10 years ago today, the culmination of dozens of hours of puzzle-solving and collaboration across the globe concluded with the discovery of a statue in the Oregon woods. I was lucky enough to be one of the few people who was actually present at this historic event in Gravity Falls history, and unlucky enough to become the primary witness in the statue's devastating removal less than 24 hours later.
In honor of the 10th anniversary of the Cipher Hunt, I'm posting rare photos of the famous statue and the events that transpired!
Note: I did not take the statue. He was removed by the police due to a property dispute. I was simply there at the same time and documented as much of it as I could.
To begin, the journey up the hill and what it looked like at the time:
I am in the yellow shirt + Dipper hat, my sister is in the Mabel sweater that she made herself!
Next, Bill in his resting place and the beginning of his removal:
Note: Bill's hat was forcibly detached by the man who was hired to remove him from the property. There is a photo of me holding it, but I promise I did not break or steal his precious hat!
Bill being loaded into the man's truck and driven away:
As they were leaving, those of us who were at the scene all sang "We'll Meet Again" in hopes that our words may ring true. At this point, we did not know whether or not Bill would ever be seen again.
And finally, a couple hours and some ice cream later, we reconnected with Bill at the Reedsport Police Station where he briefly took up residence before finding his permanent home in Confusion Hill. This was, as far as I know, the last time his hat was seen.
My participation in the Cipher Hunt opened the doors to my career and is still something I consider one of my life's greatest defining moments. I cannot put into words how honored I am to have been part of the Hunt and how grateful I am to Alex Hirsch for creating something that made Gravity Falls real. I will never forget how it felt to have my flashlight beam pierce through the trees and land on the tip of that concrete hat for the first time. I WAS Dipper Pines in that moment.
Bill can still be found at his permanent home at Confusion Hill, where you can visit him and pay your disrespects.
Happy 10 years, Cipher Hunt.
