Edition 6 was easily the toughest KETL Treasure Hunt yet.

For this one, we changed the format completely. No coordinates. No dropped pins. No exact trail names. Just a video, a handful of clues hidden in plain sight, and 10 jars scattered across the Greater Los Angeles wildlands with $6,000 in cash and KETL gift cards up for grabs.

And honestly, this version was awesome.

It felt way less like giving people directions and way more like actual treasure hunting, which is exactly what I was hoping would happen. People were studying the video, pausing frames, comparing ridgelines, debating terrain, heading out, coming up empty, rewatching, changing theories, and trying again.

Some jars took multiple attempts by the same people. Some had different people circling the right area before someone finally put the pieces together. And this was the longest any batch of KETL Treasure Hunt jars has ever stayed out in the wild before being found.

That tells me two things: we made this one properly hard, and you all are disturbingly good at this.

Jar 2 deserves its own special mention because I think it was the hardest jar we’ve ever hidden. Not just in Edition 6. Ever. It took real effort, real commitment, and apparently a willingness to keep chasing a clue that probably started to feel more and more insane with every attempt. Read on below for the epic firsthand story from the crew who finally found it, because that one was exactly the kind of ridiculous outdoor treasure-hunting chaos we hoped this whole thing would create.

The new clue-based format made the hunt more fun, more frustrating, and way more rewarding when jars were finally found. It felt like what we always wanted this to be: real people out in real places, chasing a weird idea because it sounded fun.

Huge thanks to everyone who watched the video, sent theories, went looking, came up empty, went back again, or somehow managed to find one of the jars.

You made this one the best version yet.

And yes, we learned a lot.

The next one will probably be even better.

Or worse. Depends how you feel about wandering around outside while overthinking every rock, road, ridge, shadow, and camera angle.

The Adventure of Jar 2

I think my timing was rather lucky. Back in April, I was aiming to buy a new sun hoodie since the one I have from REI is good when it is cold, but living in So Cal, I wanted something lighter, and every recommendation was the NoFry, which is when I saw the upcoming Treasure Hunt and I was in!

When the video dropped, I saw it late Thursday night and quickly watched it. I was able to quickly figure out Jar 1 based on that oil rig in the video and images on Google Maps. I was going to go to that on Saturday morning, but it was claimed by the end of the first day. I also had a rough idea where Jar 5 was since I instantly recognized the trailhead, and my fiancé had been to that general area as well, but it was also quickly claimed.

By Friday the 12th at noon, 6 of the 10 jars were claimed, so I figured the best shot I had was going for Jar 2. I carefully watched the video and saw the sign that said Bucksnort on it, and then, after looking for the trailhead, realized where you guys started. Seeing you guys head down river and seeing the rock formations made me realize you went towards the Big Narrows, which I found on the map. A few weeks earlier, you guys sent out a newsletter saying you did a 24-mile adventure to hide one of the jars, and that pushed the possible area between the Big Narrows and Devils Passageway along the Aqua Blanca Trail. To make sure I was right, I found this guy’s YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyvCwpP0XUw), who went up the river, and compared it with your video to see the same landmarks to make sure I was at least correct with the general area where you put the jar.

Attempt 1: On Saturday the 13th, I knew the general area of where to look, and when I looked at Gaia, I actually set off on the Pothole Trail just north of Lake Piru since it seemed shorter than the path you guys took, so I went and opted for that way. I planned and took the Pothole Trail, and it just destroyed me. The trail was completely overgrown, and it was exposed, hot, and straight uphill, so I made it to the Devils Passageway and was exhausted. I went up river for a little bit, about a mile, before having to turn around and head home, but I honestly didn’t make it too far. I also dropped my phone in the water and it died, but I just had to follow the river down to get back to my car. I was defeated, but willing to make another attempt. I learned a few hard lessons, bought a waterproof phone case, opted to avoid the Pothole Trail entirely, and went back to listening to the clues in the video.

Attempt 2: On Friday the 19th, after watching your video numerous times, studying the satellite imagery, and realizing your suggestion to bring overnight gear could be the hint that it was hidden at one of the two campgrounds along the Aqua Blanca Creek, I set out to search Cove Campground. I double checked to make sure that the jar was still unclaimed and was happy to see that the trailhead was completely empty when I arrived on Friday, so it gave me hope that I was going to find this jar. This time, I only took the Aqua Blanca Trail, which, for 3 miles, follows a dirt road past a ranch to get to the river. It was so much faster than going over the Pothole Trail and then another 3 miles to get to the Devils Passageway, so I covered a little more than 6 miles in under 2 hours. With my eyes set on Cove Campground, I mostly walked in the river since the trail is almost non-existent for those 4 miles. I did find a trail that went up a ridge to the south side of Cove Campground, and from there I was able to look at that whole area. I almost immediately saw the rock face from your video and then the log where the jar was hidden. I made my way back down the trail, found the log, and was so happy to see the jar cap sticking out of the log under the rock from the video. It took me 4 hours to cover about 10 miles to get to that location, and after a quick lunch break, I made my way back to the car to head home.

My feet were soaked for about 8 hours, I can confirm that I have poison oak, and my legs are rather scratched up, but it was totally worth the adventure and getting out and exploring the Sespe Wilderness. Total distance on my Garmin was 19.3 miles in about 7 hours and 45 minutes.

I attempted to copy the link to my Strava but couldn’t figure that out, so hopefully a screenshot helps to see the path that I took to find the jar. I love this whole premise of hiding these jars out there to promote the company. It was fun watching the video and figuring out where all of these jars were hidden, and now I have a great story to share and I’ll always recommend your products.

- Brian H.