Edric's Puzzle Hunt 2022

Edric's 2022 Puzzle Hunt (the fourth non-treasure hunt in the series, and the second "Puzzle Hunt") went live at 12:00 noon EDT on Saturday, July 11, 2022. The hunt was structured in the style of an Australian hunt, with six rounds of puzzles released over the course of a week, and then a final metapuzzle at the end.

The twist on this structure, however, was that the rounds were released in reverse chronological order. Instead of being released last, the meta puzzle was released first -- two hours before the puzzles for Day 6 were released. Then (as it went on to explain on the website), "Each day, the puzzles [were] released two hours earlier than they were the day after."

There were many examples throughout the hunt where time was acting "weirdly." A puzzle titled "September 19th" included a reference to "Christmas in July." There was a series of "torn-out" notes on Days 1, 3, and 6 in which the setter expressed [mock] confusion and consternation about the way time was flowing oddly. Even the clock graphics showed the minute hand traveling backwards around the face (at least until the first metapuzzle was solved)!

Solvers also discovered partway through the hunt that something which began as a single reference within a single puzzle expanded in scope to actually become first the theme of an entire puzzle and then the theme of the entire hunt. (Which itself turned out be actually be a tribute to a giant in the intellectual community!)