Treasure Hunting with eBikes on the Wasatch Range
It is something we have all day dreamed about at some point in our lives: going on a real life, honest to goodness treasure hunt. Well thanks to the Cline Family (@the.cline.fam) and John Maxim (@onthejohn) many of us in the Wasatch range got to live out that dream.
The 2021 Utah Treasure Hunt got many of us excited for a different kind of hunting than we are typically talking about here at Bakcou. This treasure hunt was posted on instagram and would lead the lucky winner to a wood chest filled with $10,000 in cash.
Like any good treasure hunt we were given clues to the location of the 10,000 prize. The mian clue was given in the form of a poem posted on instagram. It talked of black birds, bears made of stone and the beautiful views you will encounter here in Utah. However, it was pretty cryptic and left me scratching my head at where to even begin.
With so many potential areas it was a daunting task to hike the myriad of trails that criss cross the mountains in our area. And that’s when I remembered where I work… It’s hard to think of a vehicle better suited for this hunt than a rough and tough, rugged eBike. So I borrowed two of our bikes from work and went out to hit the trails with my friend, and hopefully strike it rich.
My friend Zac and I decided we would start the hunt by going up Ben Lomond, the tallest peak here in Utah. We did it by way of the skyline trail, a 16.3 mile out and back with 3,755 feet of elevation! We set out all full of hope, with our eyes peeled looking for rocks that looked anything like bears.
that's a bear right?
Using eBikes for the treasure hunt made it super easy to take out all the supplies needed, plenty of food and water and big bags for when we had to haul back the $10,000. The eBikes also made quick work of the steep and technical trail. Allowing us to cover ground quickly and efficiently.
When we made it to the peak of Ben Lomond, Zac and I stared in awe at the valley beneath us. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place with “sun kissed reds and salty blues”. Unfortunately we had not found the treasure on this route. But we were already brainstorming where to search next with the bikes.
We were both scouring maps and asking all of our local friends their opinions on where to go next. And just as we were finalizing plans for the next treasure hunting adventure we saw the post… the treasure had been found. On a trail just south of Salt Lake, Andy Swanger (@ajswangblades) had found the chest.
Admittedly I was pretty bummed at first, but just being able to be part of a treasure hunt was such a fun experience. I got to study maps of the area with friends, summit a gorgeous peak, and daydream about what I would do with $10,000 (buy more bike stuff obviously). And hey in 2020 the prize was $5,000, this year it was $10,000, next year the $15,000 will be mine!
Thanks again to John Maxim and The Cline Family for creating such a cool experience. Even to all us empty handed folks, I know we had a good time getting outside and exploring more of this beautiful area of the world. Now I just have to convince the bosses at Bakcou to put on something similar...