After a year of cancelled events, City at Your Feet - Portland Trails’ cross-town, people-powered scavenger hunt - made its return on July 10th and 11th! 23 teams cracked clues to find unique locations along the trail network while traveling car-free throughout Greater Portland. Participants walked, biked, and took the bus to the 19 clue locations, learning about Portland Trails and discovering hidden gems along the way. Teams earned a point for each destination they visited and each form of people-powered transportation they used.
Team Summersquatch, our second-place winners, traveled to all 19 destinations, rode the bus, and racked up a whopping 26 miles of walking over the course of the weekend.
Kevin waves farewell as his team embarks on their journey.
Team members Kevin Donaghue, Ella Jenness, and Kristina Pokoski were all first-time City at Your Feet-ers. Their team name, Summersquatch, is a mashup of the words “summer squash” and “Sasquatch.” (“We may have recently watched Harry and the Hendersons,” says Kevin, explaining the name’s tribute to Bigfoot.) On Saturday morning, they picked up their clue sheets, maps, buffs, and bus passes from the Portland Trails hub and boarded the 9B bus headed toward adventure.
From there, the team “went hard on Saturday,” says Kevin. “We worked counterclockwise around Portland,” but saved the East End clues for last. The team “cleaned up the rest” on Sunday morning, taking the Husky Line to Westbrook where they checked off a few farther afield clues like the Conant Property. “We finally celebrated our finish at Fort Allen Steps.”
Photo credit Kristina Pokoski / Team Summersquatch at the Fort Allen Steps, their final clue destination.
The team’s biggest challenge came late in the day on Saturday while mustering the strength to finish their walk from Bissell Brothers at Thompson’s Point to Reiche School in the West End. “After letting our bodies rest for a meal, continuing was a lot to ask,” says Kevin. “We had all already put in a full 17 miles on foot, with the help of two bus trips for the day.” Despite their sore feet, tired muscles, and the steep hill leading to the West End, they made it to their destination.
But team Summersquatch also experienced moments of delight throughout their journey. “After turning around at Ernie’s Cycle Shop [next to the Conant Property], we were guided through some Westbrook trails by a couple out catching Pokémon!” he says. It seems City at Your Feet participants were not the only ones trying to “catch ‘em all” that day.
Looking back on their adventure, Kevin says, “everybody learned something new,” and that they are eager to do it again next year, although he’s considering adding his mountain bike to the adventure. Keep an eye out for team Summersquatch in the 2022 City at Your Feet scavenger hunt!