'Bent, AdventureDog and I planned to meet Goose and Coach LD for a morning paddle but as we arrived a few minutes early, they texted to say they were already on the water. Hmm, strange. They also said there was an envelope for me stuck on a sign by the boat launch.
When I opened it, I found a card containing Clue #1. Ah, now it made sense! Instead of a regular paddle, we set off on a pre-birthday canoe scavenger hunt. Inspired by Eco-Challenge, Coach LD had "medallions" (CDs) at the 5 checkpoints. There was also a small gift at each CP and a clue - written as a poem - for the next CP. Very clever and it meant they had to arrive early and sneak around different parts of the lake. Coach LD described sinking in mud over her knees, while Goose had to scale a wall quickly because he was afraid we would see him returning from hanging a medallion.
The first medallion had a task - doing yoga on a big stage by the beach. The unexpected twist for all of us was that an actual yoga class was about to start on the stage. Coach explained my quest to the leader so I ran up there quickly, did a pose and returned to pick up my clue.
There were 4 more clues/gifts that took us back and forth and ensured that we saw most of the lake. This is what I was looking for. The treat in the first photo was a bag of home-grown cherry tomatoes hidden in the jar marked with flagging tape. Mmm.
Then we went to a grassy area where we found gorgeous flowers, Coach LD's yummy, homemade brownies, and refreshments that may or may not have been permitted in a park.
Thank you for the early celebration, Coach LD and Goose! :)