The Wallet Has Been Found!!
Congratulations to our winner, Chris Shane! He found the wallet Thursday September 5th afternoon on the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail! Chris plans to give his $10,000 charitable contribution as scholarship funds to benefit low-to-moderate income students planning to attend Utah Valley University.
A huge thank you again to everyone who participated in this year's hunt. We hope you had as much fun as we did.
Clue Breakdown:
Clue 1: The 2024 Cash Quest is about to unfold so enter Utah’s mountains brave and bold. Go windward to the wallet, but first, a brief discussion, for to blaze ahead with no prepare could come with repercussion? Fortune’s afoot, whispering your name. Make tracks for the top where riches you’ll claim.
• "Enter Utah's mountains" – Summit County is known as the “Entrance into Utah”.
• "Windward" – The windward side of a mountain is the side that faces the wind. When wind blows over mountains, it cools and creates clouds, leading to more precipitation on that side. The Wasatch Back is the windward side and gets more precipitation, while the Wasatch Front is the leeward side and is drier.
• "Top" – Summit refers to the highest point of a mountain — or the top — and gives a hint to Summit County.
• "Discussion" – Another type of summit is a meeting or conference where people discuss specific topics. This is also a nod to Summit County.
• "Repercussion" – This was also meant to shift your thoughts to reverberations or echos.
• "Whispering your name" – Whispering involves a soft, quiet sound, which often needs to be repeated, or "echoed", in certain environments.
• "Make tracks" – This is a saying that originated from the railroad.
Clue 2: If you’ve made it this far, find the peace tree of white, from here your journey can head out of sight. To be first to the treasure takes a little bit of stealth, the successful will see a sudden rush of wealth.
• "Peace tree of white" – White pines often symbolize peace. White Pine Touring is near the start of the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail in Park City.
• "Sudden rush of wealth" – Bonanza means "a sudden rush of wealth", and the trail begins on Bonanza Street.
Clue 3: An iron steed, lost on its thread, a secret it guards where journeys are not quite dead. A gravelly voice you will hear in turn, but the whistle’s refrain will never return.
• "Iron steed lost on its thread" – This refers to a train (an iron steed) that has lost its tracks (thread).
• "Journey’s not quite dead" – While the trail no longer serves as a railway, it continues to be used for biking and walking.
• Refrain – This is the part of a song that repeats, like an echo.
• Gravelly voice – The trail's surface is primarily gravel.
KSL Studio 5 Interview Bonus Clue:Clementine's shoe, a size so grand, left prints five paces, on a plot of land. Multiply the steps by the number on her sole, add one to the answer and a secret might unfold. If you’re feeling lost and want to retreat, follow in her father’s footsteps, where trails, trees and water all meet. See KSL Interview here.
• "Clementine" – This refers to the old Western folk ballad "Clementine", which tells the tale of a miner, his daughter, Clementine, and involves a body of water. The clue emphasizes the connection between the song's theme of mining and Summit County's actual mining history. The mines were serviced by a train.
• "Clementine's shoe, a size so grand" – In the song, Clementine's shoes are size 9. Multiplying 9 by 5 and adding 1 gives us 46, which is the number of state parks in Utah, according to utah.gov.
• "Plot of land" – The clue suggests that the answer is located within a state park, a public space accessible to everyone.
• "Where trails, trees and water all meet" – These tie into the natural landmarks surrounding the actual hiding spot.
Clue 4: If a Jimmy Durante magical escape makes your heart thump, this clue might get you out of a questing slump. A hidden something awaits, a prize beyond compare, when you finally get out from under a cold, dark stare.
• "Jimmy Durante" – This is a reference to the 1969 animated film "Frosty the Snowman", narrated and sung by Jimmy Durante. The description of a "cold, dark stare" is a hint to Frosty's eyes, made of coal, which points toward Coalville, a town near Echo.
• "Magical escape makes your heart thump" – In the film, Frosty's escape from the evil magician is on a refrigerated train, which is a clue to the Union Pacific Trail. The word "thump" is also used throughout the song, reinforcing the connection to Frosty.
Clue 5: Five hidden heads from a single tail. Don’t forget the missing R to solve this and prevail. One head alone will get you closer to our hiding place, don’t get off track, dawdle or slack so you can win the race. Though 28 lengths is tempting to roam, this clue will get you in the right zone. Don't chase the the heights, among the wild grasses it gleams. Choose wisely, quester, and fulfill your dreams.
• "Five hidden heads from a single tail. Don’t forget the missing R to solve this and prevail" – According to All Trails, there are 5 trailheads along the Union Pacific Rail Trail: Park City, Silver Creek Drive, Wanship, Coalville and Echo Reservoir. There is also a wordplay, as "tail" is a hint to the missing letter "R", which, when added, forms the word "trail."
• "Don't get off track" – This is another nod to the railroad.
• "28" – The full length of the Union Pacific Rail Trail is 28 miles.
• "The the" – Not a typo, the extra “the” is a subtle hint to the word "Echo".
• "Don’t chase the heights" – This indicates that the trail is flat, with no significant elevation gain.
Clue 6: Agricultural Irrigation may have been the first reason, but these days there’s fun in every season. Remember our last but head 4 miles back, then look for the the home all up in a stack. Once there you are close, see the trees that are waiting, now turn to your right your joy escalating. If you see the rocks you’re getting warmer, reach to the left beyond the blind corner.
• "Agricultural irrigation" – Echo was originally established to support agricultural irrigation efforts in the area.
• "Remember our last but head 4 miles back" – Clue 5 references "28 lengths". If you subtract four from that, you get "24", which is the mile marker on the trail.
• "The, the" – The repetition is another hint to "Echo".
• "Home all up in a stack" – Teepees of wood are built right off the trail near the hiding spot.
• "The trees are waiting" – The trees near the hiding spot are partially submerged in the water. "Waiting" is a hint to the word "wading", as if the trees were wading in shallow water.
• "See the rocks you're getting warmer, reach left beyond the blind corner" – This is a step-by-step guide to finding the wallet. Once you find the teepees, you turn to your right and face a rock formation with a noticeable hole in the rock face. You reach in to the left, and there was the wallet!
