VERMONTIME
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WELCOME TO THE
GREEN MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE CHALLENGE!
WHAT IS IT?!
Hidden deep among Vermont's mystical Green Mountains is a secret world hiding in plain sight that is known only to those who attempt the Challenge. Every person you encounter, every sign you see, every building you pass by might provide potential clues to unlock the next step of your journey.
Along your quest to solve this epic real-world action adventure, you will explore ancient Vermont towns, hike magical mountains, and encounter a series of mind-bending puzzles - and if you succeed, you'll be invited to unravel the next chapter of the Adventure story and discover the unknown. This is a real challenge: there is no guarantee you will solve it. Each chapter typically takes 1-2 days to complete.
WHEN IS IT?
Adventure season opens Fri, May 26th and closes Mon, Oct 9th, 2023. You can register and begin any day during that time. Return as often as you need to complete it. Once you complete the first chapter, you'll be sent details about how to begin the second.
You only need to register once for each chapter, you do not need to re-register each time you come back to continue the Adventure.
WHERE IS IT?!
The Dover Adventure takes places in Dover, Vermont and surrounding towns.
ADVENTURE
REGISTRATION
Select the option that works best for your team.
Please call us at (802) 464-5207 or email us at vt@vermontime.com with any questions.
ADVENTURE
GETAWAY
includes 2 nights lodging
$449+tax
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2 Adventure Passes
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2 Adventure tshirts, water bottles, backpacks & notebooks
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Charity donation
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2 nights for 2 people in a standard room at the West Dover Inn
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Add nights to a standard room for $100/night
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Add nights to a suite for $225/night
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Call the inn to book additional nights
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Breakfast for 2 each day
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Taxes & gratuities not included
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Kids 14 and under join free (lodging fees may apply)
ADVENTURE
GROUP
for groups of 7 or more
20% off
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Great option for friends, families, special events & corporate retreats
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Groups of 7 or more (ages 15+) enjoy a 20% discount on Adventure passes gear
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Email charles@westdoverinn.com with the number of people in your group, your dates, and a person we can contact. Our team will respond with the best options for you.
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You are not required to book lodging but we can also help you find lodging discounts, if needed
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Kids 14 & under join free with participating adult
ADVENTURE
BACKSTORY
CHAPTER 1:
THE ARCHITECTS
Some places seem to have a mystical energy that infuses everything around you with a sense that it was created with a purposeful, secret design and all you need to do is discover the one clue that will unlock it all. The small wilderness towns of the Green Mountains are such a place. With stunning mountain valleys formed thousands of years ago during the last ice age and seemingly simple small towns sprinkled with surprisingly sophisticated designs, a spirit of wonder surrounds this special place.
There is an important balance to be struck between its natural-made wonder and our human-made additions to it. Our collective legacy lives on in the history, the buildings, the art, and the people who keep the stories alive. But who, if anyone, designed it to be the way it is? What were their motivations? Was it just random luck or are there larger, more cosmic forces at play?
Recently, an old newspaper was found in a hidden compartment of an antique miniature chest rumored to belong to the auctioned collection from a former office building in the Dover/Wilmington region of Vermont. Its bizarre puzzles and strange messages lend weight to the legend of a secret social society that took root in these hills centuries ago.
That is where your journey begins this summer as you explore the mountains, rivers, valleys, and towns of Vermont’s Green Mountains to uncover connections to the past and reveal some of this region’s more modern tales that might still be alive today. While some are hidden in plain sight, others are buried beneath layers of riddles, clues, misleading rumors, and mind-bending puzzles. Get ready to seek the answers and peek behind the curtain of the myths and legends of the Green Mountains.
After you solve Chapter 1, you can advance to Chapter 2...
CHAPTER 2:
THE CLUB
The chapter 2 backstory will be released in spring 2023.
MORE INFO & FAQ's
How Long Does It Take?
The Adventure is designed to take about 2 days to complete. Take as many days as you need but you are not guaranteed to finish.
How Do I Check Availability?
The Adventure game has unlimited availability 7 days a week during the season and does not sell out. You do not need to make reservations with us. You will need to reserve your rooms directly with the inn.
Is Lodging Required?
No. But the Adventure takes at least 2 days to complete. If you need lodging, call the West Dover Inn at (802) 464-5207 to buy the Getaway package including 2 nights & passes.
What If I Don't Solve It All?
You are NOT guaranteed to solve the Challenge. Come back as often as you need to try and complete it. When you finish one chapter, you can move on to the next.
What If I Don't Finish First?
The Adventure is not a race and it does not matter if someone finishes before you. All the clues, puzzles and challenges are available for the entire season.
What Do I Need To Bring?
Comfortable shoes, a cameraphone, a car, bug spray, swimwear, a puzzle solver, a sense of adventure and wonder, anything else you think might help.
Can My Kids Join Me?
Yes! Children under 18 must have a parent with them at all times. Children age 14 and under are free and do not require passes.
Can I Bring Pets?
Yes! Pets can join. The Adventure is outdoors, so your pets must be in great shape. Be sure to check with your lodging if they allow pets.
Can Extra People Join Me?
Yes! Teams have ranged from individual travelers to groups of 20. Bring as many friends and family as you want! Each person needs a pass.
CASH PRIZE
$-,---
(updated monthly once it begins)
ADVENTURERS
---
(updated monthly once it begins)
CHARITY RAISED
$-,---
(updated monthly once it begins)
FULLY SOLVED
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FASTEST TIME
16 hours
NOTICE
THERE IS NO GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SOLVE THE CHALLENGE!
IT REQUIRES A BASIC LEVEL OF MENTAL TOUGHNESS, PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND EMOTIONAL PATIENCE. IF YOU GET LOST OR STUCK AND CANNOT SOLVE THE NEXT RIDDLE, YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE ANSWERS ARE POSTED IN SEPTEMBER TO LEARN WHAT YOU COULD NOT FIGURE OUT ON YOUR OWN.
ONCE YOU BEGIN YOU CAN RETURN AS OFTEN AS YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE FROM WHERE YOU LEFT OFF. YOU HAVE UNTIL LABOR DAY TO COMPLETE IT.
$5 of each registration is put into the grand prize cash prize pot. The cash award is divided among the total finishers.
$5 of each registration is put into the charity pot and is donated to a local or regional charity organization.
CHARITY PRIZE POT
$5 of every Adventure pass goes into a charity pot and is donated to a local charity.
Our current charity is the Strengthen Your Mind Initiative which provides educational training and support for First Responders and other individuals, to help promote stress reduction and resiliency skills as well as increase psychological flexibility.
Previous charities include the Dana Farber Cancer Institute/ The Jimmy Fund, and ITVFest (the Independent Television Festival).
ADVENTURE EXAMPLE
CLUE #1: THE INN
Your journey began at the lobby of the West Dover Inn where you discover the large treasure chest. Inside is starting clue.
The jumbled letters:
TARST NI HET NIN RAGDEN
Unscramble to be:
START IN THE INN GARDEN
This walkthrough is from an old adventure game. It gives you an idea of how the adventure works. Enjoy!
CLUE #2: THE SPIRIT OF GUIDANCE
In the garden next to the inn, you locate the small black treasure chest hidden among the tall plants. Inside the chest, you discover the wooden carved icon of the SPIRIT OF GUIDANCE, and the first of three hidden scrolls...
Scroll One
THE DOVER TRIANGLE
The riddle reads:
Snow & Davis
A compass connected
The sacred square
A garden restful
So must it be
The solution is:
In Masonic traditions, the symbol above the riddle is called the Square & Compass. The top part is the compass and the bottom part is the square. If you overlay the symbol on to the map next to it, and use the compass to connect Snow's house (the inn) with Davis's house, the square points directly to the West Dover cemetery.
On the back of the scroll, you find the first partial corner of a map.
Also, there appear to be mysterious letters faded across the top:
TA PV KY ZE
Those will be useful later on.
CLUE #3: THE SPIRIT OF REFLECTION
The spirit of guidance has now pointed the way to your next to locations: The Davis House and the Cemetery.
At the Davis House (aka, Deerfield Valley Inn) you find the small black treasure box next to the front door. Inside is the wooden carved icon of THE SPIRIT OF REFLECTION and the second scroll...
Scroll Two
As the Spirit of Reflection suggest, this scroll must be held up to a mirror in order for the letters to appear normal. The riddle reads:
SNOW'S ANGLE
When facing death
William's secret
Rests twenty
Degrees a pace
The solution is:
Find William Snow's grave in the cemetery. Stand facing it and then turn 20 degrees to your left (to match the direction of the writing on the scroll) and walk in a straight line.
On the back of the scroll, you find the second partial corner of a map and more mysterious letters faded across the top:
CR EC QT EN
Those will be useful soon.
CLUE #4: THE SPIRIT OF PLAYFAIR
As you walk from Snow's grave on a 20 degree angle, you find the large treasure chest just beyond the stone wall edge of the cemetery.
Inside is the wooden carved icon of THE SPIRIT OF PLAYFAIR and the third scroll...
Scroll Three
The story reads:
Before the Abenaki, ancient legends of giants roamed these once flat grasslands. Their footprints carved these valleys before they disappeared. But some left traces that can still be found today... Spirit Rock remains high atop a western summit. The giant’s fingers scratching, carving as they marched along.
This is followed by a matrix of letters:
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ B D E
F G I L M
N O P Q R
U V W X Z
On the back of the scroll, you find the third partial corner of a map and more mysterious letters faded across the bottom:
YH FC DT
It's time to put all the pieces together and discover where the giants once walked.
CLUE #5: THE PLAYFAIR CYPHER
The faded letters across the backs of the three scrolls are a coded message that can only be unlocked using what is called a Playfair Cipher. This historical style of coding secret messages dates back centuries and was even used during the Revolutionary War. When the letters from the three scrolls are put together, in order, they read:
TA PV KY ZE CR EC QT EN YH FC DT
The second part of a Playfair Cipher is the alphabet grid.
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ B D E
F G I L M
N O P Q R
U V W X Z
Notice there are 7 letters missing. They are: A C H K S T Y (J is omitted in a Playfair). These 7 letters are your KEY to crack the code. But what word do they form? Look at the 3 pieces of the map... when you combine them they form a map of HAYSTACK mountain. HAYSTACK is your decoding key. Once you have the key and the letter grid, there are a number of websites that explain how to crack the encoded message. So...
TA PV KY ZE CR EC QT EN YH FC DT
becomes
SH OW BA RT EN DE RS CR AT CH ES
Removing the spaces gives you: SHOW BARTENDER SCRATCHES
Now you know what you need to do next: climb to the top of Haystack, find and take a photo of the scratches left by the giants, and show them to the bartender at the inn tavern.
CLUE #6: HAYSTACK MOUNTAIN
Following the map to the top of the mountain, you find a very unique feature: a massive rock sitting at the pinnacle of the mountain. How does something so large and massive get all the way to the top of a mountain?! It must have been put there by giants. It was actually placed there by glaciers during the last ice age.
And what about the massive 20-foot long scratches in it? Those must have been made by giants' fingers as they walked through the land, stomping out the valley below. These striations were actually created by the glaciers as they moved south from the Arctic circle.
You enjoy the incredible view, maybe have some lunch and then take a photo of the rock with scratches and head back to show it to the bartender.
CLUE #7: THE BARTENDER'S CODE
Back at the tavern, you show the bartender the photo and they hand you your next clue:
www.vermontime.com/hoottootwhistle
On that site you find an audio track of morse code!!! And the following instruction:
Near _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ is the ritual cellar.
Underneath one of the altars you'll find the beginning of the end.
Enter the password you find to continue (all lowercase).
Decoding the morse code gives you a series of numbers: 428328-729156
These are the latitude and longitude of your next clue: 42.8328, -72.9156
CLUE #8: THE RITUAL CELLAR & MASON'S ISLAND
Hiking down the Hoot Toot and Whistle trail along the western edge of Harriman Reservoir, you turn right to go up a side trail towards the coordinates.
As you approach the location, you see a long stone wall that leads you to the remains of old stone structures that once existed out here deep in the Vermont forest. One of the large structures has a series of odd rock towers that look like altars. Spooky indeed.
Searching around the base of these altars, you find a large gold trimmed iron cross attached to a small metal box.
Inside the box is the final clue:
Congratulations on finding the ritual altar!
There is one final location to discover: E of this secret site there is an island where the rituals were completed and treasures were hidden. Head north back up the lake’s edge trail for not too long awhile, then east to where the trail ends at the shore.
Take a photo of at least 1 member of your team standing on the island and send it to vt@vermontime.com
You do as it says and walk about 15 minutes to the east to the edge of the lake and swim over to the ritual island. Congratulations, you've done it!!
