Dogged determination paid off last year once again for the mother-son duo, Lynne Romeo and Mirko Erspamer, when they became last year’s winners of the Tread of Pioneers Museum’s 41st annual Yule Log Hunt. Their secret to winning two years in a row? Getting up early to get the newspaper, careful research into Steamboat’s history and creative problem-solving.

“We do quite a bit of research when we look at the clues; we don’t just wander around and look,” Erspamer said. “That’s what makes it fun. You get to learn so much history that you maybe wouldn’t have otherwise.”

This year’s 42nd annual Yule Log Hunt, presented by the Tread of Pioneers Museum will begin Wednesday. Each weekday’s clues will be posted on the museum’s website and Facebook page, air on local radio stations, and will be printed in the Steamboat Pilot & Today and its website. A new clue will be released each weekday for up to eight days, unless the log is found sooner.

Every year, the clues take participants on a path towards the log’s hiding place; the clues do not describe the hiding spot itself until the last few clues of the hunt. The log will not be physically in its hiding place until after the release of clue No. 6, in an effort to prevent participants from randomly stumbling upon the log.

The 2021 hunt starts at the site of last year’s hiding place: Yampa River Core Trail at Fish Creek Bridge. Clues written each year by museum staff often include information that refer to community history or place names or events of the past. Unless the log is found sooner, the eighth and final clue will be released by the media Dec. 17.

The Yule Log Hunt has been a traditional holiday event in this community for over 42 years. The 3-foot, 25-pound log is hidden within the city limits of Steamboat Springs. It is distinctively marked with the words “Yule Log” in red letters and at least a portion of it will be visible from its hiding place. The log will not be on personal private property, inside of buildings or in areas that charge fees to enter.

When the log is found, the lucky winner should immediately call the Tread of Pioneers Museum at 970-879-2214. Museum staff will announce the end of the hunt so that others on the hunt do not keep searching.

The log must be physically presented to Tread of Pioneers Museum staff before the winner will receive the $150 Steamboat Chamber gift card generously donated by the Steamboat Chamber. Solve the clues, find the log, and join the winners’ circle of Yule Log fame.

The Tread of Pioneers Museum is located at 800 Oak St. in Steamboat Springs.