WanderLearn: Travel to Transform Your Mind & Life
Society & Culture:Places & Travel
Around 2010, Forrest Fenn hid a multimillion-dollar treasure in the Rocky Mountains.
Gold, gems, and other precious items are packed in a portable 12th-century bronze chest.
Nearly half a million people have searched for it in vain.
A couple of weeks ago, I spoke two hours with one of the foremost experts on Forrest Fenn's treasure, Dal Nietzel. It was a fascinating and fun conversation.
Right before I planned to release the podcast, a man from the Eastern United States found Forrest Fenn's treasure!That's right. Around June 6, 2020, Forrest Fenn said the chase is over.
Therefore, this podcast is divided into two parts.
The first part, which is 90% of the podcast, was recorded a couple of weeks ago before the treasure had been found.
The second part is an addendum, where I interviewed Dal again to capture his thoughts now that the treasure hunt is over.
We don't know where the treasure was found yet. Therefore, just to be able to say "I told you so," I will list the places I had planned to search. And I will ask Dal the same question. This exercise will either make us feel good (that we were wrong) or make us feel bad (that we would have found it had we not delayed our search).
Questions I asked Dal (pronounced "Dale")
There are nine clues in Fenn's poem. The first clue is "Begin it where warms waters halt." It's unclear what the other eight clues are.
Forrest Fenn's Treasure PoemAs 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.
CLUE 10
Above 5,000 feet and below 10,200 feet
CLUE 11
At least 8.25 miles north of Santa Fe
CLUE 12
Not in a graveyard
CLUE 13
Not in an outhouse, or associated with a structure
CLUE 14
Not in a tunnel, cave, or mine
CLUE 15
Where warm waters halt is not a dam
CLUE 16
In Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, or New Mexico
CLUE 17
Not underwater
CLUE 18
Not near the Rio Grande
CLUE 19
Not necessary to move large rocks or climb up or down a steep precipice
CLUE 20
Not under a man-made object
Dal mentioned Jenny’s site, Mysterious Writings, and Cynthia’s site, Chasing Fenn’s Treasure.
Video summary of what's in the treasure chesthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbc8LwZIr6U
My solutionSince Forrest Fenn's treasure has been found and yet we still don't know where it was found, I'll share how I interpreted the poem and where I was planning to look.
Once we learn the location, it will be fun to see if I was right or wrong.
At the end of the interview, Dal shared where he expected to find it.
I'll feel like I genius and an idiot if I am right. A genius for figuring it out. An idiot for not getting there in time.
My interpretation of each line
As I have gone alone in there
I went alone to my hiding place
And with my treasures bold,
Making little effort to hide my treasures since nobody was around
I can keep my secret where,
This place gets few visitors
And hint of riches new and old.
It’s near a place with historical significance (e.g., old trade route or mining operation)
Begin it where warm waters halt
[See several interpretations in the next section]
And take it in the canyon down,
Follow the canyon downstream
Not far, but too far to walk.
Drive the road for 2-10 miles, probably closer to 2 miles since he said those who solved the first two clues went right by the treasure.
Put in below the home of Brown.
Park your car. Since Brown is capitalized, perhaps it refers to a proper name (e.g., the Brown Corporation which owns the land), but that seems unlikely since Fenn said that it’s hard to skip clues. Despite the capitalization, Brown is probably poetic: the north face of a mountain (where most brown/grizzly bears hibernate) or below a brown trout spawning lake or simply below the treeline (above the treeline is mostly brown). Or all the above!
From there it’s no place for the meek,
Break off the trail & start hiking uphill off-trail and perhaps on private property. Joseph Meek spent time in Yellowstone, so perhaps it’s saying that you’re not in Yellowstone.
The end is ever drawing nigh;
You’re within 200 feet; keep looking to the right side of the creek you’re climbing next to
There’ll be no paddle up your creek,
Ford the stream which is too shallow for a boat or it’s dry and perplexing situation
Just heavy loads and water high.
Get your feet wet and cold as you cross the knee-high stream while looking for a cairn or the water is high above you.
If you’ve been wise and found the blaze,
The blaze will be either a stack of rocks, a mark on a tree, or anything a bit remarkable.
Look quickly down, your quest to cease,
Look down and you’ll find the chest hidden under a pile of rocks and/or vegetation
But tarry scant with marvel gaze,
Don’t linger too long at this marvelous site
Just take the chest and go in peace.
Haul your ass out of there
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,
Look up the definition of every word in this poem
Your effort will be worth the cold.
Cold from the altitude and/or cold creek crossing
If you are brave and in the wood
It’s in the high country among bears and snakes, but below the treeline
I give you title to the gold
There’s a legal document in the chest that helps you win the impending legal fight
My Ideas of Where the Warm Waters Halt
This is where I planned to look. I sharing this to see if, after the true location is revealed, I was smart or not.
WyomingNew Mexico
Consider these 8 creeks where “warm waters halt” in NM
As you can see, I did not believe it was in Colorado or far from Yellowstone.
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