Great Puzzle Hunt at WWU Returns April 1

Be part of the fun as we take over WWU for the Second Annual WWU Great Puzzle Hunt (GPH) on Saturday, April 1. The event is an OUTDOOR adventure – think scavenger hunt, but with puzzle-solving. The puzzles are hands-on, group oriented, and internet exploration is encouraged! It will be to your advantage to have teammates with knowledge of music, art, theatre, dance, humanities, social sciences, sciences, and mathematics. So think up a fun team name and pick friends with a variety of interests. The WWU Great Puzzle Hunt is like a scavenger hunt adventure, with puzzles. Teams (4-6) travel on foot throughout Western Washington University's campus (outdoors) solving a collection of puzzles (logic puzzles, word scrambles, trivia, etc.). Lots of prizes will be awarded. Whether your team places first or two hundred and fifty-first, competing in a puzzle hunt is a great way to stretch your mental muscles, bond with your teammates, and have a lot of fun. The price goes up to $8 for students and $15 for non-students. And the event will occur rain or shine. Everyone in, and visiting, the Bellingham community is invited, regardless of their puzzle solving experience. Sign up in a team of 4 to 6 people online.  Each team member under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. In regards to the level of math or science experience, a common misconception that only mathematically inclined people are good at solving puzzles. In this puzzle hunt, it will be to your advantage to have people on your team with knowledge of music, art, humanities and social sciences, as well as science and mathematics. The recommended items to bring for a successful puzzle hunt are:

• Your creativity and problem-solving skills
• A waterproof pack
• At least one smartphone, the more the better. (And think about battery life)
• Use of internet is encouraged
• Notepad and/or clipboard and graph paper might come in handy
• Scissors and tape (enough for several on team to share)
• Pencils, colored pencils, erasers, highlighters
• Several sturdy single hole punches (capable of punching through 8 layers of paper).
• Water, snacks, umbrella

If you're curious about what kind of puzzles to expect, see puzzles from last year posted on our website. Each puzzle results in a code word or words which must be entered to stop the clock for that problem. Time is a factor, so make sure everyone on the team is assigned to a job. If a problem has several parts, see if different members can tackle different parts independently. Once the proper code word(s) are entered, your team will be sent to the next destination. If a team is stuck, you may ask for hints, each hint will add time to your clock. Not all teams will travel the same puzzle route. At each destination, the team QR code is scanned to receive the puzzle and start their team clock. Registration and check-in will start at 10 a.m. in Red Square where your team will receive a rules packet and team T-shirts pre-ordered by March 23, 2017. The Puzzle Hunt will start at 11 a.m. when the first puzzle is released. Prizes will be awarded at approximately 4 p.m. For more information, to register, volunteer, or donate, visit: https://greatpuzzlehunt.com/