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The Official Answer Taken from the Rookie Guide
The Phoenix section of the IEEE initiated the Hunt in 1951. The Hunt had been an annual event in the Chicago area, and with the development of the electronics industry in the Valley, many transplanted Chicagoans (mostly Motorola engineers) persuaded the Phoenix section directors to sponsor a Valley version. It has run annually since then.
In the early years, The Hunt had a definite engineering flavor, but it has evolved to be more reflective of the social nature of the event. While there are still some occasional clues requiring engineering knowledge and proficiency, the material relates more to current events and general knowledge. This evolution has made it more enjoyable for participants. Each of the 78 six-person teams historically consisted of three husband and wife pairs, but more present day Hunts have consisted of more diverse teams.
The Unofficial Answer From a hunter's perspective
A Wizard At Last!!
by Greg Webster
At the end of every summer, I get that old familiar feeling. The first breath of cool night air triggers it. It's almost a fever. It generally strikes without warning, but usually as I'm driving around the northern parts of Scottsdale. The fever causes me to gaze longingly into open stretches of desert, wondering where the best hiding places would be. The sight of a particular power relay station on Scottsdale Road gives me a flashback to two years ago. I grumble to myself, "How did we not find that site? The map clearly said a half-mile down the road, not a quarter-mile." Man, that cost us. I pass a particular wash north of Dynamite and I recall last year's vision of a giant ant blocking an entire four-way intersection. I smile inwardly. "That was a great clue. A traffic-ant. Rep. James Traficant." Oh yeah. Great solve. Once the fever strikes, I can only think of one thing. When is the Treasure Hunt this year?
What am I rambling on about? Now it's simply called the Treasure Hunt, although for many years it was sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and was known as the IEEE Treasure Hunt. The Hunt is difficult to describe and its allure is…well, let's just say you only have to do it once and you're hooked. Here's how it works. You and five teammates get a detailed map of 300 square miles of north Phoenix, bordered by Bell Road, 19th Ave, 148th St, and New River. Sprinkled liberally throughout the map are about 200 potential clue sites, each one uniquely labeled with a number, letter or symbol. Many of the sites are located near streets which have been conspicuously mislabeled, as you'll soon see. Along with the map you receive very precise directions to your first clue site, the last line of which invariably reads something like "The clue site is located 216 feet South of this point, behind a saguaro." Once you arrive at the site, you find a clue or puzzle which, if solved correctly, will direct you to another site on the map. Upon arrival at the next site, you'll find another clue which sends you to the next one, etc. You try to find as many clues as you can before time runs out at 11:30pm. Oh yes, did I mention that you're doing this at night?
The clues are the best part of the Hunt, and are the main reason why this year marked the 53rd annual installment of the Treasure Hunt. Sometimes the clues are based on current events, like the one this year that was simply five pictures of cows. Closer inspection revealed that the pictures had been digitally enhanced so that the cows were yellow. Even closer inspection revealed that they weren't just generic cows, they were actually Jersey cows. A moment's reflection made us realize that the resultant phrase "five yellow Jerseys" was referring to Lance Armstrong and his five yellow jerseys from winning the Tour De France. In a flash we were off to the circle containing the Eiffel Tower, located near the intersection of Lance Lane and Tour Trail. One of last year's clues was a live mint plant in a pot decorated with American flags. It didn't take us long to figure out that we were looking at "American mint" and should go to the intersection of Philadelphia Wash and Denver Dr. Sound too tricky? Don't worry, in case a team is unable to solve a clue, they can open an emergency envelope that has the answer, at a penalty of 20 minutes.
At the end of the night, a team's score is calculated by dividing their number of clues found by their total elapsed time, along with any penalties and credits. The three teams with the best average time per clue win the fabulous prize of…t-shirts. The team that finishes first gets the honor of joining the Hunt Committee. Called wizards, they will assist in organizing the Hunt for the next three years. Because of this "penalty" for finishing 1st, they say that the 2nd place team is the real winner. But I disagree. I've participated in twelve Hunts and have spent many hours standing in the desert, flashlight in hand, totally stumped by a clue that seems tantalizingly easy. Finally, after years of frustration, our team experienced one charmed night where no clue was unsolvable, and we managed to win the whole thing. For the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Hunts, I will be a wizard. I'm looking forward to inflicting a little confusion for a change.
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