SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) — There’s no better core memory for a father and son than spending a summer finding a treasure together — which is exactly what Damon and Ty Johnson did.
In June, the Utah Treasure Hunt, now an annual summer tradition, kicked off. A riddle was provided as the map to the treasure, which would lead hunters to a $25,000 prize once solved.
Started in 2020 by David Cline and John Maxim, the treasure hunt always begins with a riddle — this year, it was in Spanish — followed by weekly clues to help crack the case.
Since the riddle was released, Damon told Nexstar’s KTVX that he had gone out hiking for the treasure about three times, this year also being the third time he joined the annual hunt.
“You obsess over it a bunch, and then just … I’d have to take a break and leave it for a week and then come back. When they released the hints, everything kind of just clicked in. And so we just rushed out here,” Damon said.
The third hike would really prove to be the charm for Damon and his son, Ty, both from Eagle Mountain. While searching along Grove Creek Trail in Pleasant Grove on Friday, about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City, the two finally found the treasure.
As they searched the trail, Damon said they saw at least 15 other people who were also seeking the treasure. Earlier in the day, treasure hunt organizers Cline and Maxim had released an email with the weekly clues. One of those clues, an image of the rock the treasure was under, finally put all the pieces together for Damon.
“They had posted a picture of the rock that it was … covered by and when we came around a bush and were looking for it and I saw the rock, it was kind of a different angle, so the rock looked a little different, and I was a little suspicious. Once I got up by the rock, I was like ‘Oh that is the rock.’ We’re excited, very grateful,” he said.
Damon said he now plans to put the $25,000 prize to good use.
“I’m going to finish my degree … go back-to-school shopping today. That’ll be the first thing we spend it on,” Damon said, adding that the funds would also be used to pay off debts and add to a school fund for his kids.
He said he’s received a lot of positivity from others online, congratulating him on the win.
“It’s been very great, very positive for the most part. The community around the treasure hunt is very supportive.”
A look back on the fifth annual Utah Treasure Hunt:
Cline and Maxim, the organizers of the hunt, also met with KTVX to look back on the end of another summer event, saying it was exciting to meet this year’s winners, and that they’re grateful for everyone who joined.
“Overall, we just hope that most people had a great time, just got outside, had some great adventures, had some great stories to tell, got out with their kids. That’s my hope every time we do this,” Cline said.
The two started the hunt during the summer of 2020, with a total prize of $5,000. The first few hunts were self-funded, but sponsors have allowed them to continue the event every year. They love seeing how it brings people together.
“Hats off to the great people of Utah. It’s just a great community. It’s a great place to live. If we can make people’s summers a little more rad by hiding money in the mountains every year, then we’re happy to do it every year,” Cline said.
Maxim said they always hear about how much the hunts have meant to participants. Most say it’s about much more than treasure, but rather the memories they create.
One treasure hunter, as noted by Maxim, was battling cancer but still had participated in the hunts since the beginning. Recently, he said, her family reached out to tell him she passed away in May, but they wanted to thank the organizers for the hunt, as it brought their family together during hard times. Maxim said the family told him they would go into her hospital room and talk about possible solutions to the riddle.
“When we started, it was just a fun, awesome thing to do during COVID to get people out. But then as we’ve done it, it’s created a pretty unique community of treasure hunters and it has a really positive impact on people,” he said.
Experiences like these are the real treasure, organizers said.
“I just want to say thank you,” Maxim said of the treasure-hunters. “I mean, it only works because everyone keeps doing it. Thanks for sharing your stories with us and thanks for being so positive and cleaning up the trails and doing all the great things that you do. The treasure hunt attracts pretty amazing people. I’ve been astonished over and over again.”
Cline and Maxim also hold a QR hunt each fall, where teams who are the first to find and scan a series of QR codes will be rewarded with prizes. Currently, they say their attention is going toward that hunt’s preparations, which they hope to hold in September or October.