Last year I participated in something unlike anything I ever had before, the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen, fondly known as GISHWHES, and it is upon us once again as of August 2nd.  If you’re unfamiliar with this madness, here’s the link to the site, although that probably won’t give you any further insight…it didn’t for me last year.  So here’s a little overview without spoiling the unknown:

It was created by the ingenious mind of Misha Collins, Castiel from Supernatural, who I knew nothing about until this event.  I only watched Supernatural this past year.  Fellow geeks are mocking me.  I can hear it.  As the title reveals, it is a team oriented international scavenger hunt; a list of items with corresponding values to accomplish in one week’s time is the goal.  The quest items are a mix of creative ingenuity, random acts of kindness, and everything in between.  You take pictures or video, depending on what is specified, to prove the tasks have been completed.

Last year my sister and I participated with our friends in Arizona, and as we hadn’t made many friends in LA yet who could offer their support both emotionally and/or physically, we were left to our own devices.  We accomplished 20 items.  Not too shabby.  Here are a few pictures of what we did – Commemorate a fictional location (we chose this location as the Entrance to Hades) by placing a historical landmark plaque, create a teddy bear hostage situation, place a purple GISHWHES sweater on the statue of a famous person (that was the best we could do), and “release the Kraken”.

Why I am I sharing this with you, you might ask?  As a forewarning. 🙂  Firstly, I may be absent for the week because it takes a lot of time and effort to accomplish the tasks, but it is so worth it.  Secondly, because now that I have a small group of international friends at my fingertips, you could offer your support by aiding with items I would otherwise not have access to, i.e. last year one of the items was a specific task photographed in front of Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.  And finally, if you’re looking for something to jumpstart your creative juices, this will do it.  So if you’re up for the challenge you can join and start your own team, or be added to one randomly.  If you’d like to offer your support, that would be appreciated as well.

And as a bonus, if you are on the winning team, this year’s prize is a trip to King’s Landing (Game of Thrones) in Croatia.  Awesome!!  And I want it!  I better get my passport in order.

*Oh, and that strange creature above was last year’s mascot, the wooster.

Have a great week everyone!