How to Find the Saint Paul Winter Carnival Medallion

Prepare yourself before the Winter Carnival

Read up on past clues and get a feel for what you are up against. Get a feel for how the Cluewriter hides not only the medallion, but the clues within the clues.

Prepare in other local treasure hunts. Many suburban cities host treasure hunts in the off season. These are a great way to hone your skills as a true "puckhead".

Read the Official Rules

Go to Twincities.com and read the official rules. To paraphrase - The medallion will only be on public property within the limits of Ramsey County. Search, don''t destroy. You will not have to dig up the ground, climb up trees, or damage any property to find the medallion. Doing so will cause the hunt to be cancelled and the $10,000 to be forfeited. Collect the clues from the daily Pioneer Press paper, find the medallion, and turn it in to the Pioneer Pres Building.

Register your button

You can either register the button online or by mail. If registering online, clicking the send button after filling in your information registers the button. If mailing in, be sure to have it postmarked prior to the first clues official release.

Make sure that you have warm clothes

This is Minnesota in January folks, I don''t think I need to remind you that you will likely be searching in weather ranging from -25 through 30 degrees. Layering is very important. It takes a lot of effort to swing a rake for 14 hours a day, you will be sweating in below zero temperatures. What a wonderful state!

Get your digging tools ready

Every hunter has their favorite tool for different environments. I like to use a childs garden rake for light snow, and in weedy areas. It doesn''t have the weight that larger tools have, which is why I prefer a garden hoe for the harder, icier, and deeper snows. An actual shovel is many a hunters best friend 12 days of the year, just remember to never allow it to sink into the ground. Remember, search don''t destroy.

Bring some kind of light source should you be obsessing until dark. It gets icy and can be dangerous to travel if you can''t see where you are going.

Get a clue
You need to have the clues. How will you know where to dig if you don''t have a clue? You can get the clues online at Twincities.com, on your doorstep in the morning, or my personal favorite - waiting in line the night before the papers release. The doors are usually open between 11 pm and midnight. Not only do you get to hunt right away, but you can meet other hunters and share your ideas on where the medallion is.

Decipher the clues

You could write a book on this. Really. First, look at the clues literally. Is there anything it is trying to tell you? Usually you will have to dissect it to get to the heart and soul of the clue. Are there anagrams hidden in the clue? Do any of the words in the clues have any other or archaic meanings? Does a phrase hint to something that ties to a park?

Get out there and dig

You will never find the medallion from your computer chair. It is hard to stumble upon it if you stay in your car. Don''t worry about feeling silly, there are thousands each year looking just like you. And someone is going to find the medallion. Ask a previous finder if the $10,000 was worth feeling a little silly poking around in a snowbank with a hockey stick.

Rejoice when the hunt is over

Either you found it or you didn''t. In the end it really doesn''t matter. The money, your picture in the paper, the free sweatshirt, and the ride in the parade will be just fleeting memories compared to the bonds made with other dedicated hunters. Given the chance, your obsession will spread and you will meet like-minded people doing things just as silly as you. Buying a $75 hoe just for the hunt, taking time off of work to hunt, memorizing the clues of years past.

Think hard, and dig harder.

You dig?