There's a fortune hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains

There's a fortune hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains


"In 2010, Forrest Fenn made two trips north out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and into the Rocky Mountains.

On the first journey, the art dealer carried with him a bronze Romanesque chest.

On the second trip, he brought a backpack filled with gold coins, gold nuggets, and gems.

Fenn says he filled the chest with the valuables and stashed it all somewhere in the massive mountain range. "


http://www.businessinsider.com/forrest-fenn-fortune-hidden-rocky-mountainsT


" Hints to the treasure's location (and even a map depicting New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana) are included in two of Fenn's books, "The Thrill of the Chase" and "Too Far to Walk." A poem by Fenn that advises the reader to "begin it where warm waters halt" is said to include nine clues.

"Read the clues in my poem over and over and study maps of the Rocky Mountains," Fenn said via email. "Try to marry the two. The treasure is out there waiting for the person who can make all the lines cross in the right spot."





This article has the map and poem:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/millionaire-hid-treasure-rocky-mountains-134324925.html


"”I wanted to give the kids something to do,” he told Business Insider in February. “They spend too much time in the game room or playing with their little handheld texting machines.

“I hope parents will take their children camping and hiking in the Rocky Mountains.

“I hope they will fish, look for fossils, turn rotten logs over to see what’s under them, and look for my treasure.”

Ah, yes, know the precise meaning of the words or you will miss the mark by far.

The man takes pride in his eccentricity and precision of word usage.
Many have been within 500 feet of the treasure and yet it remains unfound.

 

Think you're good at cracking codes? Read Forrest Fenn's poem with clues to the 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.

https://www.npr.org/2016/03/13/469852983/seeking-adventure-and-gold-crack-this-poem-and-head-outdoors

One clue.

Chilly, NM is where to begin.

The tree referenced "the blaze" has been cut down.

Not far but too far to walk is 9 miles I believe.

I have a hard time believing no one has ever found it.

The best place to hide something is in plain sight.
In an interview he mentioned "when you are close, you can see it".
An 80 year old man parked and hid his treasure and got back to his car in under 4 hours time.
That he carried the treasure in his arms was said by him in an interview, Gold is heavy, how far could an 80 year old carry that much weight?

"There's a fortune hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains."  This statement (headline from Business Insider) and pretty much everything else in this thread that's stated as fact about this fun treasure hunt (except that the gold is not known to have been found) all traces back to a single source: Forrest Fenn and his various statements and writings.  

It's fun, yes, but it could as easily be fiction as fact.  More easily, in a literal sense; it would have been easier to get to where we are in the story today if the treasure never existed and Fenn were merely a convincing fabulist.

In order to have fun actually chasing this treasure, a person would have to do the "faith" thing, putting trust in an eccentric old man and believing that he's not laughing in his beard at the people stumbling through the mountains looking for something that might or might not ever have existed.

How I see it, anyway.

Fact or Fiction, it still makes for a fun adventure as long as safety is taken into consideration.  Great way to get out of the house and have fun with the kids.

Here in Texas we have the Los Almagres Mine

It has been 190 years and there are still people actively looking for it.

There’s been equally as much written about Jim and Rezin P. Bowie’s search for the Los Almagres or San Saba Mines, as the mines themselves. Did the Bowie’s, really search?

http://www.texfiles.com/texashistory/bowiemine.htm

 

Any excuse is a good excuse to explore the mountains. The Rockies are a very special place.

It's been found! I saw this article on NPR today, and instantly thought of this thread on permies. I had to share!

NPR:Hidden Treasure Chest Filled With Gold And Gems Is Found In Rocky Mountains

The person who found it does not want to be identified, but here's a picture of the treasure we didn't manage to find :D

For some, it became a dangerous obsession: In the process of looking for the trove that was said to be worth as much as $2 million, at least four people have died.

"The ornate, Romanesque box is 10-by-10 inches and weighs about 40 pounds when loaded," as NPR's John Burnett reported in 2016. "Fenn has only revealed that it is hidden in the Rocky Mountains, somewhere between Santa Fe and the Canadian border at an elevation above 5,000 feet. It's not in a mine, a graveyard or near a structure."

Nicole, thanks for letting us know that it has been found and that Fenn has confirmed the find!

This was on Yahoo News today!

Photos show famed hidden treasure found after 10-year search

https://www.yahoo.com/news/photos-show-famed-hidden-treasure-120048204.html

But the 89-year-old Fenn provided very few details, other than the man who found the loot was from "back East."

Fenn posted three photos on his blog Tuesday. The first, he says, shows the bronze chest on a trail  "not long after" it was found. It appears to show a variety of coins, gold nuggets and a rusted key.

Alas its been found.  

https://www.outsideonline.com/2419429/forrest-fenn-treasure-jack-stuef

There is a book, ‘Chasing the Thrill’ by Daniel Barbarisi coming out next year about this decade-long hunt, but the finder will not reveal its precise location (somewhere in Wyoming.) A quote from the article, also written by Barbarisi

Still, listening to Stuef talk about it, he makes it seem so attainable, so simple: that the key was really just understanding Forrest Fenn. Stuef hunted solo, never discussed his search with others, stayed away from the blogs after his initial looks at them, and tried hard not to get caught up in any groupthink. He did his utmost just to focus on Fenn’s words and primary sources, and understand those as best he could. 

“I don’t want to ruin this treasure hunt by saying it was made for an English major, but it’s based on a close read of a text,” Stuef says. “I mean, that’s what it is. It’s having the correct interpretation of a poem. I understood him by reading his words, and listening to him talk over and over and over and over again. And seeking out anything I could get my hands on that told me who he was.”

And here is the essay written by Steuf, previously anonymously published on Medium:


https://thefinder.medium.com/