Are you just starting out in this adventure, or have you been searching for the Rose Festival medallion for years? We have gathered notes from previous finders and put them here for you as a resource in both solving the clues AND finding the medallion. It takes a different set of skills to solve the clues, and another to find the medallion (what hunters call BOTG: Boots On The Ground). By combining careful observation with creative problem solving, and an understanding of how clues are designed, you can significantly improve your medallion hunting success.
Tip One: Start with the End in Mind
Clues are often location based because the Clue Writer is trying to narrow down the search area for you without giving away the location too soon. Keep that in mind as you consider the first few clues in the series of clues. What is the clue saying that might help you narrow a location? It might be identifying a county, but it might also be eliminating a county (or counties). Or, it could be identifying a landmark or location on a map to help you create a boundary line (staying east or north of something).
For example, Clue 2 in a 14 clue hunt will probably not point you to the park. It will probably be narrowing you down to an area or eliminating an area. The medallion is somewhere in Clark, Clackamas, Multnomah or Washington counties. Therefore, the Clue Writer is going to need to narrow down the search area for you without revealing the exact location too soon.
Pay attention to location specific language (like the word “falls” might refer to a waterfall or a street name). Look for phrases that give directional hints, like “where the sun rises” or referencing specific compass points. Numbers might refer to map coordinates, specific verses in a book (like the Bible), or physical measurements like steps or feet or cubits. Clues often also point to specific, accessible landmarks like statues, plaques, unique trees, or points of interest.
When solving, sometimes it helps to imagine the final location and work backwards to see how the clues could possibly lead there. If it does, great! If not, take a break and come back with a fresh perspective.
Tip Two: Focus on Creative Thinking
Try to understand the Clue Writer’s mindset. Clues often involve wordplay, location specific references, and a planned sequence of steps designed to be challenging but solvable. Read the clue carefully and slowly: the solution is always contained in the clue itself. Read every word in the clue, looking for hidden meanings, unusual phrasing, or specific details. Consider the style, interests and resources the Clue Writer might have used: a specific historical fact, a historical landmark or plaque, a theme running throughout the clues, industry specific dictionaries, out of the way street landmarks, or even take you to a specific site to get the answer (a time-specific art exhibit, or a local landmark sign).
Clues can come in many forms, including riddles, wordplay and anagrams. Pay attention to what the clue is telling you to find. Recognizing the type of clue can help you determine the necessary solving method. Keep in mind that sometimes one of the clues is a hide clue. This means that the Clue Writer is specifically giving you a hint of where or how to look when you are in the right spot (knee high, in a stump, at eye level).
The Clue Writer knows you are using online maps, the internet and AI to help you solve the clue, so consider that it might not be something found online. The clue might even be pointing you to something online as a red herring to deter you from the real answer.
Avoid confirmation bias and be mindful of “rabbit holes” where you become fixated on a single theory. If a theory doesn’t lead anywhere, step back and look at the clue from a different angle. For example, if the clue leads you to Washington County, but it doesn’t quite fit, take some time to see if the clue fits for another county.
Work Together: if hunting in a team of friends or family, delegate different types of clues to individuals with different skills. Teams who work together often share their solves, but have a standing rule that whoever “has the medallion in hand” is the official winner (even though they give their team credit in the post find interview).
Tip Three: Boots on the Ground (BOTG)
Explore parks systematically, and understand the rules and etiquette (no destruction, park hours, not in a cemetery, public land). Clues often guide hunters to stay near paths or trails, avoiding looking in sensitive areas. Do not destroy property or anything on the trail. This means not trampling landscaping, not ripping away ivy or moss, and being mindful of what you are leaving behind. Look thoroughly but carefully. The hunt can end if public land is damaged.
Clues sometimes point to specific areas like rivers, lakes, trails, or unique features within a park. As you are exploring early on in the hunt, take lots of photos - and don’t forget to take a picture of the park you are at so you know which photos were where. These details might help you in deciphering future clues.
Expect Camouflage. The medallion needs to be easily found by someone looking for it, but not easily found by random people. Although it will not be buried, it might be tucked into a stump in loose dirt, or in a downed log behind some piled sticks or bark, or tucked underneath a trail where there is gap in rocks or pavement.
Be Prepared: Have water, snacks and a place to take notes with you. Additionally, many people carry a hiking stick, which allows them to poke into places that they might not want to put their hand (into stumps, behind or under rocks, nooks of trees).
Hunt smart: have the clues with you to refer to while you are looking.
Work together with friends: several sets of eyes are better than one.
Final Tip: Have Fun!
Stop obsessing over every clue. You might not solve them all. Use the clues you have solved to help you narrow down where to search, and revisit the unsolved clues as you get closer to a small area. Sometimes those clues you didn’t solve earlier in the hunt are no longer relevant (because they eliminated a county or something to that effect).
Most of the fun of the hunt are the things that happen along the way - and not necessarily finding it. The special places you get to explore, the people you meet, and the adventures you have – these are the things that stay with all of us for the years to come.