A part two to Edmonton’s $100,000 Gold Hunt may be in the works

A part two to Edmonton’s $100,000 Gold Hunt may be in the works

After a hidden treasure hunt ended in disappointment, a second chance to win big may be coming for Edmontonians.

On June 1 at exactly 12:01 a.m., the company GoldHunt released maps that people had purchased to Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver, displaying riddles and clues to be used to find $100,000 worth of treasure located somewhere within each respective city. By 8:52 p.m. on Saturday—less than 24 hours after the hunt began—Edmonton’s treasure had already been found by a game-and-puzzle-loving family from Sherwood Park, and now people are calling for a second round, feeling as though they weren’t given a fair shot at looking for the treasure.

On June 3, GoldHunt (@GoldHuntCA) posted a poll on its Twitter account, asking whether they should hold a second treasure hunt in Edmonton, and the response received was an overwhelming “yes.” What also became clear from the responses to the tweet was the frustration that some Edmontonians felt about how the treasure hunt played out.

User @Ask_JWolfe tweeted, “Kudos to the Family [sic] who won, but realistically 20hrs [sic] or less was a genuine disappointment. People do have to work…”

Not only were there complaints about the short amount of time it took for the treasure to be found, some were also upset over the whereabouts of the treasure itself.

User @Neil_L_F responded, “Yes but actually place the treasure in a place of significance [sic] like any treasure hunt it should be based around historical significance with the city/area, not near a Wendy’s, Tim Hortons, and Ford dealership. Have to say extremely disappointed in the location you chose.”

Maybe the company will take these ideas into consideration, as it does appear as though a second Edmonton hunt is looming on the horizon. When a Twitter user replied asking GoldHunt why the company had even asked the question, they replied, “The question is slightly rhetorical… Of course we’re going to.”

Since the company originally speculated that the hunt would take five days, the quick recovery of the treasure was definitely a shock to most. Some are calling for GoldHunt to make it more difficult the second time around, so that there is more drive to explore the city.

While there have been complaints, there are also certainly people who enjoyed their time hunting, and reaped some benefits from the experience.

Many used it as an opportunity to spend time exploring the city with family and friends, while others pointed out some health benefits to the activity.

Twitter user @CarterEBuchanon tweeted, “I mean, we covered a but [sic] of ground! How far did yall go to #findthegold?!” His post was accompanied with a photo of his steps taken for the day.

Hopefully the company does decide to go forward with a second treasure hunt for the city, so that Edmontonians can have the same experience as those from Calgary and Vancouver — whose citizens are still on the hunt for their respective treasures. It would be best to go forward with it while the hype around the event is still strong online — and some have pointed out that it will feel like more of a friendly competition between the three cities if it happens soon.

Whether a second round of GoldHunt’s treasure hunt happens this summer or not, it certainly proved to be popular with Edmontonians, albeit with some kinks to work out, and could set a precedent for future activities that get people out and exploring.