Going Questing
Over the past ten years, more than 200 Quests have been created in and around the Upper Valley Region of Vermont and New Hampshire. The Quests lead to our communities treasures: old school houses, waterfalls, covered bridges, hilltop overlooks, forests and wetlands.
Valley Quests can be found in our books and online. It's a good idea to check for clue updates before you go out.
Treasure Box
Follow the clues to the treasure box. Inside the treasure box, you will discover more information about the site, a rubber stamp, stamp pad, a sign-in field journal and a pencil. Sign your name in the book, adding a few notes or a sketch from your walk, and collect an impression of the stamp as a memento of your journey. Then, carefully re-hide the box exactly where you found it.
Passport Book and Stamps
If you plan to go on more than one Quest, you may wish to create your own "passport book" or field journal into which you will collect your stamp impressions. You may also wish to create your own personal stamp-so that you can leave your mark in each Quest's logbook.
Earn a Valley Quest Patch and/or Hat
Complete 20 quests and earn a Valley Quest patch and certificate; 50 quests will earn you a hat. No matter how many you do, questing will help you discover the magic of this place. To get your patch or hat, contact us at Valley Quest and send us a copy of your stamp imprints.
Box Monitors
Each quest treasure box is checked on a regular basis during the Questing season by a volunteer box monitor. These generous, fun-loving people help keep the Valley Quest program alive and running smoothly. If you have any problems, please contact us and we will pass along the word to the appropriate box monitor. If you are interested in becoming a box monitor for a Quest in your town, please let us know!
What to bring
If you are using one of the quests found online, simply print out the clues and the map and take it along with you, otherwise bring your quest book. Just like any outdoor activity, be prepared for changes in the weather! It is important to bring a good map. Also bring a compass, a water bottle, snacks, and wear comfortable shoes. It's always a good idea to carry a first aid kit if you will be out in the woods. Do consider bringing along a field guide to local plants and animals, binoculars and a hand lens for magnification - as well as your passport book/field journal and personal stamp.
"Our eternal gratitude to you not only for this quest hint but for the hours and days of enjoyment our questing has brought. As one example of this joy, my father hiked up to both Pinnacle Hill and Fairlee Glen Falls in his very first week of [early] retirement, at a time he was torn between going back to work and spending more time with his grandchildren. Standing on the top of Pinnacle Hill (everyone's first time there), he made the immediate decision that the opportunity to be in places such as that with his grandchildren far, far, outweighed any benefits to continuing to play the part of reluctant wage earner. My parents promptly downscaled so as to afford to stay retired, and he has since participated in many quests here and like explorations of the New Mexico desert with his other grandchildren. Those quests were just what he needed to see the forest through the trees."