There’s weed in them thar hills, you might say, and at high noon the hunt was on.

Seekers of hidden treasure fanned out across High Park on Sunday — an assortment of marijuana enthusiasts and medicinal users who scuttled through bushes and checked under garbage bins in search of their promised bounty.

To keep things legal, there weren’t actually bundles of drugs hidden in the west end green space. Instead, hundreds of coupons were tucked away, redeemable for $25,000 worth of free bongs, pipes, rolling papers, vaporizers and discounted weed, the latter available only for people with valid prescriptions, according to organizers from the Marijuana Info Bureau.

It was almost too good to be true for Barry Bellows. The 37-year-old raced down to the park on his bike after hearing about the second annual Marijuana Treasure Hunt on the morning news. He found 30 prize vouchers within an hour.

“This one’s for 10 lollipops, $50 off, free delivery,” said Bellows, grinning as he flipped through his findings. An envious and empty-handed fellow hunter looked on from a nearby bench.

“I’m not really sure if there’s any truth to it, but you never know,” Bellows said, and glanced toward the nearby foliage. “That’s where my next adventure is, into the woods.”

A short distance away, a guy was huffing up one of the park paths with a skateboard under his arm. “Got here a bit late, so!” he exclaimed, dropping to his knees to check under wooden benches before he jogged away into the heart of the park.

The marijuana scavenger hunt was announced weeks ago via Twitter and on flyers in the surrounding neighbourhood. It attracted dozens of treasure hunters to the park on Sunday, where participants mingled mostly unnoticed amongst the usual crowds of families, joggers and dog-walkers, while police on bikes patrolled the park.

Some who took part were hostile to queries from the media, muttering expletives or responding with narrow-eyed suspicion. Most though, were friendly, laid-back and happy to be out in the sun.

“I think it’s a great idea to have it in the park … as long as people are respectful and don’t smoke in front of kids,” said Ryan Carter, 23, a licensed medicinal marijuana user.

Maps and a list of rules were available online through the Marijuana Info Bureau Twitter feed. These stipulated that you must be 18 to participate, and have a medical pot prescription to claim marijuana prizes.

Calls from the Star to the phone number provided on the bureau’s advertisements went unanswered Sunday, while organizers of the event were conspicuously absent from High Park.

Carter, who has participated in Marijuana Info Bureau events before, explained that the chief organizer runs a medical weed compassion club and is media shy. “He does exist. I’ve met him in person,” Carter laughed.

Sitting near a hotdog stand beneath a shady tree, Jake Parsonson took a nonchalant drag from a cigarette (tobacco only). He said he came to the park to take part in the scavenger hunt, expressing his approval for providing less expensive weed to people that need it for medical reasons.

“Lots of people can’t afford their medication, so this is a great lift for them,” said Parsonson.

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As for himself, he didn’t have high hopes for bagging much loot.

“I’m certainly going to leave here with less weed than I came with,” he vowed, “no matter how much I find.”