Jayson Wechter is one of the few people who tries to get lost in San Francisco. In fact, he has made a living out of it. In spending time walking down the alleys of Chinatown and wandering through Golden Gate Park, he has invented a new and very uncommon profession—the business of hunting for urban treasure. But it’s not just him, he makes his bucks sending groups of people on treasure hunts throughout the city as team building exercises held by his company, San Francisco Treasure Hunts.

All kinds of people sign up in groups to participate in these large-scale, interactive puzzles. Corporate groups like Google and Bank if America, tourists, and even locals pay Wechter to send them on a hunt.

“The city is best experienced on foot,” he says. “Many people go through the city with tunnel vision. I try to break them away from that. I get people onto side streets and alleyways so they can really see the city.”

That’s why these quests are so appealing—they are foot-powered. For businesses whose employees are constantly in an office thinking “in the box,” the treasure hunt is an opportunity for them to do something else. Wechter provides locals with a whole new perspective on the city by putting them in places they may have never found on their own.

But how does Wechter do that year after year? He wanders. He has found missing drivers licenses and other valuables that he has returned to the rightful owners, he has been scared by a large garbage rat in a dark alley, and along the way he has also discovered the right ingredients for a hunting good time.

Clients are divided up into groups of four to six and given a highly detailed map of the region they are being sent to. The map has street names and landmarks. It shows them churches and parks. But it doesn’t have the answers to any of the hints on the list that their lead detective gave them.

Instead, it’s up to them to roam the streets like Wechter does, looking with a critical eye and working as a team to see what he saw.

“Successful teams have a good dynamic,” says Wechter. “Communication and decision making are key.”

But SF Treasure Hunts is more than just a bunch of fake sleuths wandering the sidewalks searching high and low for a coveted clue. They are learning about historical events and bonding in a unique and fun way that forces them to listen, analyze, and brainstorm together.

“Each clue is designed to be too difficult for one person to solve alone. They are designed to challenge, but not frustrate,” says Wechter.

And every hunt is made specifically for the client. Wechter is always thinking. His 25 years of experience as a private investigator helps him plan the hunt of a lifetime.
His knowledge of the Bay Area shows in his face. Lines appear from out of nowhere and cross his forehead when he talks about the hunts. When he is unsure, he tilts his thin-framed glasses up on his nose or scratches his scalp underneath his grey hair until he has made a decision. He is constantly looking for clues and is so secretive about his methods that he never allows anyone to go with him. Maybe that’s why, after 20 years, the clues keep on coming.

“I have a bank of a couple hundred hints and clues,” he says. “I adjust them for each group.”

But don’t be fooled—the hunts are tailor made. He develops them for months, especially the largest of them all—the Chinese New Year Hunt. According to Wechter, last year’s hunt had more than 1,500 participants from around the U.S. It’s no wonder it takes him 200 hours over the course of four months to plan such an elaborate hunt.

But that search presents its own set of problems. Unlike the teambuilding exercise he recently planned for a Bay Area law firm, these clues have to fit a large and diverse group, not only a few people who all live in one region. The Chinese New Year Hunt caters to people of all ages from many states, with varying levels of detective experience.
Wechter is a problem solver, and he does it well. He thinks about the people coming to participate and he doesn’t want to disappoint. So it’s a good thing he loves the streets of Chinatown.

“It’s a fascinating neighborhood, multilayered, with a tremendous amount of visual stimulation,” he says with a smile.

SF Treasure Hunts is much more than a once yearly scavenger hunt. Besides Chinatown, there are ready-to-go excursions in the SoMa and Golden Gate Park as well as on Angel Island, and in the Wine Country and Silicon Valley.

You may be left with one question: what’s the treasure? Wechter gives a slight smile when he says, “The treasure is what you find along the way.”

Want to try out your urban sleuthing skills? The Chinese New Year Hunt takes place February 23rd. Go to www.sftreasurehunts.com for more information.