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Within the early days of the pandemic, John Maxim and David Cline, fairly to their shock, appeared of their financial institution accounts to find COVID-19 stimulus checks deposited by their Uncle Sam.
Feeling like the cash “should go to individuals who really want it,” Cline had an thought what to do with the sudden loot: Money the checks, put the cash in a chest, cover it within the forest and let folks seek for it.
In June 2020, the buddies stuffed $5,000 in money and silver cash right into a wood field, lugged it up a trailhead above Sandy and buried the treasure in a gap.
They then wrote an advanced poem about the place it was and posted it on their Instagram accounts.
They'd no thought how a lot consideration they’d get, if any. “We joked that in two months we’d come again and dig it up ourselves as a result of nobody would actually care,” remembers John.
However holy moly had been they incorrect.
4 days and eight million impressions on Instagram later, the treasure was discovered.
“We critically underestimated the brilliance of individuals,” says David. To not point out the keenness.
What they didn’t underestimate was how a lot they’d take pleasure in doing it.
“We’re simply children at coronary heart,” David explains — he’s 33, John is 43. Each have common profitable careers in actual property, to the purpose “that we now have the means to do actually cool issues that we wish to do ourselves.”
For some that is perhaps a visit to Hawaii, say, or restoring previous Mustangs, or shopping for courtside Jazz tickets.
For these guys, it’s hiding treasure.
Impressed by their first effort, they put collectively a second hunt a 12 months later, in June 2021, increasing the pot to $10,000. They got here up with extra elaborate clues they thought would take a summer time to determine. They underestimated but once more. This one was present in 17 days and attracted nationwide and even worldwide consideration as soon as the European tabloids caught wind of it.
That led to a 3rd hunt in September 2021, this one a scavenger-style search full with QR codes. It was price $20,000. John and David put in half the cash whereas a sponsor, the Kokonut Island Grill in Salt Lake Metropolis, put in the remaining.
Their new web site — utahtreasurehunts.com — crashed each day the primary 4 days it was up. In lower than a month, it generated 3 million hits.
And sure, they've plans for a brand new hunt this spring or summer time. They’re retaining their playing cards near the vest — it’s gotten to the purpose that they need to put on disguises and use a borrowed automobile to bury the treasure — concerning the particulars. When every thing’s prepared, they’ll announce it on their web site and Instagram accounts, which have ballooned to greater than 25,000 followers every.
The query they get requested on a regular basis, in fact, is why they maintain at it? Why would a pair of dedicated capitalists select to pour their very own cash — so far they estimate they’ve spent about $40,000 — right into a recreation that makes others wealthy? Is there an ulterior motive, a hidden agenda, does it support their actual property work?
“Getting extra followers doesn’t actually assist our companies,” says John. “That’s not why we’re doing it.
“It’s simply actually enjoyable for us and it has a really constructive affect on the individuals who do it.”
The suggestions they’ve acquired has been overwhelmingly constructive and gratifying.
There was the guardian who wrote, “My teenager doesn’t even discuss to me anymore and now he’s dragging me exterior to go on hikes so we will discover your treasure.” There was the girl with terminal most cancers who stated she and her sister spent three valuable weeks collectively in search of treasure.
Or the married couple who instructed them, “We couldn’t discover something to do collectively; now we’re extra in love than ever.” Or the businessman remoted at residence by the pandemic, who stated, “I hadn’t been out in months, now I've all these mates.”
Folks have instructed them they’ve gone mountaineering and rediscovered the mountains for the primary time in years. Households have despatched them images bragging how a lot weight they’ve misplaced.
“I can’t consider how many individuals have stated, ‘I used to be suicidal after which I discovered your hunt,’” says John. “They didn’t have any purpose to dwell after which they discovered this. It simply blows you away.”
Each males are a bit shocked at what they've wrought.
“We didn’t got down to do any of it,” says David. “We had been simply screwing round doing one thing we loved and all that stuff, it simply occurred. It’s one of many superb unwanted effects. It’s in all probability the funnest method to give again we might have ever considered.”
And it’s why they plan to maintain going.
“So long as it stays constructive, enjoyable, secure and free, that’s the purpose,” says John. “As a result of actually, there’s nothing higher than seeing hundreds of individuals making an attempt to resolve your puzzle.”