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Island group paints rocks and hides them for others to find

Families spend time being creative and exploring
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Painted rocks that Sarah Iles and her family crafted and hid at the beach at Esquimalt Lagoon for people to find on Canada Day. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Iles)

Sarah Iles unearthed a unqiue scavenger hunt for her daughters on St. Patrick’s Day while they were walking along the spit in Sooke and discovered ornately painted rocks.

Painted on the back of the rocks were the words ‘SS rock hunt.’

The Sooke to Sidney rock hunt is a public group on Facebook that hides and finds colourful painted rocks in the Greater Victoria area.

Group members post photos of their rocks and write a description of where the rocks are hidden, to let other group members know there is something new to look for.

Iles found the group on Facebook, and that motivated her and her daughters to start painting rocks. The first event her family hid painted rocks for was Easter at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre.

She said it’s a good evening or weekend craft to do with her kids and something to add to their hikes and walks.

“It’s a creative outlet,” she explained. “A really good stress release … and kids are just really excited to find stuff at the beach.”

Iles and her family also did some rock painting on Canada Day while they were day camping at Esquimalt Lagoon.

Iles said it takes about an hour to paint a rock, depending on how detailed it is.

But what happens to the rocks is up to the person that discovers them. People can choose to keep it, re-hide it or exchange it for one that they have painted. There is, however, one rule of etiquette – if you find a rock, take a picture of yourself with it and post it in the Facebook group.

“It’s really nice when they find it and post a photo,” Iles said. “People enjoy the follow-up to see who found their rock.”


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lindsey.horsting@goldstreamgazette.com