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Great Trail Treasure Hunt hides prize in Airdrie

Airdronians are encouraged to explore the community this summer while searching for a treasure box hidden within the city – part of the 2019 Great Trail Treasure Hunt, a summer-long event held across the country.

“There's so much to see and do and experience within Canada, and a lot of it is in our own backyards that we've just never noticed,” said Jason Muscant, director of advancement for Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS). “There's so much to see, to grow and learn about within Canada.”

The Great Trail unites the country through the world’s longest network of recreational and multi-use trails across Canada, and passes through Airdrie and surrounding communities such as Cochrane, Beiseker, Irricana and Crossfield. Last year, according to Muscant, RCGS and Canadian Geographic teamed up to initiate a treasure hunt along the trail to encourage Canadians to explore the network – while also exploring other areas around them and nation-wide.

The initiative’s second year, he said, kicked off June 19 and will run until Aug. 18. To participate, visit the hunt’s website and follow co-ordinates either on a mobile phone or a GPS tracker to find the locations of any boxes within a certain area. The first participant to find a box will receive a special edition Canadian Mint “This is Canada” coin along with a form to submit for a prize assigned to each box, which could include Nikon cameras, magazine subscriptions, a month’s supply of CLIF bars and more.

Participants can continue to find boxes even after the main prize is claimed. When the redemption code for the box is input online – which helps participants validate and track their finds – treasure hunters will be entered into weekly and grand prize draws, according to Muscant. He said more than 5,000 boxes have been discovered so far but noted some have yet to be located and those prizes remain unclaimed.

Last year’s inaugural hunt received great feedback, Muscant said, noting participants across Canada “really enjoyed the experience.”

“They really loved the idea of being outdoors, which was fantastic,” he said. “[They] often discovered parts of their immediate environment that they'd never been to before – the trails that they hadn't seen or geography they hadn't been on or just parts of the city they didn't know existed.”

He added he is aware of at least one participant who vacationed in a different province to track down more boxes. According to Muscant, more than 150 Canadians already have found five or more boxes for the 2019 hunt – earning them the title of “Superuser” and the chance to win additional unique prizes.

Muscant said he hopes more people will continue to participate in this year’s hunt and explore Canada.

“As I've gotten older and had the privilege of seeing more of Canada, I had the opportunity to realize how fortunate we are to have this incredible country – this amazingly vast and diverse country with incredible wildlife, geography, stunning vistas and beautiful plains,” he said. “There's just so much to see and do and experience within Canada.”

Participation in the Great Trail Treasure Hunt is free. More information about prizes and locations can be found at thegreattrailtreasurehunt.ca

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