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Forrest Fenn's Treasure Hunt

Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Calling all adventurers & explorers! I heard about this a few years ago, read the poem and did a little investigating and decided it was too much for me. Fast forward to the current time and I think it's worth revisiting and sharing here for those that are interested!

Backstory? Forrest Fenn has hidden a treasure chest worth millions of dollars in the hope that Americans will get off the couch to find it. The 82-year-old multimillionaire hid a chest filled with gold coins, diamonds and emeralds, hoping to encourage people to explore trails and scenery instead of their TV screens. Fenn hid the treasure in 2010 after a cancer scare. “I became sick and thought I was on my way out and I wanted to inspire others to join in the thrill of the chase,” he says. The decision was not spur of the moment, however. His hiding location was a place he’d been visiting for many years. “I knew exactly where to hide the chest so it would be difficult to find but not impossible,” Fenn wrote in his 2011 memoir, “The Thrill of the Chase.” Fenn says he worked on the poem for a long time too, “changing and rearranging. Each word is crafted in its place. No part of it was not looked at from every angle.”

Here is Forrest’s poem with nine clues to a million dollar treasure;

As I have gone alone in there
And with my treasures bold,
I can keep my secret where,
And hint of riches new and old.

Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown.

From there it’s no place for the meek,
The end is ever drawing nigh;
There’ll be no paddle up your creek,
Just heavy loads and water high.

If you’ve been wise and found the blaze,
Look quickly down, your quest to cease,
But tarry scant with marvel gaze,
Just take the chest and go in peace.

So why is it that I must go
And leave my trove for all to seek?
The answers I already know,
I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak.

So hear me all and listen good,
Your effort will be worth the cold.
If you are brave and in the wood
I give you title to the gold.
Click to expand...


Some more info in an older video-


I think this is just what Forrest planned, a great way to get people outdoors and exploring, studying maps, etc. I don't have any intention of finding the treasure myself, but love the idea of studying and looking for it! I'm hoping that the RME community can put their minds together and join in the hunt and adventure! I have some thoughts on the location, but want to hear what you all think.
 
Marsh99

Marsh99

Lover of all things Toyota
Location
Mantua UT
I have been following a lot since my in-laws are from Santa Fe new Mexico where the Forrest Fenn is from. Here is the map Forrest released saying the treasure was somewhere on the map.
 

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Kevin B.

Kevin B.

Not often wrong. Never quite right.
Moderator
Location
Stinkwater
I hadn't heard of this.

Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown.

From there it’s no place for the meek,
The end is ever drawing nigh;
There’ll be no paddle up your creek,
Just heavy loads and water high.
Click to expand...

So it's on a river downstream of Brown's park, yeah?
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
rholbrook said:
Josh Gates did a story on this for his show "Expedition Unknown". Very interesting for sure. It would be fun to get out and look.
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Yeah, I watched it when it aired and got me thinking & reading about it! Sounds like Josh didn't get very close, I like the show but they dramatize everything.


Marsh99 said:
I have been following a lot since my in-laws are from Santa Fe new mexico where the guy is from. Here is the map Forrest released saying the treasure was somewhere on the map.
Click to expand...

Yep! Obviously Utah is out, Forrest has dropped many hints over the years too, saying that it's at least 8.25 miles North of Sante Fe, at over 5,000' and no more than 10,500' elevation.


Kevin B. said:
I hadn't heard of this.



So it's on a river downstream of Brown's park, yeah?
Click to expand...

There are a LOT of theories out there, Browns Park in NW Colorado seems like it could have potential, I was there this Summer and after reading about this, I want to explore around the area! It was named after Baptiste Brown, a French-Canadian fur trapper that settled the area. There is talk of "Where warm waters halt" being Flaming Gorge, the Green River being down stream and the boat launch at Browns Park (where Baptiste Brown built a house) all lining up. Also, not long after Browns Park was settled, there was a fur trading camp established, Fort Davey Crocket. Another Stanza in the poem reads "No place for the meek". Now this is where it gets interesting...

Fur trapper Robert Newell lamented the fact that the mountain men were becoming horse thieves and robbers. Summarizing the feelings of old mountain men toward the demise of the fur trade and the new lawless breed, Newell told Joe Meek, "We are done with this life in the mountains—done with wading in beaver dams and freezing or starving alternately—done with Indian trading and Indian fighting. The fur trade is dead in the Rocky Mountains, and it is no place for us now. . .What do you say, Meek? Shall we turn American settlers?"
Click to expand...
- Source, 2/3rds of the way down

:freak:


There is also a theory about Browns Canyon, by Buena Vista, CO that seems to hold a lot of water. It's directly North of Sante Fe, the area was known for gold & silver mining, etc, etc. Forrest gives a lot of subtle hints in his 2 books, I ordered the first one last night. People talk about how this guy was a pilot in the military, so navigation is a strong part of his background.


mesha said:
FUN!
Click to expand...

For sure! It's a neat story that is prime for adventure and exploration!!
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
There are a LOT of blogs & treasure hunters out there looking and no shortage of ideas, thoughts and information (misleading and untrue) out there. One of the best and seemingly most accurate blogs I've come across is this one - http://dalneitzel.com/

They have a Cheat Sheet with some accurate info, more hints & quotes from Forrest. Here's the Cheat Sheet;

http://dalneitzel.com/cheat-sheet/

What we are taking as fact:
♦Located above 5,000 ft and below 10,200 ft.
♦At least 8.25 miles North of Santa Fe, New Mexico
♦Not in grave yard
♦Not in out house…..not associated with a structure
♦Not in a mine
♦Where warm waters halt is not a dam.
♦Chest and contents weigh 42lbs. (Fenn said 44lbs. in one email, but has said 42 several other times)
♦Chest is 10x10x5 inches and made of Bronze
♦Forrest published a map in his book Too Far To Walk and told us the chest is hidden somewhere on that map
♦The treasure is in one of 4 states: Montana, Wyoming, Colorado or New Mexico

Subjective information:
♦Don’t go where an eighty year old man couldn’t go
♦Not associated with a structure……what does “associated” mean?
Def: Connect (something) with something else because they occur together or one produces another Does this rule out it being in town? Could it be in a front yard, park, Memorial, etc. etc.; as long as it is not in a structure?
♦Seasonal search: Since it’s above 5,000 ft. just about all of the search area will be impacted by some snow. As the elevation increases the “search season” decreases.

Fenn has said:
♦ There are nine clues in the poem.
♦ Start at beginning
♦ Q: Will the poem lead you to the treasure? “Yes if you know where to start.”
♦ Clues in consecutive order
♦ Don’t mess with my poem
♦ “Some folks correctly mentioned the first two clues to me in an email and then they went right past the other seven, not knowing that they had been so close”.
♦ People have been within 500’ of the treasure
♦ “Some of the searchers have been within 500 feet I know”.
♦ “Searchers have been within 200 feet”. Huffpost interview 02/04/15
♦ He never said it was buried (he never said it wasn’t)
♦ “The person who finds the treasure will have studied the poem over and over, and thought, and analyzed and moved with confidence. Nothing about it will be accidental”.
♦ “I said on the Today show that the treasure is not associated with any structure. Some people say I have a desire to mislead. That is not true. There are no notes to be found or safety deposit boxes to be searched. The clues can lead you to the treasure, and it will be there waiting when you arrive.”
♦ Q: Are there clues in the TTOTC book? “Yes, because the poem is in the book.”
♦ Q: Are there clues in the TFTW book? “Yes, because the map is in the book.”
♦ Q: Are there subtle hints in the TTOTC book? “Yes, if you can recognize them.”
♦ “All of the information you need to find the treasure is in the poem. The chapters in my book have very subtle hints but are not deliberately placed to aid the seeker. Good luck in the search.”
♦ Q: Were both trips made on the same day/date? “I made two trips from my car to the hiding place and it was done in one afternoon.f”
♦ Q: Are you willing to say whether the place of the treasure chest is the same as the one where you had previously plotted to have your bones rest forever? “Yes it is. f”
♦ “There isn’t a human trail in very close proximaty to where I hid the treasure.f”.
♦ Q: Is the Blaze one single object? “In a word – Yes”
♦ “Playing a hunch is not worth much in the search and those who start out by looking for the blaze, are wasting their time.f”.
♦ Q: I would like to know if the blaze can be found during the day without a flashlight. “I would say yes.f”
♦ Q: Did the same 9 clues exist when you were a kid and to your estimation will they still exist in 100 years and 1000 years? “The clues did not exist when I was a kid but most of the places the clues refer to did. I think they might still exist in 100 years but the geography probably will change before we reach the next millennia.”
Click to expand...
 
Skylinerider

Skylinerider

Wandering the desert
Location
Ephraim
Been following this for a few years, The clues and the map definitely have me thinking I know the area, I'd like to take a week and explore a bit.
 
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