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Tutorial

Step-by-step resolution of the puzzle The Hiking Trip.

Example board

General clue

There are two empty rows. Each empty row contains a bear.

Suspect clues

  • Aubrey
    Aubrey - She was on Windy Trail; everyone there wore caps.
  • Brianna
    Brianna - She was 2 rows north of Finlay.
  • Clark
    Clark - He was on Rocky Trail; everyone there wore glasses.
  • Derek
    Derek - He was alone in Pine Forest.
  • Elias
    Elias - He was in the Ranger's Hut.
  • Finlay
    Finlay - There was a bear in his column, 4 rows north of him.
  • Gavin
    Gavin - He was next to a rock.
  • Hedwig
    Hedwig - She was in the bottom row. His area had at least 3 people.
  • Ingrid
    Ingrid - She was sitting in a chair.
  • Joe
    Joe - He was next to a bear.
  • Kobe
    Kobe - He was in the Grove.
  • Vincenza
    Vincenza - The victim. She was alone with the murderer.

Board configuration

  1. 1

    Configure the board size

    Set the board to 14 rows and 12 columns, matching the grid of The Hiking Trip puzzle.

    Config 1
  2. 2

    Define the areas and walls

    In "Edit walls" mode, draw the internal walls that divide the board into named areas (Grove, Ranger's Hut, Pine Forest, Rocky Trail, Windy Trail, etc.).

    Config 2
  3. 3

    Mark non-playable cells

    Mark the cells that cannot be occupied by any suspect: bear, tree, rock, table, and bush, as well as the exterior parts of the board in the top-left and top-right corners.

    Config 3

Step-by-step deduction

  1. 1

    Mark Aubrey's positions

    Aubrey was on Windy Trail. Mark all possible positions for her in that area.

    Step 1
  2. 2

    Mark Clark's positions

    Skip Brianna for now — we need to know where Finlay is first. Clark was on Rocky Trail, so mark all possible positions for him in that area.

    Step 2
  3. 3

    Mark Derek's positions

    Derek was alone in Pine Forest. Mark all possible positions for him in that area.

    Step 3
  4. 4

    Mark Elias's positions

    Elias was in the Ranger's Hut. Mark all possible positions for him in that area.

    Step 4
  5. 5

    Mark Finlay's positions

    There was a bear in Finlay's column, 4 rows north of him. Only 3 positions satisfy this condition. Note that Finlay wears glasses, so he can also be on Rocky Trail with Clark.

    Step 5
  6. 6

    Mark Gavin's positions

    Gavin was next to a rock. Mark all possible positions for him.

    Step 6
  7. 7

    Mark Hedwig's positions

    Hedwig was in the bottom row. Eliminate all other suspects from that row — only one suspect per row is allowed. Since Hedwig doesn't wear glasses, he cannot be on Rocky Trail. The bottom row spans 4 areas, all with room for 3 members, so we can't rule out any more of Hedwig's positions yet.

    Step 7
  8. 8

    Mark Ingrid's positions

    Ingrid was sitting in a chair. Only two positions are valid, since the chair in Hedwig's row can't be hers. Eliminate the intersection of those two positions — if someone were placed there, Ingrid would have no options left.

    Step 8
  9. 9

    Mark Joe's positions

    Joe was next to a bear. Mark all possible positions for him.

    Step 9
  10. 10

    Mark Kobe's positions

    Kobe was in the Grove. Mark all possible positions for him in that area.

    Step 10
  11. 11

    Elias and Kobe share columns

    Elias and Kobe can only occupy the same two columns. Therefore, no other suspect can occupy those columns.

    Step 11
  12. 12

    Place Ingrid

    With the previous eliminations, only one position remains for Ingrid. Place her there.

    Step 12
  13. 13

    Place Finlay

    Only one position remains for Finlay. Place him there.

    Step 13
  14. 14

    Mark Brianna's positions

    With Finlay placed, Brianna's row is fixed: 2 rows north of Finlay. She can't be in Elias and Kobe's columns, or with Derek (who is alone). 3 positions remain and no one else can be in her row. Brianna wears a cap, so she can be on Windy Trail with Aubrey.

    Step 14
  15. 15

    Place Kobe

    Only one position remains for Kobe. Place him there.

    Step 15
  16. 16

    Clark dominates a column

    All of Clark's remaining positions are in the same column. No one else can occupy that column.

    Step 16
  17. 17

    Eliminate Derek's intersections

    Derek only has two positions left. Eliminate their intersection using the same reasoning as for Ingrid.

    Step 17
  18. 18

    Place Hedwig

    Hedwig needs to be in an area with at least 3 people. Only two options remain: Windy Trail or the Cabin. If she were in the Cabin, she'd need Ingrid and Vincenza to make 3 — but Vincenza must be alone with the murderer. Contradiction. So Hedwig isn't in the Cabin and only one position remains.

    Step 18
  19. 19

    Place Derek

    Only one position remains for Derek. Place him there.

    Step 19
  20. 20

    Apply the general clue

    Two rows containing a bear also have a suspect — Brianna and Derek. By the general clue, the other two bear rows must be completely empty. Eliminate all positions in those rows.

    Step 20
  21. 21

    Place Elias

    Only one position remains for Elias. Place him there.

    Step 21
  22. 22

    Place Aubrey and Clark

    Each has only one position remaining. Place them both.

    Step 22
  23. 23

    Joe dominates a column

    All of Joe's remaining positions are in the same column. No one else can occupy that column.

    Step 23
  24. 24

    Place Brianna and Gavin

    Each has only one position remaining. Place them both.

    Step 24
  25. 25

    Final resolution: Vincenza and Joe

    Only one position remains for Vincenza, the victim. Placing her also determines the position of Joe, the murderer.

    Step 25

Final answer

The murderer is Joe.