Yes, We Were!

So at the end of last week, we were seemingly at the end of the road on the Green Mountain Adventure Challenge.  We had three clues and no idea what to do with them.  We refused to be defeated, so we made a reservation to return to the Grey Ghost Inn and headed to West Dover for one last try.

We had three clues to review and at two of the places we found something we had not seen before (with a little help from a local).  We hopped in the car and began to drive around trying to make sense of what we had.  Suddenly I saw a phone number in the clue that led us to a local shop.

When we got there they informed us that they were not part of the challenge.  Seeing our dejected faces, the person at the register gave us a crash course in something that I will explain after August 31.  Armed with new skills, we hurried back to our inn and with 2 tablets, an iPhone, and paper and pen, we puzzled out our next stop.  Our innkeeper kindly confirmed our suspicion and directed us to the trailhead.

We started to hike, but after reaching the second locked gate on the trail, I called Carina, our innkeeper.  She assured us we were on the right trail, so we trudged on.  Forty-five minutes later my phone rang - it was Carina checking our progress.  We told her we thought we were almost there, but if we didn't return that night, she should call the cavalry.  A few minutes later we reached our destination - almost.  Now a swim was involved, but we didn't have swimsuits and I wasn't comfortable swimming that distance with or without a swimsuit.  DH gamely emptied his pockets, took off shirt and shoes and waded in.  He swam the distance easily and then disappeared into the woods for what seemed like a long time.  He reappeared and swam back to describe what he found.

Excited, we hiked back to the trailhead in the increasing darkness and then sped off to the place where it all began to report our success.  Our hopes were dashed when we were told we were in the wrong place and, that if we had really figured it out, we would know it.  We went back to out inn for dry clothes for DH and then had some dinner.  We were exhausted.  We had hiked 7 miles and had nothing to show for it.

We rose early and met several other adventurers at breakfast.  Two couples were stuck on the first clue, so we helped them out.  One couple hadn't even picked up the first clue yet and the last couple had hiked right past the spot in clue #2 and had to go back and hike again.  It's fun to meet other people doing the challenge but, unfortunately, they had no hints for us. We traveled to the next town to check for clues and were told we needed numbers that were on a tree.  We rented a canoe to recheck the spot DH had visited the day before.  Perhaps two sets of eyes would make a difference.

It was 5 miles of canoeing before we reached the spot; it was a much shorter trip on foot!  We checked out the spot that DH had found, but didn't find anything new.  Then I checked the information on my iPhone.  We moved a few yards away trying to find the exact location and DH saw it - not on the tree but underneath it.  It had been removed and placed on the ground.  We took some photos and stopped for a snack and water, trying to decide what to do next.  Just as we were going to leave I decided to go back for one more picture.  On the way something clicked.  I used some charcoal from a nearby fire pit to enhance the clue and confirmed my idea.  DH appeared minutes later; I told him and he concurred.

We canoed the five miles back and then waited at the launching area as we watched what my father always referred to as "The Laugh-in."  A family of 6 or 7 blocked the ramp as they argued over who would take which canoe or kayak (they had two canoes, 3 kayaks and a wave).  They were totally oblivious to anyone else trying to use the ramp, including people launching powerboats and jet skis with vehicles and us - DH with the wheels for our canoe and me holding onto our canoe far from the ramp.  Finally the father noticed that there were other people waiting and they took off.

It was well past lunch time when we finally got on the road again.  I continued to play with the clue as we drove.  Now I had two parts, but something was leftover.  We went back to a favorite restaurant for lunch armed with my phone, paper and two pens.  DH agreed with the first two parts, but what did the rest mean?  Suddenly the light dawned - I tested my idea and we got the final clue.  We celebrated as we finished our lunch and immediately took off for the last spot.  We completed our task and we were heading home.  Mission accomplished!

Now if you come back on September 1st, I'll tell you the clues and the answer.