Scavenger hunt scours Ballard for clues and a cause

It was hard to miss the Ravishing Red Raiders in Ballard on Saturday afternoon.

Dressed as pirates in red dresses, striped tights, black bandanas, bicep tattoos and gold hoop earrings, the four women hiked up and down the streets of Ballard, solving clues in a neighborhood-encompassing scavenger hunt.

On the way they received honks, waves, double takes and catcalls.

"You get so much attention if you dress like a pirate in this town," said team member Laura Silverton, laughing.

		Kate Elston / P-I
	Suzanne Dolberg takes a rubbing of a plaque at the Ballard Locks -- one of the many tasks her team and 20 others had to perform to rack up points in Seattle Inner City Outings' scavenger hunt fundraiser.

Silverton, 33, and her three friends were among the 21 teams vying for prizes in a scavenger hunt that went from the Ballard locks to Market Street and back to Ballard Avenue.

The event was organized by Seattle Inner City Outings a program that provides outdoor activities to inner city kids.

"We needed an event that reflected the ICO; that is exciting, fun and outdoors," said Kelly McCaffrey, the group's fundraising chairwoman.

McCaffrey, 31, said the idea for the scavenger hunt came in November, when volunteers were brainstorming ways to get the community involved in an outdoor event that would also raise awareness of the group. The Seattle chapter of Inner City Outings is the largest in the country. Its funding comes from events and donations.

Each participating team paid to enter the game and ended the afternoon with a party at the Sunset Tavern on Ballard Avenue.

"(The scavenger hunt) is outside, fun and zany," McCaffrey said. "We've put some excitement and thought into it."

About 60 people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, raced on foot around Ballard in a three hour hunt, covering several blocks with just a book of clues and a map to help them. They searched parks, entered stores and unraveled puzzles, hoping to find answers and collect the most points. Some clues directed the teams to find the names of sculpture artists, others to correctly identify scientific names of oak trees. One clue instructed the teams to name a type of rose in the east flowerbed in the Ballard Locks.

The hunt was more challenging than the Ravishing Red Raiders expected.

"Looking for a smart venue for a party?" one clue read. "Call this number to 'book it.'" The Raiders figured out the Ballard Public Library's phone number was this clue's answer.

While wracking their brains for answers, the participants also gained points by doing tricky tasks at action sites. The Raiders constructed a Haiku out of words they rubbed from Ballard Locks signs, dug through a shoebox full of keys to find the ones that fit four bike locks, and built a house out of playing cards.

Raiders asked park rangers, neighbors, and store employees for help along the way. Everyone they met was intrigued with the game and gave the women in red a chance to talk about Inner City Outings.

		Kate Elston / P-I
	The Ravishing Red Raiders huddle over four locks and a shoebox full of keys. They had to open all the locks within one minute.

About an hour-and-a-half into the search, the Raiders found themselves in the Stone Garden climbing gym on NW Market Street searching for an "off the wall" clue. The women "arrr"ed and waved their swords at their competitors, a team of men from the Tangis, a Seattle software company.

It was all in good fun.

"Everybody on the scavenger hunt is in a good mood and really excited," said volunteer Patti Hill, 54, stationed at playing card site. "It's so much fun. Hopefully it will grow a lot next year."

One of the Tangis team members, Scott Price, said none of them lives in Ballard, but they were having a great time. "We're trying to make up for lack of knowledge by running everywhere," he said, as the four other members were frantically trying to solve a clue.

Price said his team has participated in several scavenger hunts in the past, so when they heard about Inner City Outings, they signed up.

"We are learning a lot about (the group) through this event," he said.

Raider Liz Woodcock, said she was raising money for the outdoor organization, but also familiarizing herself with Ballard. She just moved to Seattle from Madison, Wis.

"It's a great introduction to the city," Woodcock, 29, said. "I knew this (scavenger hunt) would be a good event."

"The cool thing about scavenger hunts is that they get you more aware of your surroundings," said Silverton, a Seattleite for 11 years and Outings leader for four years. The Raiders were looking for a clue in Ballard Commons, a park Silverton didn't even know existed.

"I've seen more of Ballard than I've seen in my entire life," she said.

The running around by the members of the Tangis Corporation paid off: the men ended up collecting the most points in the hunt, winning prizes including dinner gift certificates and a rafting trip.

And the Ravishing Red Raiders?

The four women may not have come in first -- but the women pirates were a natural for the best-dressed award.

HOW WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?

How would you have fared on the scavenger hunt? Here are some questions from Inner City Outing's clue book.

1. How many "Salmon Waves" are there at the Ballard Locks?

2. The scientific name for the "Beige Woof" Oak. (the Oak trees near the Ballard Locks)

3. How many bicycles are stolen every hour in Seattle?

4. Who is the artist responsible for the Shilshole Shells in the Ballard Commons?

5. Lasley and Russ are looked up to in their profession. You might even say that they cornered the Market. What do they sell?

6. Call me Mr. Spots. I'm the home of MGC. What does the "G" stand for?

7. What is the full date of the day the Ballard was annexed?

Click here to reveal answers