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[DragoonKain]

Some guy named Forrest Fenn buried a real life smallish treasure box full of gold somewhere in the wildnerness. He had a poem that was a clue and all everyone knew was it was in the area of the Rocky Mountains.

Anyway, it took a decade but someone finally found it. He won’t reveal where it was other than it was somewhere in Wyoming.

But the main thing in this special that was up for debate was multiple people died searching for it. 5 people in total. And the families of the loved ones who died were really angry that he didn’t call off the treasure hunt. And apparently there’s a lot of debate in these communities as to whether or not it was right for him to not call off the hunt because he never did.

I don’t get it at all. People die in the wilderness all the time, it’s dangerous. If people want to go searching that isn’t this Forrest Fenn guy’s responsibility. But people were really mad at the guy for keeping it going. And even if he “called it off” he’s an old ass man, he died last year at the age of 90. The treasure would’ve still been out there so people would’ve still been looking for it.

What do you think, do you think it’s irresponsible to have a treasure hunt going where people die from it? Or do you think he should’ve kept it going?

It was an interesting story though, I’m surprised more people don’t do stuff like that. Apparently there’s a whole community out there of treasure hunters, who mainly do it to bond and for the sense of adventure they get while doing it. It seems pretty fun. It had everything but Sully

 

[Burnttips]

Why wouldn't the guy say where he found it? Seems like a dick move.

 

[DragoonKain]

Why wouldn't the guy say where he found it? Seems like a dick move.

He said he didn’t want it to become a tourist attraction where everyone would go, because he said it’s a really beautiful place and he didn’t want it destroyed by tourists. The guy who found it only did one interview for a publication and other than that and meeting with Forrest Fenn to confirm he found it, he’s kept quiet about everything.

 

[bitbydeath]

It was an interesting story though, I’m surprised more people don’t do stuff like that.

I did this probably over ten years ago.
*Treasures are hidden everywhere and a lot of people don’t know about it.

*Treasures are often just small crap people like to hide.

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[truth777]

I did a fair amount of research and was wrong multiple times on the location. However, after he found it; he let slip that “Forrest accidentally gave away the area.”
Went back and figured out that Forrest mentioned in an interview that “he’d hid the chest on the way back from an appearance.”
The appearance was at the Buffalo Bill Museum and I guarantee the treasure was hidden within the vicinity of Cody, Wyoming.
Example from poem:
“Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down.”
There are at least three warm water springs that flow towards and “halt” at the Buffalo Bill dam...right next to the museum. If you start there and continue East, you will quickly pass down through Shoshone canyon.
“There will be no paddle up your creek.”
If you follow East on the road through Shoshone Canyon, you will come to “Dry creek.”
“Put in below the home of Brown.”
Rancher George Brown of the Hoodoo Ranch lives in the area and has for decades. Equally eye raising is the fact that George Brown has a museum display in the same museum that Forrest Fenn was appearing at that day.
I can’t tell you exactly where it is, because you’d have to search on foot, but it’s in that area.

 

[ResilientBanana]

Someone that owns a jewelry store does this in my area. He hides smaller Sterling Silver and sometimes Gold bars in the local parks. You pay a $25 fee to join in on the treasure hunt to get clues in the form of riddles. You then walk off the beaten path, through the parks to find a small X somewhere which could be hidden in stumps or leaves. He has a GPS tracker on the box so he knows if the treasure has been taken or moved. We've been within 10' of the treasure location a couple times, but have never won.

 

[eddie4]

What do you think, do you think it’s irresponsible to have a treasure hunt going where people die from it? Or do you think he should’ve kept it going?

No one is forcing you to go search, so that's on you. If you die, it's your own fault.

 

[AJUMP23]

Ya I have read about this story over the years and thought it was cool some one finally found the treasure. Now if we could go back to ignoring it that would be fine too.

 

[Kenpachii]

The problem with this is, if the guy doens't show he has the treasure and people can follow it and say yea nobody ever searched there. Then who knows if the treasure even existed to start with? it could very well be he made the whole thing up. Then when the hype died down, he just ends it.

 

[Ionian]

This is a good one in the same vein;

Masquerade: How a real-life treasure hunt obsessed a nation

How the clues within the picture book Masquerade turned the UK into a life-sized treasure map.

www.bbc.com

Think they sold 8-bit versions as well of the book. Fascinating story.

 

[truth777]

No one is forcing you to go search, so that's on you. If you die, it's your own fault.

It’s funny how perception works.
If someone skydives and the parachute fails to open, then most won’t bother with it since the skydiver knew what they were getting into.
On the other hand, some random walks into the wilderness unprepared and it’s suddenly some old man’s fault.

 

[Cutty Flam]

What do you think, do you think it’s irresponsible to have a treasure hunt going where people die from it? Or do you think he should’ve kept it going?

If they died that’s their fault. This man supposedly hid a treasure. The treasure hunters have to consider so many options. Maybe there is a treasure hidden, maybe he lied about it, what is the treasure worth and will the expedition be worth it?

It’s their choice to go after it. All the man who supposedly hid it did was hide something. Greed or adventure sparks others to seek the treasure. They didn’t have to look for it, but they chose to themselves

Still though, I can empathize with the family. There’s usually no getting through to someone who takes risks like that every year. They’re going to do whatever they want and there’s nothing you can do but say what you have to say to advise them some, and hope for the best

 

[DragoonKain]

I did a fair amount of research and was wrong multiple times on the location. However, after he found it; he let slip that “Forrest accidentally gave away the area.”
Went back and figured out that Forrest mentioned in an interview that “he’d hid the chest on the way back from an appearance.”
The appearance was at the Buffalo Bill Museum and I guarantee the treasure was hidden within the vicinity of Cody, Wyoming.
Example from poem:
“Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down.”
There are at least three warm water springs that flow towards and “halt” at the Buffalo Bill dam...right next to the museum. If you start there and continue East, you will quickly pass down through Shoshone canyon.
“There will be no paddle up your creek.”
If you follow East on the road through Shoshone Canyon, you will come to “Dry creek.”
“Put in below the home of Brown.”
Rancher George Brown of the Hoodoo Ranch lives in the area and has for decades. Equally eye raising is the fact that George Brown has a museum display in the same museum that Forrest Fenn was appearing at that day.
I can’t tell you exactly where it is, because you’d have to search on foot, but it’s in that area.

Were you one of the people who went out and searched for it?

 

[truth777]

Were you one of the people who went out and searched for it?

No, just did a fair amount of online research like Forrest interviews, maps, the book, etc.
That one slip up by Forrest is how he found it though.