Registration underway for Trek for Treasure

SEDRO-WOOLLEY - United General District 304's Trek for Treasure hiking series has evolved into an anticipated summer event.

Now in its 16th year, Trek for Treasure sends teams of hikers onto trails in and around Skagit County.

Registration for this year's trek, which is dubbed Aztec Trek, is being taken through June 10. Go to TrekForTreasure.org for more information.

The first hike will be hitting email inboxes May 29.

"I've wanted to do an Aztec theme for years because I like the imagery, the story, and the potential story line," Mark Pearson, active living manager for United General District 304, said. "I finally felt like this was the year, and everything came together in my mind with the riddles and the story line.

"I'm excited about it. I think I'm more excited this year with the riddles than I have been in a long time, and we're having a lot of fun designing those. I can really be creative with all the imagery and the story behind it. So many grew up watching Indiana Jones films, there's always some type of a booby trap or a secret map or code to find the treasure or artifact."

A year ago, 341 teams comprised of 905 participants hiked about 22,000 miles in search of the Lost Treasures of Time.

"Once people do it, it's like they're addicted," Pearson said. "That's what's so great about Trek for Treasures. Year after year, I have people who continue to repeat. It connects people with nature and all the benefits, and once they experience that they don't want to stop. And that's the whole point."

The trek consists of teams of two or more, six hikes at two levels of difficulty, team photos and hidden clue boxes containing lost artifacts.

Teams have two weeks to complete each trek and solve the accompanying riddle.

The Final Challenge will decide which team gets bragging rights as the winner.

The trek provides structure for participants, taking the guesswork of where to go.

But there is also flexibility, allowing participants to take part when they can.

"They can do it at their own convenience and on their own time during the two weeks," Pearson said.

As in past treks, teams that complete all the hikes and accompanying challenges are entered into a raffle for prizes.

"What I like about it is you can be someone who's more of a serious hiker and go out to win it or you can be someone who enjoys a little gentler stroll or a walk," Pearson said. "It has something for everybody."

This year's theme will test participants both physically and mentally as they search for the six sacred artifacts of the sun hidden in order to protect them from Emperor Montezuma.

The expedition synopsis reads, "Long ago, before the world was shaped as it is now, the Aztec god Quetzalcóatl commissioned the creation of six sacred objects, each infused with an element of nature: fire, wind, water, earth, sun, moon. When united, these treasures were said to awaken the Heart of the Sun, a mysterious force capable of restoring life or unleashing destruction. To protect them from evil intentions, ancient guardians hid the objects in sacred places far across the land and sealed each one with a puzzle only the worthy could solve."

The trek's formula has worked well over the years, however, the formula's main ingredient - trails - are becoming more difficult to find, and Pearson admitted he's having to really do his research in order to find the right balance between old and new.

"There's only so many certain length trails you have within a given area," he said. "Unless I'm going to expand out into a lot of different counties, you'd have to go a long way away to get to the trailhead and I really don't want that and I don't think the participants would either. I think people like keeping it close. I don't want to send people out on a two-hour drive for a three-mile hike."

The main goal of the treks is keeping people active.

"There's a ton of benefits of being physically active, in being outdoors in nature," Pearson said. "The challenge is coming up with unique, creative, fun ways to do it. To get people to do it, to start feeling and seeing the benefits and that's what trek is. It's unique, creative and fun."

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