented on the “Our Famous Snowman” signage at the locale as well as online at the North Saint Paul city page.

 

“dash” hints at the Gateway State Trail with the dashed lane divider that is visible from the Google Map aerial or BOTG when the snow is melted. Hunters needed to follow the dashes to the zone below the snowman along the Gateway trail to find the snow medallion.

 

“Grand” and “place” are further hints at the “World’s Largest Snowman” in addition to the scale (fanfare) surrounding the snowman celebration in the city.

 

A bonus clue was embedded within the text to help dial in the snow medallion search zone using capital letters;

 

ATYALENWEAEURNNTG

 

“NEAR GATEWAY TUNNEL”

 

The custom snow medallion was concealed in white wrap in 8-10″ of snow by the Gateway Trail snowman near the Margaret Street North tunnel. The dimensions of the acrylic glass medallion are 2.4” x 8.0” x 0.59”.

 

Congrats to the winner and thank you for checking out MN Treasure!!

 

 

RULES

• This is a one clue hunt for the MN Treasure Snow medallion in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Hunters received no prior notice of the specific launch time for this hunt. The hunt clue was posted on this webpage at 3:00 PM CST on December 29, 2025.
• The winner of Snow Hunt #1 earns a cash prize of $100. The winner also keeps the custom MN Treasure Snow medallion valued at $20. Do not delay as these hunts may go fast! 
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find MN treasure by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please send visual proof of your find with you in the picture at the find location.
• The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends. The finder of the MN Treasure Snow medallion earns +5 points while any team members earn +3 points.
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required. If you would like to donate to MN Treasure to support the costs of the hunt please message me for details. Thank you for the support!
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Please stay away from standard golf courses, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and BVNS.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect areas with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. The treasure will not be hidden far off trails in these zones. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Always be alert for others enjoying the parks and trails. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled. You should not have to pay to park.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed. 
• The clue explanations will be posted following the hunt.
• Bug spray is recommended during summer months. Please check for ticks. Stay warm in winter!
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.
• Good luck and have fun!

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CACHE DASH HUNT #4

SEPTEMBER 20, 2025

RAMSEY COUNTY, MN

CASH CACHE: FOUND

 

Congratulations to Ed Brodie with Matt Littlefield and Steven Sanftner for finding the Cash Cache Treasure at Vista Hills Park in Maplewood, Minnesota!

 

 

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

Cache Dash Hunt #4 is “back” in Maplewood, Minnesota. Hunt #4, Hunt #5 and Mini Hunt #1 were all in Maplewood earlier this year. This time we head more South in the City of Maplewood to Vista Hills Park. The background color of the published clue is red to confirm Maplewood.

 

“back” and “house” hint the cash is hidden behind a row of homes at the park. Vista Hills Park is surrounded by neighbors and the treasure is ultimately aligned with the back of Crestview Forest Townhomes off Sterling Street South.

 

“back”, “house”, “egg” and “prank” reference the illegal act of egging houses as a joke, intentional vandalism, or form of protest. Egging houses is not uncommon for teenagers, for example. Thus, a house will be important for this hunt and will provide a fixed point to help “align” the cash location zone with a specific house number. “Decipher our egg” is critical to decode the exact house number via simple A1Z26 monoalphabetic substitution;

 

E = 5

G = 7

G = 7

 

The treasure was hidden just off the unpaved trail at Vista Hills Park in the zone aligned with Crestview Forest Townhome #577. (A1Z26 encoding has been utilized in several other archived MN Treasure hunts.)

 

“Check the mail and…” is another general house reference and represents Mailand Rd E at the North entrance of Vista Hills Park.

 

“this prank” and “unwind” reveal you need to unwind something to access the treasure; that is, a braided rope used to affix the custom handmade MN Treasure 3” x 3” leather concealer to a bent tree branch elevated just inches off the ground and partially covered by sticks and leaves. The leather concealer was wrapped in green camo. The wind of rope was partially visible from the trail.

 

 

“near high point” is consistent with the street Highpoint Curve that runs North of Vista Hills Park to further validate the park. In addition, the treasure zone has elevation of approx.1064 ft, which is one of the highest points of the park and Ramsey County.

 

“Hills are alive” is Vista Hills Park. Two days into the hunt a bonus keyword was added to the published clue to now read; “The (vista) hills are alive”. This should have helped any remaining Hunters identify the park as Vista Hills Park in Maplewood. Later that evening another bonus clue was added to the clue image background with “A1Z26” hidden in red font under the MN logo. For those that found this “Easter egg” in the image, this would have confirmed the decode strategy for “egg” in the original clue to yield 577 for the house alignment.

 

 

“dash” references the MN Treasure Cache Dash Hunt design as well as the unpaved, wooded nature trails in the Southern section of Vista Hills Park. Unpaved nature trails are often denoted by dashed lines in maps vs. solid lines for paved paths. This supports the treasure is found in a zone down the wooded trail at Vista Hills Park aligned with house #577. The cash or “bank” was approx. five feet from the trail edge in the woods attached to a branch near the ground that was partially covered by sticks and leaves.

 

 

Congrats to the winners and thank you for checking out MN Treasure!!

 

RULES

• This is a one clue hunt for cash in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Hunters received no prior notice of the launch date for this hunt; the cache dash was a surprise pop-up event. A picture of the hunt clue was posted on this page at 1:30PM CST on Saturday September 20, 2025.
• The winner of the Cache Dash hunt earns a cash prize of $100. Cache = Cash! The winner also keeps the MN Treasure concealer valued at $50. Do not delay as these hunts may go fast! 
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find MN treasure by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please send visual proof of your find with you in the picture at the find location.
• The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends. The finder of the Cache Dash earns +5 points while any team members earn +3 points.
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required. If you would like to donate to MN Treasure to support the costs of the hunt please message me for details. Thank you for the support!
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Please stay away from standard golf courses, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and BVNS.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect areas with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. The treasure will not be hidden far off trails in these zones. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed. Bonus clues were added on September 22, 2025 at 12:15PM and 6:50PM CST.
• The clue explanations will be posted following the hunt.
• Bug spray is recommended during summer months. Please check for ticks.
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.
• Good luck and have fun!

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CACHE DASH HUNT #3

JULY 6, 2025

Turtle Lake County Park

Shoreview, MN

CASH CACHE: FOUND

 

Congratulations to Nick “Squirrely” Casci with Chelsea Moody, Brenda Moody and Maddie Moody for finding the Cash Cache Treasure at Turtle Lake County Park in Shoreview, Minnesota!

 

 

 

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

Cache Dash Hunt #3 leverages a race theme. “Usain”, “fast” and “pace” reference Usain Bolt from Jamaica, whose nickname lightning bolt describes how fast he was as a track star. Usain is widely regarded as the world’s all-time fastest sprinter with 8 Olympic gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. He was fast as a bolt! The MN cache was in a 2” x 1.25” x 0.75” magnetic metal bolt container stuck to the back of the informational sign board near the boat launch shore sidewalk at Turtle Lake.

 

 

“sign” hints the treasure is attached to a sign board at the park. “It’s a sign” suggests taking a closer look at the previous line with “Usain” to get more insight into the actual concealer.

 

“shore to align” confirms the City of Shoreview and also indicates the sign board is near the shore at Turtle Lake. In this case, one of the boat launch sign boards on the park side of the boat launch ramp just off the sidewalk to the dock.

 

“Neck and neck” is a turtleneck sweater reference for Turtle Lake County Park. It also supports the competitive race theme.

 

“Slow down” and “race” reinforce a tortoise. “The Tortoise and the Hare” is a famous story by Greek storyteller Aesop’s Fables written in the early centuries. Tortoise references a turtle. They both belong to the order of the Testudines family, which confirms Turtle Lake County Park. As you probably know, the tortoise wins the race over the faster hare in the story, highlighting the moral that persistence and a consistent effort can lead to success. The same goes for this hunt!

 

There are a number of signs in the boat launch area that command boaters to take it “slow”. The actual boat launch sign board where the cash was hidden has a number of references to slow down including, “HELP STOP AQUATIC HITCHHIKERS” in big capital letters. There are additional signs on the same information board instructing visitors to use caution on the lake around rocks, reduce RPMs to < 1000 when loading boats, and take time to clean invasive species from your boat before/after leaving the lake and boat launch. Most importantly for this hunt, you must slow down your hunt to inspect the fasteners on the back of the sign board for the fake bolt. The prop wash sign on the info board is gold color consistent with Usain’s Olympic gold medals.

 

 

“race” further represents the Turtleman Triathlon, which is one of Minnesota’s first and oldest triathlons where competitors swim, bike and run at Turtle Lake County Park. The 40+ year race is part of Minnesota history, hosted annually at Turtle Lake. This year it will be held on July 19, 2025!

 

Finally, “race” is the MN Treasure Cache Dash hunt format. These impromptu flash hunts are meant to be a fast dash to cash prizes as a thank you to our amazing local treasure hunt community in Minnesota. The clues and treasure hides are meant to be challenging while still being able to be found fairly quickly. The cash prizes are typically found within a day or two after clue release.

 

As a sidenote, I was nervous the bolt treasure would be found right away by a random person walking on the sidewalk to the boat dock! The back of the sign is next to the sidewalk and I would estimate 100+ people walked by it on Day 1 of the hunt since it was a beautiful Sunday at the park. The boat launch and park were packed with visitors all day. There were also many hunters at the park Day 1 and Day 2 that had the correct idea on location at the park but just missed it. The bolt was hidden in plain sight!

 

Congrats to the winners and thank you for checking out MN Treasure!!

 

 

RULES

• This is a one clue hunt for cash in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Hunters received no prior notice of the launch date for this hunt; the cache dash was a surprise pop-up event. A picture of the hunt clue was posted on this page at 9:50AM CST on Sunday July 6, 2025.
• The winner of the Cache Dash hunt earns a cash prize of $100. Cache = Cash! The winner also keeps the MN Treasure concealer valued at $20. Do not delay as these hunts may go fast! 
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find MN treasure by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please send visual proof of your find with you in the picture at the find location.
• The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends. The finder of the Cache Dash earns +5 points while any team members earn +3 points.
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required. If you would like to donate to MN Treasure to support the costs of the hunt please message me for details. Thank you for the support!
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Please stay away from standard golf courses, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and BVNS.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect areas with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. The treasure will not be hidden far off trails in these zones. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed. A bonus clue was posted to the page at 3:00PM CST on July 7, 2025.
• The clue explanations will be posted immediately following the hunt.
• Bug spray is recommended during summer months. Please check for ticks.
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.
• Good luck and have fun!

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CACHE DASH HUNT #2

JUNE 10, 2025

RAMSEY COUNTY, MN

CASH CACHE: FOUND

 

Congratulations to Melanie Hendrickson with Matt Smith for finding the Cash Cache Treasure at Lauderdale Community Park in Lauderdale, Minnesota!

 

 

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

“pleasant”, “summer” and “lake” are streets surrounding Lauderdale Community Park.

 

“Sports galore” hints at the vast array of sports at the park; baseball, basketball, tennis, volleyball, hockey and archery. Further, the park has a playground and is bordered by the University of Minnesota golf course to the East.

 

“alley-oop” is a basketball reference. More importantly, the cash is aligned with the unnamed alley street to the South of the park. “take your best shot” further supports the various sports at the park including archery. Aligning the “alley” is “your best shot” at the treasure.

 

“Caution” hints at multiple signs at the park warning visitors of potential flying “arrows” from the archery range. “bark” is for the dog park next to the archery range. Generally, the clue hints to be careful (i.e., “caution”/“stay awa-ke”) and move away from the park zone with arrows and dogs. The MN wallet was also under a piece of bark in a depression on the ground.

 

The City of Lauderdale was initially called “Prospect Hill” followed by “Rose Hill” before the final change to Lauderdale in 1949. “Prospect” further hints at land surveyor Isaac Rose and his namesake for the previous city name Rose “Hill” and Rose Hill Township. Several local businesses in Lauderdale still use the Rose Hill name.

 

“Go for”, “green”, “depression” (i.e., divot), and “golden” represent the UMN Golden ‘Gopher’ golf course next to the park. Hole 16 runs parallel to the park to the East. In addition, “green” suggests hunters focus on the open green spaces in the park. Green camo was used to conceal the treasure.

 

“depression” gives away the hiding spot for the cash in a small depression or divot on the ground West of the tennis courts aligned with the alley South of Lauderdale Community Park. The wallet was concealed by a piece of bark directly under a stick lodged horizontally in the ground and covered with leaves, needles and pinecones. The depression was several paces from a nearby tree.

 

“graffiti” describes the MN Treasure graffiti stickers concealer for the custom powder coated aluminum “MN wallet”. Graffiti font was used for the “Cache Dash Hunt #2” engraving on the wallet.

 

Congrats to the winners and thank you for checking out MN Treasure!!

 

 

RULES

• This is the second ever MN Treasure Cache Dash hunt. This is a one clue hunt for cash in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Hunters received no prior notice of the launch date for this hunt; the cache dash was a surprise pop-up event. A picture of the hunt clue was posted on this page at 4:30PM CST on Tuesday June 10, 2025.
• The winner of the Cache Dash hunt earns a cash prize of $100. Cache = Cash! The winner also wins the custom MN Treasure concealer valued at $30. Do not delay as these hunts may go fast! 
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find MN treasure by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please send visual proof of your find with you in the picture at the find location.
• The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends. The finder of the Cache Dash earns +5 points while any team members earn +3 points.
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required. If you would like to donate to MN Treasure to support the costs of the hunt please message me for details. Thank you for the support!
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Please stay away from standard golf courses, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and BVNS.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect areas with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. The treasure will not be hidden far off trails in these zones. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed. Best to check back here often!
• The clue explanations will be posted immediately following the hunt.
• Bug spray is recommended during summer months. Please check for ticks.
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.
• Good luck and have fun!

---

CACHE DASH HUNT #1

MAY 1, 2025

RAMSEY COUNTY, MN

CASH CACHE: FOUND

 

Congratulations to Maddie Moody with Chelsea Moody for finding the Cash Cache Treasure at Floral Park in Arden Hills, Minnesota!

 

 

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

“All for one and one for all” honors the amazing support demonstrated by our local Minnesota treasure hunt community through good times and bad. More importantly for this hunt, the line begins and ends with the park name; “all for” and “for all” both anagram to Floral to reveal Floral Park as the cash cache destination.

 

“Ah” confirms the City of Arden Hills.

 

“Park name mentioned twice” indicates the cash prize is at a park while hinting at the two “Floral” anagrams in line 1 of the clue.

 

“’Flee the bees” suggests the cash is not hidden at the honeybee pollinator, but perhaps on a nearby trail. Besides hinting to move away from the bees, “Flee” is a reference to Michael Peter Balzary, aka Flea, the founding bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. “Under the Bridge” is one of the most famous songs from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The cash was hidden under the bridge on a trail just into the woods. 

 

“trail” represents the forest paths into the woodland zones at Floral Park. There are multiple entrances to these trails including several near the honeybee pollinator area and playground.

 

“magik” is another Red Hot Chili Peppers and Under the Bridge song reference. The song was on the 1991 album, Blood Sugar S*x Magik. At 10AM on 4/3 at the 42-hr mark, a subtle bonus hint was provided by updating the hunt clue image to a new version where “Flee” was changed to “Flea” to help stimulate the Flea/Red Hot Chili Peppers/Magik album/Under the Bridge connection. Hunters would need to be paying attention to the website to recognize this bonus hint (and corresponding announcement in the rules).

 

“storms” references Gale Cir that runs into the park from the South. Storms are often accompanied by strong winds or gales. Just searching along the trail sections aligned with Gale would eventually land the cash.

 

When I arrived to hide the treasure I found the park just initiated the early phase of a multi-year restoration program. This was not the case during my scouting visit. Therefore, “storms” also supports the recent tree/brush clearing at the park along the wooded zones and trails, which looks like a storm leveled the area! As such, this eliminated most areas far off the trail. The rules state it would not be far off the trail in the event of restoration activities. The cache was ultimately hidden under the wooden bridge crossing the stream on a trail in the woods near the playground generally aligned with Gale Cir. The cache was covered by loose bark from surrounding trees. Many people walked right over the $200 cash on the trail while searching the park. I am aware Hunters searched near the bridge well before the treasure was found. I suspected the bridge would be checked even if a Hunter did not fully solve all of the clues.

 

 

“Cache dash” supports the $200 cash prize theme. Counter to other MN Treasure hunts, there were no mini treasures, hidden props, or final medallion for this hunt. It was designed as a fast dash to the cash with no prior notice to the hunt existence or start time. This hunt likely caught everyone by surprise. The $200 was hidden in a custom MN Treasure leather container with congrats cards.

 

“sylvan paradise” reinforces the cash was in a pleasant, wooded area. The location is associated with Arden Hills or Shakespeare’s, “Forest of Arden”, a place of solitude and beauty. “sylvan” further represents the wooden bridge while Floral resonates with the “paradise” descriptor.

 

Congrats to the winners and thank you for checking out MN Treasure!!

 

 

RULES

• This is the first ever MN Treasure Cache Dash hunt. This is a one clue hunt for cash in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Hunters received no prior notice for this hunt; the cache dash was a surprise pop-up event. A picture of the hunt clue was posted on this page at 4PM CST on Thursday May 1, 2025.
• The winner of the Cache Dash hunt earns a cash prize of $200. Cache = Cash! The finder also keeps the custom MN Treasure concealer for the cash valued at $30. Do not delay as these hunts may go fast! 
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find MN treasure by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please send visual proof of your find with you in the picture at the find location.
• The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends. The finder of the Cache Dash earns +5 points while any team members earn +3 points.
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required. If you would like to donate to MN Treasure to support the costs of the hunt please message me for details. Thank you for the support!
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Please stay away from standard golf courses, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and BVNS.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect areas with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. The treasure will not be hidden far off trails in these zones. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed. A bonus hint was published at 10AM CST on 4/3 at the 42-hr mark of the hunt.
• The clue explanations will be posted immediately following the hunt.
• Bug spray is recommended during summer months. Please check for ticks.
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.

• Good luck and have fun!

---

MINI HUNT #1

HAWAIIAN TIKI IDOLS

MARCH 23, 2025

RAMSEY COUNTY, MN

LONG LIFE TIKI: FOUND

GOD OF MONEY: FOUND

GOD OF WINNER: FOUND

 

Congratulations to Matt Littlefield, Ed Brodie and Melanie Hendrickson for finding the Hawaiian Tiki Idols at Priory Neighborhood Preserve in Maplewood, Minnesota!

 

Hawaiian Tiki Idols

Priory Neighborhood Preserve

Maplewood, Minnesota

Hunt Start: March 23, 2025 @ 8:05AM CST

GOD OF WINNER: March 23, 2025 @ 2:35PM CST by Matt Littlefield

LONG LIFE TIKI: March 24, 2025 @ 12:50PM CST by Ed Brodie

GOD OF MONEY: March 24, 2025 @ 4:43PM CST by Melanie Hendrickson

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

This first ever MN Treasure Mini Hunt exclusive was inspired by my recent Spring Break family trip to the Big Island Hawaii! The trip was approx. one week before the start date for MN Treasure Hunt #5 – Gladiators of the Hunt II. As such, I decided the start date for Mini Hunt #1 would be triggered as a surprise announcement posted one hour after the Official MN Treasure Gladiator Shield was found. The bonus hunt was an exciting opportunity for those looking to continue the quest for MN treasure at the beautiful Priory Neighborhood Preserve! The hunt featured three unique Hawaiian Tiki Idols I picked up in Kona while visiting the Big Island; Long Life Tiki, God of Money, and God of Winner. Tiki art is inspired by the Ancient Polynesian culture where people believed in Tiki gods; Hawaiians made sculptures of these deities mainly for worship and spiritual guidance. All tiki cache items were hidden before Hunt #5. Although I am not aware of many strong connections between gladiators and Hawaiian tikis, other than symbolism of life, I did leverage the same Priory arena and MN Treasure cipher shift wheel from Hunt #5 for the tiki solves!

 

The mini treasures for this hunt comprised a cache of hunt items wrapped in black camo to support the theme; Hawaiian Tiki Idol, MN Treasure burlap bag, wooden MN Treasure WINNER token, 1-ounce silver Buffalo round, tiki symbolism card, and finder congratulations card!

 

 

The solve sequence for Mini Hunt #1 is relatively straightforward. The published hunt clue consists of color-coded letters. The colors orange, white and green represent the three tiki idols hidden at Priory Neighborhood Preserve. Hunters may recognize the format of seemingly random letters that may be converted to coherent words via the Hunt #5 MN Treasure cipher wheel. Similar to Hunt #5 leveraging a key shift of 5, Mini Hunt #1 used a key shift of 1 (i.e., A in the clue would shift left to Z for the translation). There is no need to read the decoded message in reverse, which was required in Hunt #5. The message can be decoded without the physical MN cipher wheel using the Caesar Shift methodology. There are free decoders online.

 

 

The tiki zones are consistent with the nature designations in the Maplewood Interpretive Trail Guide.

 

Long Life Tiki zone = The Shredders & Decomposers (Interpretive Post #4)

 

mpoh mjgf ujlj = long life tiki

tisfeefst boe efdpnqptfst = shredders and decomposers

 

 

God of Money zone = Oak Woodland: Layered Living (Interpretive Post #5)

 

hpe pg npofz = god of money

xppemboe mbzfsfe mjwjoh = woodland layered living

 

 

God of Winner zone = Lichen: Best Friends (Interpretive Post #9)

 

hpe pg xjoofs = god of winner

mjdifo cftu gsjfoet = lichen best friends

 

 

The tikis were generally hidden within or next to smaller logs or stumps, decaying or otherwise.

 

 

RULES

• This is the first ever MN Treasure Mini Hunt. The hunt was triggered after the Official MN Treasure Shield was found at Priory Neighborhood Preserve for Hunt #5 – Gladiators of the Hunt II. The Mini Hunt started at 8:05AM CST March 23, 2025.

• This hunt features 3 Ancient Hawaiian Tiki Idol cache prizes. The mini treasure packs (with silver round) are valued at $50 each.
• There is a maximum of one MN Treasure tiki mini pack allowed per hunter. Only one tiki mini pack is allowed per hunting family (e.g., parent and child). There is no monetary value to the packs. 
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find any of the MN treasures by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please send visual proof of your find.
• MN Treasure will be updating this page in real-time if possible as MN treasures are found so hunters are aware of the treasure remaining in the hunt. The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends.
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required. If you would like to donate to MN Treasure to support the costs of the hunt please message me for details. Thank you for the support!
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Please stay away from standard golf courses, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and BVNS.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect zones with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed.
• The clue explanations will be posted immediately following the hunt.
• Bug spray is recommended during summer months. Please check for ticks.
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.

• Good luck and have fun!

---

HUNT #5

GLADIATORS OF THE HUNT II

MARCH 22, 2025

RAMSEY COUNTY, MN

GLADIATOR SWORDS: ALL FOUND

MEDALLION: FOUND

MN GLADIATOR HELMETS (5): ALL FOUND

LIGHTNING BOLTS (2): ALL FOUND

 

Congratulations to Melanie Hendrickson with Matt Smith for finding the Official MN Treasure Shield at Priory Neighborhood Preserve in Maplewood, Minnesota!

They are your 2025 MN TREASURE Gladiators of the Hunt (II)!!

 

 

Gladiators of the Hunt II

Priory Neighborhood Preserve

Maplewood, Minnesota

Hunt Start: March 22, 2025 @ 12:00PM CST

GLADIATOR SHIELD MEDALLION (HUNT END): March 23, 2025 @ 7:30AM CST

Melanie Hendrickson with Matt Smith

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

The Gladiators II theme for MN Treasure Hunt #5 is a sequel to the first ever MN Treasure hunt in 2023; Gladiators of the Hunt. In Hunt #1, the clue and mini treasures helped locate the official wooden MN Treasure gladiator sword at Langton Lake Park in Roseville, MN. Gladiators of the Hunt II reverses the sequence of treasures to award gladiator sword ciphers for the mini treasures (with accompanying shift cipher puzzle wheels) to help refine the hiding spot for the Official MN Treasure Shield. The ciphers leverage a Roman Numerals substitution for the sword and Caesar letter shift for the wheel to support the Ancient Rome gladiator theme of the hunt. Five bonus 3D printed MN Treasure gladiator helmet badges were hidden along the paths with lightning bolts on trees to confirm the correct shield zone over the cross-shaped boardwalk near the Southeast loop trails at Priory Neighborhood Preserve in Maplewood, MN!

 

Primary path to win:

1) Gladiator sword mini treasure cipher with Caesar shift puzzle wheel

2) MN Treasure shield medallion

 

* The medallion shield could have been found without access to the mini treasure bonus clues based on hints in the original published clue (i.e., stunt/betwixt pine and birch/fuel = stunted tree cavity between Pine Tree and Birchview streets in the preserve zone by the Xcel Energy Maplewood propane plant).

 

The mini treasures for this hunt comprised a cache of hunt items wrapped in black camo to support the theme and bonus clues; wooden MN Treasure engraved gladiator cipher sword, wooden MN Treasure rotating shift cipher puzzle wheel, MN Treasure gladiator helmet sticker, and finder congratulations card!

 

 

“Trained for battle” reinforces the gladiator theme. Gladiator battles were a vital part of Roman entertainment to celebrate military victories, welcome important officials, and distract the public from political or economic troubles. Many gladiators were slaves while others were prisoners of war, condemned criminals, and even freedmen who fought for money and fame. Gladiators in Ancient Rome were rigorously trained in special schools called “ludi gladiatorii” (“the ludus”), focusing on combat skills, endurance, and iron-clad discipline. They often practiced with heavy wooden weapons against wooden stakes (“the palus”) to prepare for the brutal fights in the arena. Gladiators had contracts and were typically bound to their trainer/manager (“the lanista”) for multiple years during which they trained like our modern sportsmen.

 

“Trained” also references the local train tracks; the exact same train tracks that were used in Hunt #4 nearby at Sterling Oaks Park. The Union Pacific Railroad tracks run just South of Priory Neighborhood Preserve and are associated with various railway route designations over the years; Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha railroad, Chicago & North Western railroad, and St. Paul Stillwater & Taylor’s Falls railroad, for example.

 

“return” indicates Hunt #5 is the sequel hunt in the ‘Gladiators of the Hunt’ series by MN Treasure, but, perhaps more importantly, an early hint that Hunt #5 is back in Maplewood. Hunt #4 leveraged Sterling Oaks Park and Lions Park (off MN-120) just a few months earlier. Sterling Oaks Park and MN-120 essentially border Priory Neighborhood Preserve on the West and East, respectively.

 

Line #2 represents the creed of Ancient gladiators. Gladiators were expected to demonstrate unconditional obedience to their master and fate, even in the face of death. In terms of the treasure hunt, “sworn to obey” is the monastery and a reminder to obey the rules of Hunt #5 and Priory Preserve. Although gladiators could ask for mercy (“missio”) in defeat by dropping their shield and weapons while raising their index finger in the air, gladiators could be shown “no mercy” when the judge/crowd ordered a final blow to death in defeat. Although mortality rate varied over time, few gladiators survived more than 10 contests in Ancient Rome. The Gladiators’ Oath: “I will endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be killed by the sword”.

 

“avoid the burn” further suggests Hunters stay away from the sections of Priory Neighborhood Preserve that have been designated for prescribed burns over the years per the Interpretive Trail Guide written by Maplewood volunteers; namely, the grassland and prairie zones of the preserve.

 

“City pioneers overlook” represents the Hill-Murray Catholic School that has a pioneer as a mascot. Hill-Murray is also on Larpenteur Ave E, which is a “City pioneer” of a different sort on the North border of the preserve. Auguste Louis Larpenteur is one of the original 12 citizens of the city of St. Paul and is considered the grandfather of the city. Larpenteur Ave was originally named Minneapolis Ave, but the street was renamed in 1904 to honor Larpenteur as the oldest surviving “pioneer” in St. Paul per the book, “The Street Where You Live: A Guide to the Place Names of St. Paul” by Donald Empson. “overlook” hints at the overlook zone at Priory that looks toward the final medallion location, as evidenced by the binoculars on the trail map between interpretive posts #10 and #11.

 

“For whom the bell tolls” is a monastery reference for Hill-Murray and Monastery Way, which runs into the preserve. The Priory Neighborhood Preserve page on the official Maplewood website states, “When the bells of St. Paul’s Monastery ring out over the Priory Preserve, it’s hard to believe that you are in the middle of the city.” In addition, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is a 1940 novel by Ernest Hemingway set during the Spanish Civil War about an American volunteer as he participates in a mission to destroy a bridge. There are several boardwalk bridges at Priory Preserve including a boardwalk bridge to the final SE loop battle zone.

 

“For Whom the Bell Tolls” is a popular Metallica song from the epic Ride the Lightning album (1984). I attached two small silver lightning bolts to trees to designate the correct side trail in the SE loop trail zone to ride the lightning to the Official MN Treasure Shield.

 

 

“PRIOR Years” gives the hunt location as Priory. “preserve”, “neighbors” and “prior years” thus confirms Priory Neighborhood Preserve. “prior year” along with “return” and “neighbors” also supports the hunt location being back in Maplewood near Sterling Oaks Park and MN-120 from Hunt #4. “strolls” suggests Hunters will need to hike the trails in this expansive preserve of 46-acres.

 

Once Priory Preserve is identified as the hunt location, “Wanted: dead” is a clear reference to zone #7 at Priory from the Interpretive Trail Guide called, “Wanted: Dead Trees”. In relation to Hunt #5, this zone of dead trees may represent fallen gladiators from intense battle since gladiators were often interred far from their contemporaries in special graveyards. The 9 mini treasure caches with gladiator swords and cipher wheels are found in this section hidden within the vast amount of dead trees. As the trail guide states, “Peek under a log! What do you see?” Several of the swords were around mossy logs. The swords were randomly placed in zone #7 and not hidden in numerical order.

 

“a point to keep you alive” hints at the pointed cipher swords to keep you alive in the hunt while “field” is consistent with the expansive nature of the preserve overall. The MN Treasure swords are wooden to be consistent with the wooden swords that were used by gladiators during training in Ancient times.

 

 

“Betwixt a pine and birch” and “victory shield” provide hints to the final medallion resting location. The medallion is the Official MN Treasure (gladiator victory) Shield. Although there are pine and birch trees in the SE loop zone, the medallion is not between actual pine and birch trees. Rather, Pine Tree Dr and Birchview Dr are located South of Priory and run parallel into the preserve. The Shield was located between Pine Tree and Birchview streets in a unique tree cavity wrapped in moss and covered by pine needles and leaves. There are only a few tree cavities in the SE loop section where there are many standing pines so solving the wheel cipher brings a significant advantage. “fuel” is consistent with the Xcel Energy Maplewood propane plant found near the medallion zone in the Southeast section of Priory Preserve. The MN Treasure Shield was wrapped in sheet moss and hidden in a tree cavity. Moss is considered a bio-mass material and can be used as a “fuel” source for plant-based microbial fuel power cells.

 

 

The last two lines of the clue specifically address the cipher strategy to solve the mini treasures to dial in the Official MN Treasure Shield at Priory Neighborhood Preserve. The wooden sword reveals the general search zone at Priory while the more complex cipher wheel indicates how the medallion is hidden, which definitely refines the search efforts. “Substitute sword” hints at a substitution cipher for the Roman Numerals on the sword where Hunters are required to translate the Roman Numerals to numbers followed by letters via a simple A1Z26 number/letter substitution (e.g., A=1, B-2, etc.). I previously leveraged a variation of this approach in Hunt #3 – Fire & Ice. The solve is, “CROSS THE CROSS” on the sword front and “SE LOOP BATTLE ZONE” on the back.

 

GLADIATOR SWORD FRONT

III = 3 = C

XVIII = 18 = R

XV = 15 = O

XIX = 19 = S

XIX = 19 = S

XX = 20 = T

VIII = 8 = H

V = 5 = E

III = 3 = C

XVIII = 18 = R

XV = 15 = O

XIX = 19 = S

XIX = 19 = S

 

GLADIATOR SWORD BACK

XIX = 19 = S

V = 5 = E

XII = 12 = L

XV = 15 = O

XV = 15 = O

XVI = 16 = P

II = 2 = B

I = 1 = A

XX = 20 = T

XX = 20 = T

XII = 12 = L

V = 5 = E

XXVI = 26 = Z

XV = 15 = O

XIV = 14 = N

V = 5 = E

 

 

“Shift wheel” suggests a shift cipher solve for the MN Treasure wheel puzzle included with the sword in the mini treasures. Given the gladiator theme, it may be evident this is a Caesar Shift cipher, especially given the references in the clue to “Rome”. The key for the Caesar shift is the number 5, consistent with “Hunt #5”, as written on the back of the cipher wheel with the letters, “DYNAFHJJWY”.

 

To encrypt a message, a Caesar shift typically goes “right” in terms of the alphabet, meaning each letter is replaced by the letter a fixed number of positions further down the alphabet when encrypting; to decrypt for this hunt, you would shift “left” by the same number of positions to decode the secret message. As such, the cipher wheel should rotate to align the “A”and “V” with a shift key of 5 as shown in the picture above  (i.e., V <- W <- X <- Y <- Z <- A). For the cipher wheel above, translate the shifted message using the inner ring for the original message and outer ring for the decoded solve.

 

DYNAFHJJWY = YTIVACEERT

 

“Then reverse our stunt” directs Hunters to read the decoded Caesar Shift cipher in reverse to give “TREE CAVITY”. The medallion was hidden in a tree cavity in the SE loop trail section between Pine Tree Dr (Pine) and Birchview Dr (Birch). “stunt” indicates the medallion is in the tree cavity of a “stunted” tree that has stopped growing. “shift wheel then reverse” further suggests the SE “loop” area of the preserve as well as the Twin Cities Towing Services business near the SE section of Priory. To represent Hunt #5, there were 5 MN Treasure gladiator badges hidden in the SE loop section beginning at the boardwalk and running along the primary paths to the shield to validate the final search battle zone. There were two silver lightning bolts attached to trees at the main entrance for the most direct side trail.

 

 

“bring back the glory to Rome” is the premise for the movie Gladiators II (2024);

 

“After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.” – IMDb

 

“back” along with “return” and “prior year” hints again the medallion is in the same city as Hunt #4 earlier in the year; Priory is in close proximity to Sterling Oaks Park in Maplewood. “glory” is another reference to monastery. “back to Rome” suggests the letters on the back of the puzzle wheel require a Caesar shift to solve. Julius Caesar was a Roman leader who hosted regular gladiator games and used his Caesar shift cryptography method to encrypt military communications. In addition, “back” indicates Hunters need to read the final shift solve in reverse to reveal the shield hide location as TREE CAVITY.

 

@GladiatorsOfTheHunt is a social media reference and in this case a post on Instagram for MN Treasure (via Mike Nowak Fitness and @HowDoIGetRipped), which was posted at the hunt start time along with the original clue. Instagram search by #GladiatorsOfTheHunt reveals the decode methodology to solve both the gladiator sword and cipher puzzle wheel. This bonus clue would be very helpful for Hunters that were challenged to solve the cipher bonuses in the mini treasures.

 

 

The Official MN Treasure Shield for Gladiators of the Hunt II is a ½” thick x 6” diameter wooden engraved custom design with a raised MN gladiator helmet on the front and leather straps attached with rivets on the back. The front has engraved letters for the hunt. There is a large MN Treasure logo on the back of the shield. The outer edge of the shield is wrapped in jute. The shield finder was also awarded a bonus $200 cash prize!

 

 

RULES

• This is a one clue hunt. A picture of the custom bonus mini treasure and hunt clue will be posted on this page at 12PM CST Saturday March 22, 2025.

• This hunt features 9 custom mini treasure packs and a treasure medallion. The finder of the medallion wins a bonus cash prize of $200. The mini treasure packs are valued at $50 each and contain bonus clue(s). All of the mini packs have the same bonus clue(s). 
• There is a maximum of one MN Treasure mini pack allowed per hunter. Only one mini pack is allowed per hunting family (e.g., parent and child). There is no monetary value to the packs. All other items are “finders’ keepers”. All items that go unfound during the hunt will be removed from the property after the hunt ends.
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find any of the MN treasures by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please send visual proof of your find.
• MN Treasure will be updating this page in real-time if possible as MN treasures are found so hunters are aware of the treasure remaining in the hunt. The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends.
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required. If you would like to donate to MN Treasure to support the costs of the hunt please message me for details. Thank you for the support!
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Please stay away from standard golf courses, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and BVNS.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect zones with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed.
• The clue explanations will be posted immediately following the hunt.
• Bug spray is recommended during summer months. Please check for ticks.
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.

• Good luck and have fun!

---

HUNT #4

CHEMISTRY OF THE HUNT

JANUARY 4, 2025

RAMSEY COUNTY, MN

RUGGED BOX TREASURE: ALL FOUND

MEDALLION: FOUND

 

Congratulations to Matt Littlefield with Steven Sanftner and Ed Brodie for finding the Metal Sculpt Medallion at Lions Park in Maplewood, Minnesota!

They are your MN TREASURE Chemistry of the Hunt Winners!!

 

Chemistry of the Hunt

Lions Park via Sterling Oaks Park

Maplewood, Minnesota

Hunt Start: January 4, 2025 @ 12:00PM CST

METAL SCULPT MEDALLION (HUNT END): January 7, 2025 @ 4:37PM CST

Matt Littlefield with Steven Sanftner and Ed Brodie

 

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

MN Treasure Hunt #4 was crafted with a unique chemistry theme. I have always believed chemistry would be a cool concept for a treasure hunt given my background in chemistry, physics and engineering. To align with this theme, I decided to not only leverage chemistry terminology in the published clue, but also find a way for Hunters to practice actual chemistry during the live hunt to solve the final medallion location; rugged box treasures were hidden at Sterling Oaks Park that contained custom 119-piece 3D printed periodic table cipher interlocking puzzles that revealed letters/numbers to deduce the final park and hide location zone via UV light source multi-color fluorescence. This bonus intelligence combined with additional keyword hints in the original clue honed the metal sculpt medallion location near the power line pole by Century Ave (MN-120) off the East path at Lions Park.

 

The original clue has dual explanations for both Sterling Oaks Park (mini treasures) and Lions Park (medallion). Lions Park was selected for the medallion given its close proximity to the headquarters of 3M, approx. one block, which is world-renowned for innovation in chemistry. The path design at Lions Park looks like a finger pointing to the medallion in Google Maps aerial view, which was worked into the clue (i.e., “pointing”). The metal medallion was wrapped in holographic foil tape with camo and hidden under leaves at the base of a small cluster of trees. For the second year in a row, the winter hunt was impacted by unseasonably warm January weather in Minnesota that minimized snow coverage. This was certainly a win for the BOTG Hunters! As always, THANK YOU for your interest in MN Treasure Hunt #4 – Chemistry of the Hunt; I hope you enjoyed the adventure!

 

Primary path to win:

1) Rugged box mini treasure with periodic table cipher puzzle (Sterling Oaks Park)*

2) MN Treasure metal sculpt medallion (Lions Park)

* The medallion could have been found without access to the mini treasure bonus clues based on hints in the original published clue (i.e., “lye on”, “crowned”, “sit”, “ground”, “transform”, “surround islands”, “stick to the wood” -> zone near East bench, power line pole (power refers to the rate of energy transformation), and tree/plant “islands” on the grounds at Lions Park in Maplewood)

 

The letter font for the ‘Chemistry of the Hunt’ launch promo image on social media is “Princetown” consistent with a college/chemistry theme. The font color was orange glow to align with the orange background fluorescence of the periodic table cipher puzzle under UV/natural light.

 

The mini treasures for this hunt comprised a cache of multiple hunt items to support the theme and bonus clues; limited edition MN Treasure metal coin, MN Treasure glow-in-the-dark periodic table sticker depicting radioactive chemistry theme, metal chemistry trinkets (10 each), periodic table dice indicating the dice props at Lions Park, small MN Treasure burlap bag, MN Treasure UV blacklight, large black velvet bag containing custom interlocking 3D printed 119-piece multi-color fluorescent periodic table puzzle, 3D printed gunmetal rugged box (~ 1 lb. with contents), and finder congratulations card!

 

The mini treasures were randomly placed at Sterling Oaks Park with no pattern to the number scheme.

 

(As a reference, the periodic table puzzle typically takes one person approx. 20-30-min to build to completion. It is best to find a periodic table image online as a guide for the proper puzzle build. It is not required that the puzzle be constructed to reveal the bonus blue/green fluorescence clues. The UV light accelerates the process to identify the glowing elements relative to natural light. It is best to view the puzzle fluorescence in darkness once the light stimulus is employed so you can deduce the elements for each color. If you simply look for “yes”/”no” on fluorescence in natural light it will be very difficult to solve the anagrams. This exact scenario stumped a few teams at first. The green anagram to the final park/street is a straightforward solve.)

 

 

“Standard Operating Procedures” = SOP in capital letters = Sterling Oaks Park. Sterling Silver is a metal alloy composed by weight of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. Sterling St. is near the East park entrance. SOP also represents the concept of the periodic table puzzle cipher found in the mini treasure cache as a treasure map or blueprint for where to find the medallion.

 

“sit” indicates the mini treasures and medallion are all on the ground while suggesting the medallion and a few of the mini treasures are near bench zones.

 

“lab” and “metal synthesis” reference the 3M science labs relatively near the medallion location at Lions Park. “Metal” further supports the chemistry theme and metal-based treasures; metal MN Treasure coin and chemistry trinkets in the mini treasure cache, aluminum foil concealer for minis, and the final hardened aluminum metal sculpt medallion. Metal elements are leveraged in the periodic table anagram cipher to glow blue to help locate the medallion hiding zone. “synthesis” is the composition or combination of parts or elements so as to form a whole such as Sterling Silver. Another interpretation of synthesis for this hunt could be the rearrangement of letters in the puzzle cipher to anagram solve the park and medallion location.

 

“periodic table” is associated with the custom 3D printed glow-in-the-dark periodic table interlocking puzzle cipher supporting the chemistry theme. Numbers and letters glow to reveal the park, local street, and medallion zone location. The well-known periodic table cipher (e.g., 1=H, 2=He, 3=Li…) is further used to decode the numbers at the bottom of the published clue to confirm the mini treasures are at “SterlingOaks”.

 

“tracks” hints at the Union Pacific Railroad tracks that run parallel to Sterling Oaks Park associated with various railway route designations over the years; Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha railroad, Chicago & North Western railroad, and St. Paul Stillwater & Taylor’s Falls railroad, for example. “pointing” represents the aerial view of Lions Park in Google Maps that looks like a finger pointing to the East border end of the park toward MN-120 where the medallion was hidden. The key was to search the zone where the finger is pointing, not in the finger.

 

 

“light” suggests the periodic table puzzle cipher may be activated by natural or UV light stimulus to help determine the hunt solution. UV light accelerates the fluorescence process and intensity of the emitting glow light of orange, blue and green colors. A small MN UV blacklight was included in the mini treasure cache boxes. Regardless of how the fluorescence is activated, it is important to view the table in the dark to reveal the scheme of the different colors.

 

“Cure” and “radioactive” is a reference to Marie Curie. Currie St is in the vicinity of Sterling Oaks Park near the West entrance to the park. Marie Curie is a multi-Nobel Peace Prize winner in the science field well known for her pioneering research in the field of radioactive chemistry. She coined the term “radioactivity” and was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Curie’s early work included the discovery of the elements Polonium and Radium using techniques she developed to isolate radioactive isotopes. “cure radioactive elements that transform bright” references the periodic table puzzle cipher in the mini treasures at Sterling Oaks Park. The 119-piece puzzle is 3D printed with orange, blue and green glow-in-the-dark PLA filaments that reveal the park location and hide zone for the final medallion. The elements “transform” to fluoresce “bright” like they are radioactive with natural or UV light stimulus including metals and of course Marie Curie’s radioactive elements Polonium (Po) and Radium (Ra). Radon (Rn) is also used.

 

UV light in chemistry creates fluorescent effects by exciting electrons in certain molecules within a material, causing them to jump to a higher energy level, and then when they fall back down, they release this energy as visible light, which appears as a glow; essentially, the material absorbs the invisible UV light and re-emits it at a longer wavelength within the visible spectrum. This is the chemistry process by which the MN Treasure periodic table puzzle operates.

 

The “radioactive” song is also a reference to the Imagine Dragons music group as a nod to the “dragon” Ed Brodie and his long-running, popular “Hunt for the Hoard” annual treasure hunt in Maplewood. Both Sterling Oaks and Lions are Maplewood parks. “cure” is another clue related to a rock band; The Cure. In particular, the song by The Cure entitled, “One Hundred Years”. 100 years is a century and Lions Park is on Century Ave. near the medallion zone.

 

 

Solve – periodic table multi-color fluorescence

Green: Li O N S  P Ar K = LIONS PARK. Li and K are alkali metals.

 

Green: #1 and #20 = MN-120. Confirms the correct Lions Park is in Maplewood since there are several in Ramsey County. 120 indicates the medallion is hidden very near MN-120 at the park boundary. Ca with atomic number 20 is an alkaline earth metal.

 

Blue: Ra Po Rn Ag Pt Ne La Bh Y Os Nd He Fe Cu Ta = PATH EAST OF PLAYGROUND NEAR BENCH. The solve is not in the exact sequence of element letters like the green colors, which increases the difficulty to solve as you have 29 discreet letters to anagram. Once the words are solved, the order of words is key to identify the correct zone. The solve in conjunction with the 120 and original clue gives the specific zone at Lions Park to enter for the final hunt. This is a small section to search East of the bench closest to MN-120 on the East top walking loop by the park border. “near” is relative. In this case, the final hunt zone is near the bench. The bench most East is approx. 85 ft from the medallion, which is 25 meters. The atomic number of Mn is 25. A 29-letter, 6-word anagram is very challenging. At least one team solved the anagram! This is an extra bonus over Lions Park/120 and not required to win. There is enough in the other clues to locate the medallion at Lions Park without solving the blue anagram (e.g., “pointing”, green “120” in the puzzle, stick to the wood(en pole), and “transform”, which may be associated with power or power lines in general). There were also periodic table dice scattered in this same East walking loop section and near MN-120 to rule out the rest of the park, including the playground zone. As such, the blue anagram solve pushes the search even more East to refine the search zone between the East bench and MN-120. If Hunters were able to pull out some keywords they would be on to the medallion zone location regardless (e.g., path, East and bench). If “playground” was solved without additional context the Hunter would be in the incorrect zone since this is not consistent with the green 120 street glow in the puzzle. Cu, Li, Fe, Ag (silver), Pt, Y, Ta, Ra, Bh, Os, La, Po and Nd are all metals. Po, Ra and Rn are radioactive. The noble gas Neon (Ne) is often associated with glow properties (e.g., neon sign).

 

Orange: Periodic Table background color

 

“transform” is a hint that the medallion is located several paces from the power line pole by MN-120 at the East end of Lions Park boundary. Power refers to the rate at which energy is transformed or transmitted from one form to another. There is a lot of chemistry and physics happening with electric current in these components. If a Hunter was on to this concept they could walk right up to the pole a few paces in the wooded section from the park grass and likely uncover the medallion quickly with a close inspection of the local tree clusters. My theory was that the pole zone would have been searched regardless since it is a major feature.

 

“rugged box treasures” is consistent with the mini treasure boxes containing the periodic table puzzles. The 3D printed box color is gunmetal PLA filament. The MN logo spray paint color is Metallic Black with metal particle composition and the boxes were wrapped in aluminum (Al) metal foil. It was hard to hide these big treasures wrapped in foil without any snow, haha.

 

“lye” is an alkali metal hydroxide often leveraged for cooking and cleaning applications. “lye” was used instead of “lie” given the chemistry hunt theme and to draw attention to “lye on” as wordplay for lion, or, Lions Park. At least one person that did not recover a rugged box mini treasure solved this clue. “ground” hints that all treasures in this hunt are flat on the ground.

 

“stick” is a reference to 3M’s broad range of adhesive-based innovations in chemistry. “stick” and “wood” indicate the City of Maplewood and sticky maple syrup. “wood” is consistent with oaks for Sterling Oaks Park. “stick to the wood” is critical for the medallion location as it was hidden near the tall wooden power line pole at the base of a cluster of small trees at the East end of the park. “surround islands” is consistent with the central wooded zone at Sterling Oak Parks where there are multiple small islands surrounded by ice/water. For Lions Park, “islands” may refer to the multiple tree/plant wooded islands near the path and MN-120 in the East section of the park. “crowned” is another Lions Park reference (e.g., Lion King) and the 3M logo looks like a crown.

 

Cipher at the bottom of the original clue

16 52 R 3 7 G 8 A 19 16

The periodic table cipher decodes the alphanumeric message to “SterlingOaks” via the atomic numbers of the elements.

16 = S

52 = Te

R

3 = Li

7 = N

G

8 = O

A

19 = K

16 = S

 

There were 11 periodic table dice representing metal elements planted at Lions Park just off the path and wooded islands in the East section of the park by MN-120 to confirm the general hunt zone. The Manganese (Mn) die was hidden in a tree across from the far East bench mentioned in the blue anagram periodic table puzzle cipher to confirm a smaller search zone radius due East of the “pointing” finger in aerial map view; recall, the finger points to the medallion hiding zone. Manganese is a metal and consistent with the “MN” in MN Treasure for Minnesota/Mike Nowak. The same style dice were included in each mini treasure pack to hint at the park props similar to the scarabs in Hunt #3. The MN Treasure Hunt #4 medallion is a 3” diameter, 0.75-in thick multi-layer hardened aluminum 6061 artwork that weights approx. 0.5 lb. The engraving on the back of the medallion depicts the “glow/radioactive” theme for Chemistry of the Hunt. The medallion was wrapped in holographic rainbow foil tape with camo and hidden on the ground at the base of a small cluster of trees under leaves several paces from the power line pole on the park side (NW of pole) near MN-120. Coincidentally, there were a few utility flags left up on the East, street side of the pole from construction work last Fall that haven’t moved for months. The flags include blue and orange colors, which are consistent with fluorescence colors in the periodic table puzzle. On Day 3 of the hunt I changed the font of the hunt title on my website from silver to orange as a very subtle hint that there is something orange near the medallion (orange flag). The orange further aligns with the orange background glow of the periodic table puzzle and Chemistry of the Hunt font in the promo image.

 

 

HUNT SUMMARY

Lions Park primary clues = pointing (aerial view of path pointing to medallion zone), transform (near power line pole), sit (near bench), lye on (Lion), ground, stick/lab (near 3M, Maplewood), wood (wooden power line pole, base of trees), crowned (Lion, 3M logo crown), cure (Century Ave.) = park near 3M, sitting on ground base of trees near bench and wooden power line pole in the East section of park

 

Sterling Oaks Park primary clues = SOP, tracks, cure (Currie St.), radioactive (Currie and periodic table puzzle), stick to the wood (Maplewood, maple syrup is sticky, boxes in woods), rugged box treasures, sit/ground, surround islands, periodic table cipher solve = “SterlingOaks”

 

RULES 

• This is a one clue hunt. A picture of the custom bonus mini treasure and hunt clue will be posted on this page at 12PM CST on Saturday January 4, 2025.

• This hunt features 9 custom mini treasure packs and a treasure medallion. The treasure medallion is valued at $300. There is no additional cash bonus for the medallion finder this hunt given the value of the medallion and mini treasures. Trust me… you want to be the hunter that finds this medallion!! The mini treasure packs are valued at $50 each and contain bonus clue(s). All of the mini packs have the same bonus clue(s). 
• There is a maximum of one MN Treasure mini pack allowed per hunter. Only one mini pack is allowed per hunting family (e.g., parent and child). There is no monetary value to the packs. All other items are “finders’ keepers”. All items that go unfound during the hunt will be removed from the property after the hunt ends.
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find any of the MN treasures by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please send visual proof of your find.
• MN Treasure will be updating this page in real-time if possible as MN treasures are found so hunters are aware of the treasure remaining in the hunt. The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends.
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required. If you would like to donate to MN Treasure to support the costs of the hunt please message me for details. Thank you for the support!
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Please stay away from standard golf courses, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and BVNS.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect zones with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed.
• The clue explanations will be posted immediately following the hunt.
• Bug spray is recommended during summer months. Please check for ticks.
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.

• Good luck and have fun!

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HUNT #3

THE ANCIENT CRYPTEX

JUNE 8, 2024

RAMSEY COUNTY, MN

PYRAMID MEDALLION 1: FOUND

PYRAMID MEDALLION 2: FOUND

ANCIENT CACHE MAP: FOUND

ANCIENT CACHE: FOUND

ARTIFACTS:

ANCIENT CRYPTEX (9): ALL FOUND

SCARABS (3): FOUND

SPHINX (1): FOUND

 

Congratulations to Ed Brodie, Steven Sanftner and Matt Littlefield for finding the Ancient Treasure Cache at Benson Park in White Bear Township, Minnesota!

They discovered the Ancient Cryptex, Pyramid, and Cache Map at Red Pine – Sandterra Parks to locate the final treasure!

They are your 2024 MN TREASURE Ancient Cryptex Champions!!

 

 

The Ancient Cryptex

Red Pine Park, Sandterra Park, Benson Park

White Bear Township, Minnesota

Hunt Start: June 8, 2024 @ 12:00PM CST

 

PYRAMID MEDALLION 1: June 11, 2024 @ 4:00PM CST

Ed Brodie with Steven Sanftner and Matt Littlefield

 

PYRAMID MEDALLION 2: June 11, 2024 @ 6:30PM CST

Melanie Hendrickson with Matt Smith

 

ANCIENT CACHE MAP: June 12, 2024 @ 1:40PM CST

Ed Brodie with Steven Sanftner and Matt Littlefield

 

ANCIENT CACHE (HUNT END): June 12, 2024 @ 2:30PM CST

Ed Brodie with Steven Sanftner and Matt Littlefield

 

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

MN Treasure Hunt #3 is an Ancient Egypt theme. I have always been fascinated by Egyptology, which influenced my decision to study and work in the field of archaeology for several years. This treasure hunt is extra special to me as I shared the concepts and ideas with my sister Julie before she sadly passed away earlier this year from cancer. She approved of the hunt design and loved the relics/artifacts that were custom-made for this hunt! Julie and I had previously discussed visiting the pyramids in Egypt someday. A trip to Egypt is still at the very top of my bucket list. This hunt is dedicated to Julie! #RestInPower

 

To align Hunt #3 with the Ancient Egypt theme I decided to use the number 3 in the hunt design. The number 3 often symbolizes “plurality” in Egyptian numerical mythology. As such, the hunt leveraged 3 medallions and 3 parks; two of the parks are smaller with a connecting trail. The White Bear Township parks include Red Pine, Sandterra and Benson (near airport zone). Clues discovered at Red Pine and Sandterra identify the proper Benson Park zone for the Ancient Treasure Cache. It would have been difficult to make the leap from the original clue to the actual Benson Park cache zone without the Ancient Cache Map.

 

Three scarab beetles were contained in the mini treasures to signify the element of 3 in the hunt theme. Three scarabs were also placed on the back of 3 trees in the correct zone for the pyramid medallions “apex” on the South trail. Triad deities were used in Egyptian religion to signify a complete system. In this case, the Ancient Cryptex leads to 3 medallions to complete the hunt. A triad-based pyramid search zone was incorporated in bonus clue #1 to help locate the pyramid medallions on the South trail and potentially the Ancient Pyramid Cache Map on the North trail dependent on how the 2D pyramid was mapped by the hunter. I hope you enjoyed MN Treasure Hunt #3! Thank you for your continued support!!

 

Primary path to win:

1) Ancient Cryptex (9) – Find and unlock for bonus to pyramid and/or map

2) Official MN Treasure Pyramid (2) – Find for bonus to map

3) MN Treasure Ancient Pyramid Cache Map (1) – Find for bonus to cache

4) MN Treasure Ancient Pyramid Cache with Official MN Treasure Cartouche (1)

 

[#1-3 may be found in any order. #4 would be difficult to locate without #3. However, if you recalled some WBL treasure hunt history you may have suspected I leveraged my triangle medallion find at Benson Park in 2021 since it is near the airport zone (planes), railroad tracks (trains) and Highway 61 (automobiles).]

 

The first step of the hunt involves deciphering the hunt clue to locate the correct park(s) in Ramsey County followed by uncovering one of the MN Treasure Ancient Cryptex puzzle devices, which were custom 3D printed for this hunt with gold rotary rings/dials mounted on matte black frame. The cryptex can only be unlocked to reveal the bonus contents to access the hunt bonus clue using the correct acrostic 10-letter secret code by taking the first letter of each line in the hunt clue; WBTPYRAMID = White Bear Township PYRAMID. It is possible to locate the other key finds for this hunt (pyramid/map) without finding an Ancient Cryptex, although the bonus clue in the cryptex helps dial in the “apex” zone to the pyramids and potentially the map.

 

“Revert”, “kingdom” and “dynastic” reference the Ancient Egypt theme and succession of pharaohs in the Ancient civilization. White Bear Township used to be a 36 square mile stretch of land that included White Bear Lake, Vadnais Heights, Gem Lake and North Oaks. The cities/villages are now separate entities and have each comprised successive rulers over time. The hunt spans 3 parks in White Bear Township; Red Pine, Sandterra and Benson. Kingdoms dynastic hints at the “cities of legend” or a general White Bear reference.

 

“before planes, trains and automobiles” indicates the relative hunt location is near an airport, highway and railroad tracks. Red Pine and Sandterra Parks are in proximity to Benson Airport, Highway 61 and the Northern Pacific railroad tracks. The succession of bonus clues from the mini treasures and medallion lead hunters to the Ancient Treasure Cache Map at Red Pine/Sandterra and then the Benson Park airport runway zone next to the highway and train tracks.

 

“Ramses” is a play on Ramsey County and the Egyptian warrior pharaoh Ramesses II, widely considered to be one of the greatest and most powerful pharaohs in Egyptian history. The storage city of Rameses was located in the northeastern part of the Egyptian Delta. Hunt #3 was hosted in the far northeastern corner of Ramsey County, Minnesota. “Delta” hints at a triangle and the 2D pyramid search zone leveraged for this hunt in a later bonus clue. Miniature “mummy” figurines were “entombed” in a sarcophagus in the Ancient Cryptex devices and a mummy was also found in the final Ancient Pyramid Treasure Cache.

 

“Pine red” and “terra sand” are simple anagrams for Red Pine and Sandterra, respectively. The mini treasures, pyramid medallions and Ancient Cache Map sit near the connecting trail in the boundaries of Red Pine and Sandterra Parks. Sandterra means land or Earth of sand aligned with the Ancient Egypt pyramid theme. Sand was also in the background of the Hunt #3 launch promotion image and used to partially conceal the final Ancient Pyramid Treasure Cache.

 

Hunt #3 is located in the most NE part of the Ramsey County “tax” map or section N013022. There was no need to leave N013022 in this hunt. The Ancient Cryptex can be unsealed by offering the correct “tax” to play once found using the key “WBTPYRAMID” acrostic solved using the first letter of each line in the 10-line clue. WBT stands for White Bear Township.

 

 

“rise” may reflect the rise of Egyptian spirits to the afterlife when a mummy is entombed in a sarcophagus at a pyramid structure. “Search” the woods “near path” for the Ancient Cryptex devices, pyramid medallions and final cache map. The mini treasure packs were hidden on the ground near trees and logs along the immediate path while the pyramid medallions and Ancient Cache Map were accessed in the woods from the primary path. “rise” also hints at the scarabs, one of the pyramid medallions, and the Ancient Cache Map that were all hidden off the ground elevated in trees.

 

Similar to MN Treasure Hunts #1 and #2, “artifacts” strongly suggests hunters don’t delay and find one of the MN Treasure branded ankh and Ancient Cryptex artifact packs. The rotary dials are arranged using the 10-letter acrostic key “WBTPYRAMID” to earn a bonus clue to find the “apex” to search. The MN Treasure pyramid medallions were hidden near the apex of the South pyramid search “zone” in the woods (one on each side of path). The apex is extrapolated by connecting park pins and connecting the pyramid shape to either the South or North trail. Although more difficult to see in early summer with overgrowth, there are two light deer paths leading to the zone for each pyramid in the South; one on each side of the path. The zones must be explored. “artifacts” also hints at the scarabs on 3 trees in pyramid formation at the South “apex” zone to enter the woods for the pyramids and the Sphinx hidden off the North “apex” zone just two steps from the Ancient Cache Map in the tree branches.

 

“Snag” means grab MN treasures near trees and fallen logs. Snag is a dead tree left upright to decompose naturally. One of the pyramid medallions is hidden at the base of a classic tree snag. Some logs may also be fallen snag elements. The Ancient Cryptex devices were wrapped in mummy linen material guarded by 3D printed MN Treasure Egyptian gold key of life ankhs that represent afterlife in burial chambers. “Meaning” hints at the hieroglyphics on the ankh (not to be solved) and later bonus clue hieroglyphics that must be translated from the pyramid medallion finds to find the Ancient Cache Map.

 

“good fortune” references the scarab beetles in the mummy sarcophagus in the MN Cryptex. Mummies are preserved in Ancient protocol by removing the organs followed by natron (salt) preservation and mummy wrap, then entombed with meaningful objects. Scarab beetles represent rebirth and good fortune. There were 3 scarabs in each sarcophagus in the mini treasure packs, which is a hint that there are 3 “medallions” and 3 parks for this hunt. Further, there were 3 scarab beetles visible in the woods on the back of trees near the search zone for the 2 pyramids at the “apex” of the South woodchip path. The scarabs on the trees made a pyramid formation and encompassed the two access points to woods for the pyramid medallions within the pyramid. The “codex” is ancient manuscript. In this case, the mummy was wrapped in a cloth manuscript with bonus clue to the pyramid medallions.

 

“dial secrets” and “MN Cryptex” recommends hunters locate one of the nine mini treasure packs to help solve the location of the “apex” when correctly dialing in the rings to “WBTPYRAMID”. The pyramids and Ancient Cache Map can be found without the cryptex by solving the main clue to search “near” the wood chip path off the ground (“rise”) or by a tree “snag” at Red Pine and Sandterra Parks, and even locating the 3 scarab beetles to refine the search zone for the pyramids. However, the bonus clue describes how to draw a refined pyramid map to the zones to help the hunters. [Several cryptex devices were set to “ITSNOTCOMO” for some added fun!]

 

Reward: Mini Treasure Pack (9) – Hidden along the trail with random number order to the placement of packs. MN Treasure Ancient Cryptex with mini sarcophagus/mummy/3 scarabs with cloth bonus clue plus MN Treasure ankh key of life. MN Treasure pyramid wooden HUNT #3 token and MN pyramid sticker were also included. Laminated card to report find. Custom gray/black MN Treasure drawstring bag.

 

 

BONUS CLUE #1 EXPLANATIONS

 

 

The bonus clue states this hunt was already planned and medallions ordered prior to the Pioneer Press hunt, which also featured a pyramid medallion. Thus, hunters got a “second chance” at a pyramid. One of the pyramid medallions was hidden in an elevated tree nook partially covered by tree wood shavings and found under bark. Somewhat similar, the Pioneer Press medallion this year was concealed with sawdust. The medallions were found on “land” away from the bridge/stream/water that crosses the woodchip trail between parks. In addition, there are two pyramid medallions. Both medallions have the same bonus clue to the Ancient Cache Map that leads to the final MN Treasure Pyramid Cache at Benson Park.

 

“Rebirth” and “good fortune” hints at the 3 scarab beetles that were contained in the sarcophagus found in the Ancient Cryptex, but also the 3 scarabs in trees in proximity to the pyramid medallion search zones. Scarabs represented rebirth and good fortune in Ancient Egypt. “great wonder” references the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is considered one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”. The pyramids are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that still remain. The medallions are MN Treasure acrylic pyramids that lead to the Official MN Treasure Cartouche and Ancient Pyramid Cache.

 

“Aerial map” suggests looking at the aerial map of the parks to help dial in the location of the pyramid medallions; for example, Google Maps. The “tri-search zone” is a 2D pyramid superimposed on the aerial map with the base of the pyramid represented by “connecting” the Red Pine and Sandterra Park pins on the map. Pyramids come in all shapes and sizes. The pyramid zone can be completed by drawing the other two sides of the pyramid to locate the “apex” South near the trail, which is the primary trail referenced in the main clue. The apex could also have been drawn to the North trail of the park where the Ancient Cache Map was hidden. It is important to have the tip of the apex relatively near the trail path, as the original clue suggests. These “apex” zones are refined areas to search, not the exact pinned location of the treasures. Deducing the “apex” location(s) combined with the original clue that suggests searching elevated parts of trees or tree snags near the path should have hunters on the right track.

 

The apex or top of the pyramid is considered the “capstone”. The “MN Capstone” or MN Treasure pyramid medallions were found in the South apex area of this tri-search zone surrounded by 3 Ancient scarabs in a pyramid formation on the back of trees off the path.

 

 

There is one pyramid on each side of the path in that zone. You have to find the best access points to explore these locations with the two light deer paths directly across from one another. The search can be challenging in some parts more than others with the overgrowth this time of year, but that is part of the challenge. The paths were much more pronounced two weeks prior to the hunt. The cryptex hides were easier while the pyramids were more difficult.

 

The pyramid located North of the path was hidden just off the deer path not too far into the woods at the base of a mossy tree “snag” underneath mushrooms growing out of the tree and wrapped in wetland camo tape.

 

 

The pyramid South of the path was more difficult to navigate to the tree. It was wrapped in desert camo tape hidden off the ground in the elevated nook of the largest tree in the zone partially covered by wood chips and bark. The light deer path South of the woodchip path was the entrance to the zone and then you need to navigate to the large tree.

 

 

Reward: Pyramid Medallions (2) – rainbow MN Treasure acrylic pyramid (1) and clear MN Treasure acrylic pyramid (1). Camo tape concealer in desert and wetland graphics. Medallion was wrapped with bonus clue token using a cloth clue to the MN TREASURE Ancient Cache Map in Egyptian hieroglyphics cipher. Two pyramid medallions were hidden to potentially give multiple teams the opportunity at the Ancient Cache Map. 3 scarab beetles were hidden near the “apex” pyramid zone off the best access points on the South park trail to explore for good luck and fortune. Laminated card to report find.

 

To re-emphasize, if the hunter decided to draw the “apex” of the pyramid North of the base when connecting park pins instead of South, it would have been possible to locate the Sphinx and Ancient Cache Map near the boardwalk zone path without locating one of the acrylic pyramid medallions that contained the bonus hieroglyphics clue. The Sphinx was actually found in this hunt before either of the pyramid medallions.

 

BONUS CLUE #2 EXPLANATIONS

 

 

hunt continues north of the boardwalk track

sphinx guards map to final wbt cache attack

 

The Egyptian hieroglyphics deciphered help determine the location of the MN Treasure Ancient Cache Map North of the boardwalk with a mini gold Sphinx hidden at the front of the correct zone. There are multiple versions of Egyptian hieroglyphics with subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, variations. The link below represents one of the most popular translators revealed in an online search that demonstrates a common form of Egypt hieroglyphs. This particular format was used for the bonus clue as well as the MN TREASURE symbols engraved on the Official MN Treasure Cartouche for the winner.

 

https://discoveringegypt.com/hieroglyphic-typewriter/

 

The Ancient Cache Map was printed on cloth and wrapped around a wooden MN Treasure pyramid bonus clue token and concealed in woodland tree camo tape. It was hidden just several paces off the walking path in a tree between twisted branches. In reality, the Sphinx was only 1-2 steps off the main walking path while the Ancient Cache Map was 1-2 steps from the Sphinx in a tree at the clearing. The zone was approx. 15 steps from the end of the North boardwalk. The Sphinx may be considered the guardian or protector of the Ancient Cache Map that discloses the final location of the MN Treasure Ancient Treasure Cache Pyramid!

 

Reward: Ancient MN Treasure Cache Map wrapped around bonus clue and wooden BONUS CLUE MN Treasure token. Laminated card with map to report find.

 

 

BONUS CLUE #3 EXPLANATIONS

 

 

The Ancient Cache Map is a direct map to the final MN Treasure Ancient Cache just minutes away at Benson Park in White Bear Township. The Benson Park airport location has a special significance for me as I found the consolation (original) medallion from the White Bear Lake hunt in July 2021! The medallion I found just happened to be triangle shaped!

 

The map confirms the green pyramid zone that was previously hinted at in the Cryptex bonus clue where connecting park pins for Red Pine and Sandterra were used to extrapolate the apex zone to find the MN Treasure pyramids on the South trail. The yellow dotted arrow is then directed from the Ancient Cache Map location North of the boardwalk to the smaller green pyramid zone showing the Ancient Cache location in the small section of woods NE of the airport runway at Benson Park. There are only a few remarkable search spots in this section so the find is more formality once the zone is discovered. The picture of the airport hints at the collection of gold WBT Pyramid landing cones visible on each side of the runway along with the WBT water tower in proximity to the “planes, trains and automobiles”. The Ancient Cache was in the center of the pyramid zone partially covered in sand at the base of a large fallen tree with leaves and sticks.

 

The Egyptian Cartouche is an oval band symbolizing continuity, which encloses a god or pharaoh’s name. The Official MN Treasure Cartouche has the MN logo and hieroglyphics that signify MN TREASURE. The Anubis on the Official MN Treasure Cartouche is synonymous with the Egyptian god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depicted as a canine or a man with a canine head. One of his prominent roles was as a god who ushered souls into the afterlife. Anubis is one of the most frequently depicted and mentioned gods in the Egyptian pantheon. Finding the MN Treasure Cartouche with Anubis depiction validates a successful transition to WINNER in Hunt #3!!

 

Reward: Magnetic pyramid cache, Congrats card with Official MN Treasure Gold Cartouche, $200 cash prize, mummy, MN Treasure sticker, MN Treasure burlap bag for cartouche, WINNER token, 3 scarabs, and cartouche hieroglyphics translation.

 

 

RULES

• This is a one clue hunt. A picture of the custom bonus mini treasure and hunt clue will be posted on this page at 12PM CST on Saturday June 8, 2024.
• This hunt features at least 9 custom mini treasure packs and a final treasure cache. The final treasure cache rewards the finder(s) an additional $200 cash bonus. The mini treasure packs are valued at $40 each and contain bonus clue(s). All of the mini packs have the same bonus clue(s). The hunt tracker was updated at the 30-hr mark of the hunt with Pyramid Medallions 1/2 and Ancient Cache Map.

• There is a maximum of one MN Treasure mini pack allowed per hunter. Only one mini pack is allowed per hunting family (e.g., parent and child). There is no monetary value to the packs. All other items are “finders’ keepers”. All items that go unfound during the hunt will be removed from the property after the hunt ends.
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find any of the MN treasures by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please send visual proof of your find.
• MN Treasure will be updating this page in real-time if possible as MN treasures are found so hunters are aware of the treasure remaining in the hunt. The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends.
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required. If you would like to donate to MN Treasure to support the costs of the hunt please message me for details. Thank you for the support!
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Please stay away from standard golf courses, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, and BVNS.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect zones with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed.
• The clue explanations will be posted immediately following the hunt.
• Bug spray is recommended during summer months. Please check for ticks.
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.
• Good luck and have fun!

---

HUNT #2

FIRE & ICE

JANUARY 6, 2024

RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA

FIRE MEDALLION – FOUND ($50 bonus)

ICE MEDALLION – FOUND ($50 bonus)

FINAL MEDALLION – FOUND ($300 bonus)

MINI TREASURE PACKS – ALL FOUND

 

Congratulations to Ben Fischer, Josh Ellingson, Tony Weber and Dave Breger for finding the Water Illusion medallion at Hamm Memorial Waterfalls at Como Regional Park in St. Paul, Minnesota!

 

They are your 2024 MN TREASURE Fire & Ice Champions!!

 

 

Hunt Start: January 6, 2024 @ 12PM CST

FIRE BRICK: January 6, 2024 @ 4:30PM CST

Steven Sanftner with Skylar Sanftner, Matt Littlefield, Ed Brodie

 

ICE BLOCK: January 9, 2024 @ 2PM CST

Ben Fischer with Josh Ellingson, Tony Weber, Dave Breger

 

WATER ILLUSION (HUNT END): January 14, 2024 @ 1PM CST

Ben Fischer with Josh Ellingson, Tony Weber, Dave Breger

 

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

HUNT SYNOPSIS

The MN Treasure Winter hunt this year was a FIRE & ICE theme. The hunt featured dual FIRE and ICE full-sized medallions that supported a third final WATER ILLUSION medallion (Fire + Ice = Water). Como Regional Park was selected as the playing field for this hunt theme given the historic Kilmer Memorial Fireplace (FIRE), Lake Como Duck Pointe (ICE), and Hamm Memorial Waterfalls (WATER ILLUSION).

 

FIRE elements are often described as darker, sometimes representing the evil side of things, while the ICE elements may be light, representing the good side. The clues leveraged this overarching theme. A dragon was selected as the host for the hunt. It has been suggested that Eastern dragons are good (ICE -> East Lake Como Duck Pointe) while Western dragons are evil (FIRE -> West Outdoor Classroom Kilmer Fireplace). Dragons are also synonymous with breathing fire and sometimes even ice.

 

The published clue strongly suggests hunters begin at the Butterfly Lot at Como where there were 9 custom 3D printed FIRE & ICE dragon eggs hidden with articulating 3D printed FIRE & ICE Woodland dragons. The dragon eggs also contained custom MN Treasure wooden gamepiece dice with numbers to solve via simple A1Z26 substitution cipher to anagram text. The cipher puzzles on the dice helped reveal the locations of the Official Fire Brick and Official Ice Block medallions, although they were not required to solve the locations. The MN Treasure stickers in the dragon eggs have a ripple water illusion theme background consistent with the final medallion. The letters “FALL” were written on each corner of the sticker back with blacklight marker. Combining WATER from the sticker design front with FALL on the back suggests the final medallion is at the waterfall. As such, Hunters earned a big advantage to all 3 medallion locations by finding a mini treasure pack. In addition, MN Treasure branded burlap bags and fire and ice-colored gems were found in the dragon egg mini treasures.

 

 

The rhyme scheme for the primary hunt clue follows ABA ABC BCB format consistent with the famous Robert Frost Fire & Ice poem. If the clue did not state “Butterfly Lot”, one may have considered Keller/Phalen Regional Park off Frost Ave, with “frost” also being a strong ice reference. The color scheme in the clue background hints at the FIRE medallion in dark red (left, west side) and ICE medallion in dark blue (right, east side) with the lighter blue (central) representing the WATER ILLUSION medallion achieved by combining fire and ice elements in equal proportions.

 

“Substitute elements light and dark” supports the general fire and ice hunt theme. “light and dark” also represents Hamm’s light/dark beer varieties and the appearance of waterfalls that exhibit light/dark behavior depending on many factors (e.g., shadow, lighting, reflection, depth, sediment, human perception). Finally, “substitute”, “light” and “dark” hint at the blacklight bonus in the dragon eggs. “Elements” of Nature include fire and water, but also describe the numbers on the individual fire and ice dice in the dragon egg mini treasures. “Substitute” and “resolved” hints at the A1Z26 substitution cipher (A=1, B=2…) to convert the numbers/elements to letters followed by anagram to reveal the medallion locations. The numbers on the dice do not associate with the Outdoor Classroom tour stop post numbers as search zones, although this is a solid theory. This may have helped locate the Fire Medallion near the fireplace, but the approach does not align with the Ice Medallion on Duck Pointe.

 

 

ICE (snowflake, Ice Season numerical font)

 

4 = D

21 = U

3 = C

11 = K

 

DUCK = Duck Pointe

 

 

FIRE (flame, Firestarter numerical font)

 

6 = F

15 = O

21 = U

18 = R

 

FOUR = Post #4 (fire management) near Kilmer Fireplace

 

 

“Alps” refers to the park history. Charles Perry was one of the earliest European settlers locally; he farmed a 160-acre claim of land that later would become Como Regional Park. Lake Como is named after a famous resort near Perry’s birthplace in the Swiss-Italian Alps.

 

“Iceman” is a reference to Val Kilmer’s character in the Top Gun movie. He demonstrates traits of light and dark consistent with the hunt theme. The Official Fire Brick medallion was located near the Alfred Joyce Kilmer Memorial Fireplace in the West Outdoor Classroom. “Post” hints the medallion is located near a tour stop post in the vicinity of the fireplace. More specifically, Post #4 – Fire as a Management Tool, which is aligned with the cipher solution “FOUR” corresponding to the fire dice in the mini treasure pack bonus. Use of prescribed fire burns in many of the Classroom’s plant communities is required for maintenance of the desired ecosystem and control of invasive species. “make your mark” further dials in the location as the medallion aligns with the west compass needle on the ground at the fireplace just South of Post #4. Leaves were taped to the medallion for camo. It was hidden under leaves within view of the fireplace and Post #4.

 

“Trees” is a reference to Alfred Joyce Kilmer’s well-known poem “Trees” published in 1913. The medallion is hidden within the trees next to the fireplace. “Brick” further confirms proximity to the fireplace and hints at the Official Fire Brick design of the medallion. “generate the spark” reveals the Duraflame Quick Start concealer and again supports the fireplace. There were leaves taped to the medallion for camo. The Official Fire Brick medallion prize includes the actual medallion, MN Treasure WINNER token, $50 cash prize, $10 Fire & Ice lottery ticket with the chance at $200K, and a bonus clue for the final medallion location.

 

 

“InVade” provides a clue to the location of the Official Ice Block medallion. The “I” and “V” for InVade are capital to highlight Ivy or Ivy Avenue W that runs into the medallion location at Duck Pointe on East Como Lake Drive. Duck Pointe is consistent with the “DUCK” cipher solution for the ice dice in the mini treasure pack bonus. “horse race” is a reference to the half-mile ice horseracing track that was maintained in years past at Lake Como.

 

Henry McKenty was a major player in the real estate boom in the 1850s and acquired the land around Lake Como. One of his projects was to build a road from St. Paul to Lake Como to the resort of his dreams on the lake. However, the market turned and he was unable to complete the project. The road fell into disrepair and became known as the “swamp route.” The medallion was located on the shores of Lake Como at Duck Pointe.

 

“Stairway”, “lane”, and “tears” are words found on the memorial plaque by the bench located at the entrance of Duck Pointe, facing the medallion location. Alternatively, “sharp lane of tears apart” is a subtle reference to the streams of water that fall at Hamm Memorial Waterfalls during operation. The Hamm family donated the waterfalls in June 1967 as a memorial for William Hamm, Sr., former president of Hamm Brewing Company. The final WATER ILLUSION medallion was hidden in the large rocks lining the pathway at Hamm Memorial Waterfalls.

 

“Blocked” indicates the ICE medallion has an Ice Block design with ice bag concealer. Reeds were glued to the medallion and it was covered in leaves for camo. It was placed within reeds on the Duck Pointe peninsula aligned with Ivy Ave by one of the larger tree structures. It could be retrieved without leaving the path. The original plan was to freeze the medallion in an ice block, but the weather this winter has been inconsistent and unseasonably warm with limited snow for cover. “Sharp” further hints at Pointe for Duck Pointe. “apart” suggests the medallion is located away from the main Como Park activities at the Duck Pointe peninsula. The Official Ice Block medallion prize includes the actual medallion, MN Treasure WINNER token, $50 cash prize, $10 Fire & Ice lottery ticket with the chance at $200K, and a bonus clue for the final medallion location.

 

 

“Roll the dice” references the fire and ice dice in the mini treasure packs at the “Butterfly Lot”. The Butterfly Lot is well known to those familiar with Como Park. The intent was to get everyone to the correct park in Ramsey County right away at clue drop to find the mini treasures for the hunt before a final race to the three medallions. “precise” indicates you need to stay in proximity to the lot. The FIRE and ICE medallion locations could have been solved without the mini treasure bonuses, but they certainly helped focus the search and provided additional insight into the final medallion location via the MN Treasure sticker. The 9 dragon eggs were located near the Butterfly lot. They were randomly numbered and hidden without a specific pattern. “hatch” hints at the custom fire and ice dragons plus bonuses that were hatched from the dragon eggs. Hunters had decisions to make to “choose their own adventure” relative to the specific order they would like to pursue the medallions based on the mini treasure bonus clues.

 

 

“Smart” (water/“waterfalls”), “Quick Start” (Firestarter for fire) and “Home City” (ice for ice) are the concealers for the WATER ILLUSION, FIRE BRICK and ICE BLOCK medallions, respectively. The capital letters hint at the brand names. “Be Smart” is also a reference to Duck Pointe since ducks are often characterized as intelligent. “Quick Start” suggests Hunters begin at the Butterfly Lot to find the dice for additional bonus clues. “Home City” is another confirmation for Como Park given the park is in our capital city of St. Paul and houses Como Town.

 

 

The MN Treasure water ripple illusion stickers found in the dragon eggs have letters on the sticker back corners that spell out “FALL” with blacklight marker to hint at the waterfalls location for the final medallion (i.e., water design front + fall on the back = waterfall). The sticker is also the same design as the final WATER ILLUSION medallion. In general, the water ripple design may hint at the waterfalls or fountain at the park where streams of water circulate.

 

 

The Official Fire Brick and Official Ice Block finds included a bonus tag with another hint to the final medallion to progressively dial in the location. This was challenging by design to reward BOTG success. In other words, although the original hunt clue is more subtle for the waterfalls, the sticker in the mini treasure packs and bonus tag with the medallions further disclose water/waterfall, as earned.

 

The bonus tag states, “FIRE + ICE = ?”. The answer is WATER, which is part of the full spelling of waterfalls for Hamm Memorial Waterfalls. This interpretation is literal here as a heat source flame applied to ice yields water/water vapor. Clearly there is water in the fountains and lake at Como Park, but Hamm Memorial Waterfalls has “water” in the name and a waterfall creates a water ripple illusion consistent with the sticker design. Further, the Hamm’s Beer slogan is, “From the Land of the Sky-Blue Waters.” The MN Treasure sticker and final medallion are sky-blue color with a water ripple design. Water is the primary component of beer in the typical range of 90-95% by volume. The tags further provide a series of letters (LWFT for Ice bonus and EARLA for Fire bonus). The distribution of letters between tags was randomized. The bonus tags also have the water ripple design. By this point, the finder(s) would have seen the water ripple design on the mini treasure sticker, FIRE/ICE medallion concealer package sticker, and bonus tag. If you combine the letters from both medallion bonuses you will get the complete letters to anagram, “WATERFALL”. Many locations at Como could have been ruled out if they did not contain letters LWFT or EARLA. Or, if the location had nothing to do with a blue water ripple it is likely incorrect. If one finder/team located both medallions they would have the edge to the final medallion, unless someone solved the blacklight sticker riddle or deduced waterfall from the clue. Two separate teams actually found the FIRE and ICE medallions in this hunt so there was the element of potential collaboration to combine bonus letter clues to confirm the final medallion location with $300 cash bonus at stake and a race to the finish. This is indeed how the hunt ended!

 

 

The final WATER ILLUSION medallion was hidden in the rocks at Hamm Memorial Waterfalls just South of the footbridge. The medallion had leaves taped to the outside and was partially hidden in a rock cavity between two rock structures covered by leaves and snow. The medallion could be safely retrieved without leaving the walking path. The posted sign “Please Stay on Paths” helped focus your search zone at the waterfalls to any areas that can be safely accessed while standing on the path. The Official Water Illusion medallion prize includes the actual medallion, MN Treasure WINNER token, $300 cash prize, and a MN Treasure can of Hamm’s Beer for each Hunter on the winning team!

 

 

SUMMARY

Fire = West Outdoor Classroom near fireplace and post #4

Ice = East Lake Como Duck Pointe

Water = Hamm Memorial Waterfalls

 

 

BONUS CLUE/EXPLANATION (UNPUBLISHED)

 

 

The Como Regional Park location is reinforced. The “light” and “dark” theme continues. The clue discloses the mini treasure dragons will help reveal the correct “path” at the park by using a “black light”. More specifically, “FALL” was written on the back of the MN Treasure stickers in blacklight marker combined with the water design sticker front indicating the waterfall path. The medallion was hidden in the rocks within reach of the path. “crown” is a reference to the Hamm’s Beer logo with crown. The clue suggests being thorough in your search of the waterfalls zone. The Roman Numeral letters in the bonus clue image form an “upside down” “crown”, or “W” for water. “upside down” suggests solving the Roman Numerals, which can be translated to numbers followed by letters via the same A1Z26 substitution cipher used for the gamepiece dice earlier in the hunt. The red numerals correspond to the FIRE medallion bonus letters while the blue numerals are the ICE medallion bonus letters. The letters anagram to “WATERFALL” and there is no need to do any “math” on the numbers to arrive at the solution. “Water Illusion” is the official water ripple design of the final medallion, MN Treasure stickers and bonus tags. “Water” directly tells Hunters there needs to be an important water feature at the park near the search zone while confirming “FIRE + ICE = WATER”. The clue background is consistent with the Hamm’s sky-blue waters slogan.

 

RULES

• This is a one clue hunt. A picture of the custom bonus mini treasure and hunt clue will be posted on this page at 12PM CST on Saturday January 6, 2024.

• This hunt features 3 full-sized medallions and 9 custom mini treasure packs. The full-sized medallions retail for approx. $60 each. Two of the medallions reward the finder(s) $50 cash each and a bonus clue for the third (final) medallion location. The bonus clues are different. The final medallion rewards the finder(s) an additional $200 cash bonus. (The cash prize of the final medallion was increased in value from $200 to $300 at the one-week mark.) The medallions can be found in any order. The mini treasure packs are valued at $30 each and contain bonus clue(s). All of the mini packs have the same bonus clue(s).
• There is a maximum of one MN Treasure mini pack allowed per hunter. Only one mini pack is allowed per hunting family (e.g., parent and child). There is no monetary value to the packs. All other items are “finders’ keepers” including the custom medallions. All items that go unfound during the hunt will be removed from the property after the hunt ends.
• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find any of the mini treasures and medallions by texting the phone number that accompanies your find or via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com and the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. Please text visual proof of your find.
• MN Treasure will be updating this page in real-time if possible as mini treasures and medallions are found so hunters are aware of the treasure remaining in the hunt. The lifetime MN Treasure leaderboard will be updated when the hunt ends.
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required.
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground. 
• Stay away from standard golf courses and Como Park Zoo & Conservatory.
• No tools that damage property are needed to find the treasure. No metal detectors allowed.
• Please respect zones with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed.
• The clue explanations will be posted immediately following the hunt.
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules. MN Treasure will make the final decision on distribution of prizes in the event of a circumstance.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.

• Good luck and have fun!

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HUNT #1

GLADIATORS OF THE HUNT

AUGUST 21, 2023

RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA

STATUS: FOUND

 

Congratulations to Matt Littlefield, Ed Brodie and Steven Sanftner for finding the Ancient Rudis sword medallion at Langton Lake Park in Roseville, Minnesota!

They are your MN TREASURE Gladiators of the Hunt!!

   

Hunt Start: August 21, 2023 @ 6PM CST

BONUS CLUE #1: 8/30 @ 6PM CST

BONUS CLUE #2: 8/30 @ 7:30PM CST

Hunt End: August 30, 2023 @ 7:35PM CST

Langton Lake Park, Roseville, MN

 

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

 

The custom engraved wooden Rudis sword medallion was wrapped in burlap followed by tree camo tape. It was hidden underneath tree bark and sticks, planted in the woods near a large tree in the Southwest zone of Langton Lake Park. 10 wooden engraved MN Treasure tokens with Gladiator mini-figures were hidden around the South end of Langton Lake Park (south of County Road C2 West; east and west side). One token was allowed per hunter. The back of the tokens were engraved with a Pigpen cipher. The hunter had to decide the correct orientation to read the cipher code for the square token. The correct orientation of the Pigpen for this cipher is AOCM, which anagrams to “CAMO”, hinting at the concealer method. The Pigpen method thematically aligns with the historic smokehouse at the park. The smokehouse was used to cure and preserve meat due to the lack of refrigeration until about the early 20^th century.

   

5 mini-gladiator shields (7/8”) were also hidden in the South end of the park. No individual limit was placed on these items and they were meant to be difficult. The 5 shields were hidden in the localized open access zone of the sword medallion. Any hunter that uncovered a mini-shield likely knew they were very close with a significant advantage since it is not a big zone. Two of the shields were just a few steps from the path and visible if positioned correctly; one in the crack of a large log located at the best spot to enter the zone and a second shield that may have been visible if positioned correctly against a tree supported by vines. A third shield was visible at the base of a tree in the zone. The last two shields were even more challenging and “bound” by bark in fallen trees next to the medallion. The medallion was in the “OF” or Oak Forest zone marked on the in-park map found in the South section of the park near the historic smokehouse. The mini-shields were randomly numbered, and this convention did not lead to any further clues to the medallion solution.

   

The main clue stanza with 10 lines of clues is an acrostic anagram cipher using the first letter of each line – THSSTCIHAC – to spell, “ITS SCHACHT”. Along the path at the South end of Langton Lake Park in Roseville, Minnesota is Heritage trail stop #49 and the remains of a historic smokehouse built by William Schacht. Langton Lake used to be called Schacht Lake. The medallion was hidden in the South section of the park.

 

“grounds” and “play” hint at the two playgrounds at Langton Lake Park. In combination with “combat”, they also support the gladiator theme to the hunt. The medallion was hidden on the ground.

 

“at own risk” represents the rules of the hunt, but also the “Keep Out” signs located in the South zone of the park. The medallion was located between two foot trails on the West side of the paved pathway blocked with orange fencing and “Keep Out” signs. It was closer to the area by the South restricted trail. The medallion was not located down either trail marked “Keep Out”.

 

“Hail winner” and “Ancient Rudis” describe the 12” wooden custom sword medallion for the winner of the hunt. In Ancient times, the Rudis was presented to victorious gladiators as a sign of special achievement. “WINNER” is engraved on the back of limited-edition wooden MN Treasure tokens that accompanied the concealed sword. The medallion is a unique sword object and not a “disc” commonly found as a prize in medallion hunts. “disc” also references the 5 mini-shields hidden in the medallion zone proper.

   

Line 3 of the clue hints at the roads near the park and medallion. “Sea to where you mount” hints at C2W (Sea to where) or County Road C2 West and Mt. Ridge roads. If you connected C2 or C2W you immediately narrowed the park list to a couple of parks in Ramsey County. Mt. Ridge, or a ridge, could be considered a “fighting crossroads” in battle where crucial decisions are made. “Crossroads” in this case also represents the bridge/trail that crosses over Langton Lake to divide the park at C2 West roads. C2 West meets up on either side of the park at this location. “Sea to” hints at a body of water, Langton Lake in this case, split into two at the park by the bridge. In addition, there is a LaCrosse field at Langton Lake Park as well as the Timberwolf Fitness CrossFit gym in the immediate area. “Sea” suggests a body of water near the medallion location. As a bonus, Arthur Pl runs into South Langton aligned with “The Sword in the Stone” film and the sword theme of the hunt.

 

“Smoke”, “gable” and “cure” describe the historic smokehouse remains at the park and William Schacht. “secret codes” involve the acrostic ITS SCHACHT anagram, Pigpen cipher on the MN Treasure tokens, “OF” in capital letters in the last line of the clue for Oak Forest zone marked on the smokehouse map, and hidden gladiator items.

 

“Three hundred reps push, pull and plank” represent the famous 300 Spartan workout exercises consistent with the gladiator theme. “plank” and “howl” are Timberwolf Fitness/CrossFit gym. “Three hundred reps” also comes into play in combination with a later clue about “steps” as the medallion was approx. 300 average paces from the Langton parking lot entrance near Timberwolf Fitness heading toward the smokehouse, plus or minus. “plank” also describes the wooden tokens and sword, along with the concealer consisting of tree remnants and bark camo.

 

“Crowd response”, “towel” and “won’t signal end” suggest look away from the North section of the park with sports fields and instead head South. “Signal” is another reference for the “smoke”house.

 

“Flying fish” and “ruins” point to the artifact in Google Maps if you zoom way in near South Langton Park. There is strange graffiti on the roof of the building that kind of looks like a flying fish out of the water. In Ancient times, there is a myth of “flying fish” that must leap out of the ocean and sleep on dry land to live. This area is now building foundation ruins with graffiti when you investigate in-person. The medallion zone was essentially aligned just North of the ruins and “flying fish” graffiti at Terrace Dr/Twin Lakes Pkwy. There is a fishing pier and FIN fishing sign in South Langton near the West parking lot. However, this FIN sign and nearby stone memorial were not the solution since a later clue suggests moving away from parking lots. Of course, “ruins” also applies to the historic smokehouse at South Langton. This is all further confirmation to focus your search at the South end of the park.

   

“hone your steps” hints at Terrace Dr at the South end of the park and the step shape that is shown on the park map for the Oak Forest section at that end of the park near the medallion. A terrace can be described as a series of cultivated steps. The invention of terrace farming dates back to Ancient history and terraced steps are commonly used in landscaping today. Terrace Dr turns into Twin Lakes Parkway just East of Langton Lake Park, but it can be extrapolated as a straight line through the park. It is the only major street on the South end to align so it was likely a popular search zone during the hunt. Further, the medallion zone was approx. 300 ave. paces from the West parking lot entrance near Timberwolf Fitness heading toward the smokehouse, plus or minus (i.e., approx. 750 ft at 2.5 ft/ave. pace, which roughly matched my 300 paces BOTG).

   

“counting crows” suggests Russell Crow from the movie Gladiator and also the band Counting Crows with the song “Round Here” to further confirm the general zone near the U-Shaped loop trail at the South end of the park. As a coincidence, the album with this song is called, “August and Everything After”. This MN Treasure hunt started in August. “Your” and “You” were used several times for the U-Shaped South trail and horseshoe-shaped building off Mt. Ridge Rd just West of the medallion. “not cars nor any bruins” indicates stay away from parking lots and Arthur Pl (i.e., Arthur may originate from Celtic word for bear, or bruins).

 

“bound by shield” and “final battlefront” aligns with the 5 mini-gladiator shields hidden in the correct zone of the medallion. At least three shields were visible if positioned correctly. The shields were “bound” by a log crack, vines and bark. If you found any of these shields you knew you were very close. They were randomly numbered and randomly hidden. The numbers and locations did not create a definitive map to the sword other than proper zone.

 

“claim” and “OF” in capital letters in the last line hinted at the medallion location in the OF or Oak Forest section of South Langton per the in-park smokehouse map signage. Connecting “flying fish” (graffiti in aerial view of park), “hone your steps” (Terrace Dr), “counting crows” (round here, south loop) and “OF” in South Langton with or without finding any mini-shields significantly reduced the hunt to a very small search zone at Langton Lake Park to find the Ancient Rudis!

       

MN Treasure Gladiators of the Hunt – Final Hiding Locations

Blue = Ancient Rudis sword medallion (1)

Green = Zone with gladiator mini-shields (5)

Red = MN Treasure tokens with cipher and gladiator figures (10)

 

Please feel free to visit Langton Lake Park and locate any remaining MN Treasure tokens and mini-shields using the map below and tree images in the clue explanations above. One token per hunter please. I will remove any remaining items after one week. Thanks for hunting!!

 

 

BONUS CLUE #1 EXPLANATION

 

The park name is given in the bonus clue and states to focus your final gladiator battle in the South section of the park. The bonus reveals the “other items” mentioned in the hunt rules are small gladiator shields, as hinted in the original clue. The shields define the medallion zone. Hunters are urged to take an aerial view of Langton Lake Park with an Ancient perspective on specific markers to “align” from the previous clue. The clue pinpoints the Ancient sword medallion zone at Terrace Dr (“hone your steps” or terrace step farming invented in Ancient times) aligned with the “flying fish” (Ancient myth for fish-like creature sleeping outside) associated with the building ruins in the Google Map aerial view South of the park. The medallion was hidden under sticks and bark next to a large tree in the open access area in this zone. It was wrapped in burlap and tree camo tape.

     

BONUS CLUE #2 EXPLANATION

 

Bonus #2 is a picture of the sword medallion zone just off the path SW Langton Lake Park. There is a shield in the log crack at the best entrance to the zone. It is a small hunt zone to find the Ancient Rudis!

 

RULES

• This is a one clue hunt. A picture of the medallion and treasure hunt clue will be posted at 6PM CST on August 21, 2023.

• Please contact Mike Nowak immediately when you find the medallion to validate your victory and collect the bonus $300 cash prize via Facebook Messenger, MikeNowakFitness@gmail.com or the MN Treasure webpage contact form located HERE. (The cash prize was increased in value from $200 to $300 at the one-week mark.)
• This MN Treasure hunt is free to the public with no registration required.
• The treasure hunt arena is PUBLIC LAND in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Please stay off private property.
• The treasure will not be hidden anywhere dangerous nor higher than 5 feet off the ground.
• Stay away from standard golf courses and Como Park Zoo & Conservatory.
• No tools are needed to find the treasure; you certainly do not want to damage the medallion prize!
• Please respect zones with active restoration signs and marked restricted areas. Do not harm the property grounds or nature. Please obey property hours and rules or risk disqualification from the hunt. In extreme cases, the hunt may be cancelled.
• There are 10 total tokens hidden for this hunt. There is a maximum of one MN Treasure token allowed per hunter. There is no monetary value to the tokens. All other items are “finders’ keepers” including the custom medallion. The medallion has a monetary value of $300 cash. All items that go unfound during the hunt will be removed from the property after the hunt ends.
• The clue writer reserves the right to add bonus clues at a later date, if needed.
• The clue explanations will be posted immediately following the hunt.
• Mike Nowak, MN Treasure, Mike Nowak Fitness and How Do I Get Ripped LLC carry no liability or responsibility for any accidents, injuries or legal implications for participants during this treasure hunt. Participants are urged to use reasonable safety precautions, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and follow all rules.
• By participating you agree to a photo/video media release waiver.
• Seek, do not destroy.

• Good luck and have fun!