Treasure Hunter Training Program
by Allison Wonderland
For further insights, information, and discussion of the hunt, join the treasure hunting club at The Allison Wonderland.
- Whenever a snow emergency is declared, follow the snowplows around and completely dig out all the cars they plow in.
- As a big storm is about to hit, stand on your front steps with your back to the yard. Toss your car keys over your shoulder. Go back inside and then go find them the next day.
- Read up on Occam's Razor (All else being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the correct one).
- Do every word jumble, crossword puzzle, and search-a-word you can get your hands on.
- Make a list of all the things you can do with $10,000.
- Turn off the heat in your home for 16 hours a day.
- Only sleep three hours a night.
- Move all the snow from your back yard to your front yard.
- Spend all night on the Internet with total strangers discussing who killed JFK.
- Commit the Cooler Crew and Treasure Hunter's Guide Websites to memory.
During the 1990’s, the St Paul Pioneer Press opened online discussion forums. These forums were called Water Coolers. The forums had discussion topics related to sports, politics, news, and current events. Each year, the Pioneer Planet – the online section of the Pioneer Press – opened a discussion forum as a media for hunters to discuss the clues for the Winter Carnival Medallion Hunt.
During the earlier years, one might find a few hundred posts during the hunt. As more hunters had computers, those numbers jumped. From 1997 to 1998, the number of posts increased from the hundreds to the 5-digit thousands. It was during the 1998 hunt the Cooler Crew was born.
The community spirit and teamwork displayed in the Pioneer Press Medallion Hunt thread was inspiring. The group of hunters found themselves at the end of a hunt not wanting to let go of new friendships and the camaraderie found on the Water Cooler board. The idea emerged to do what anyone would do in the middle of winter in Minnesota. A picnic in Cherokee was planned - the first Rehash Bash!
