Where is the Treasure?

“There isn't a human trail in very close proximity to where I hid the treasure.” f

Later, when asked for clarification, Fenn answered:

Dear Mr. Fenn,
You once wrote: “There isn’t a human trail in very close proximity to where I hid the treasure.”  You also once wrote: “And in close proximity were stone projectiles and crudely made hand axes that could have been 30,000 years old.”
Can you clarify for us your definitions of “close proximity” and “very close proximity?” (e.g. 10 feet, 50 feet, 100 feet, 500 feet, etc.?)
Thanks, Milan


It’s not that easy Milan. Are you asking me to carry a caliper in my pocket? Each “close proximity” is different, relative, and site-specific, as you pointed out. So I can’t answer your question. To an ant a mud puddle can be like an ocean. f

There isn't [is not] a human trail in very close proximity to where I hid the treasure.

The automatic assumption is that Fenn is telling us there is no trail near the hiding spot.  But if we use the method of the 'word that is key' to define what Fenn is saying, here is what we get:

Not = no
No = dissent, decline, negative, nothing, refusal, opposite, not by any means
Human = person, imperfect, errant, frail, faulty, gentle, natural, practical, uncertain, weak
Trail = course, stream, dangle, shadow, path, linger, shadow

So, while Fenn has misdirected us with words, what he did really say is that there IS a declining, weak path in close proximity to his hiding spot for the treasure.

Close = near, adjacent, adjoining, neighbor, warm, bordering on, joining, border, matching
Proximity = relation, area, territory, surroundings, vicinity, contiguity, contact, region

It's interesting that contiguity is a synonym of proximity - Fenn has said the clues are contiguous, so let's see what we get from that word:

Contiguity = touch, close, hit, nearness, adjacent, familiarity, locality, tract, region

So, taken together, we're looking for a faint/weakly defined trail, perhaps one that is used infrequently, but remains visible, even if difficult to see...it is declining, so either going down in elevation or getting narrow along the way, and it is bordering the area of where the chest is hidden, or joining that area in some way.

Unlocking the Clues

“Many have given serious thought to the clues in the poem but only a few are in tight focus with a word that is key.”

Serious = deliberate, thoughtful, significant, skillful, thorough, critical
Thought = attention, thinking, understanding, concentration, care
Clues = suggestion, hint, proof, solution, idea, cue, definition
Tight = narrow, solid, strong, close, compact, familiar, constant
Focus = target, heart, center, adjust, core, gist, compact, converge
Key = access, entry, answer, legend, base, central, primary, crucial, telling

Deliberate attention to definitions of familiar words you adjust to get the gist of where they converge for the answer.

Forrest Fenn is a wordsmith, he used words to hide the answers to the clues in the poem, and now you have to use words to unlock those clues to reveal the answers!

First Clue: Fun with Words

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.

as adverb \əz, (ˌ)az\ 
1
:  to the same degree or amount :  to such an extent :  equally — used to modify an adjective or an adverb
<I haven't found any new poems as good as my old favorites — Randall Jarrell>
<neither of them wrote as well after the experience as before it — Van Wyck Brooks>
<nowhere else in the world is there a people as intelligent or perceptive of humor — F. P. Adams>
2
:  for instance :  by way of example :  thus — usually used to introduce illustrative details
<high-pitched sounds come to suggest spatial height, as in bird songs — Thomas Munro>
3
:  when considered in a specified form or relation — usually used before a preposition or a participle

<my opinion as distinguished from his>

as conjunction \əz, (ˌ)az\ 
1
:  to which (degree or amount) :  in which (degree or extent) :  in or to the same degree in which — usually used as a correlative after an adjective or adverb modified by adverbial as or so and often followed by a noun or pronoun representing an incomplete clause whose verb would be the same as that of the main clause
<the position of this science is as honorable as it is secure — L. A. White>
<no general presentation … can interest the children as much as the learning of the foreign language — Ruth Mays>
<his dull red hair was snow-powdered nearly as white as that of a British grenadier>
2
:  in the same way or manner that :  in the form or condition in which
<his hair is brown as are his eyes>
<studied the simile as Horner used it>
— sometimes followed by a noun or pronoun representing an incomplete clause whose verb would be the same as that of the main clause
<during his stay on the island he lived as an islander>
3
:  according to what :  in accordance with that which or the way in which
<as he said, the stream was full of trout>
<his criticisms, as I remember, were coldly received>
<he is really quite good as boys go>
4
:  as if
<were saying farewell to each other as to their childhood — Edith Sitwell>
<this mechanical thought is crushing as with an iron roller all that is organic — W. B. Yeats>
5
:  during or at the same time that :  while, when
<promptly opened fire again as he turned away — C. S. Forester>
<as he paced back and forth the idea occurred to him>
<you will see the tower as you cross the bridge>
6
:  notwithstanding the degree to which :  though
<some see in him, Gael as he was, the earliest Protestant — Gilbert Highet>
7
:  in a manner or degree befitting or having equal certainty with the fact, belief, or hope that
<this swears he, as he is a prince, is just and as I am a gentleman, I credit him — Shakespeare>
<as I live, I cannot believe it>
8
:  for the reason that :  because, since
<remained in great loneliness and considerable privation as he had no income — W. L. Sullivan>
9
dialectal :  than — used in comparisons
<he better not be later as midnight — T. B. Costain>
10
a :  that the result is :  that — used with preceding so or such
<so clearly guilty as to leave no doubt of his conviction>
<and such a son as all men hailed me happy — John Milton>
b :  that — used to introduce a noun clause and now dialectal except in certain negative expressions with know, say, or see that have wide usage in informal speech
<he said as he would come>
<I don't know as it makes any difference>
c dialectal :  in so far as :  that — used to introduce an adverbial clause
<he hasn't come out again as I've seen>
— as is
:  in its present condition :  without any repairs, improvements, or alterations being made
<the car was priced at 00 as is>
— as it were
:  as if it were so :  in a manner of speaking
<her triumph, as it were, did not last long>
— as new
:  practically new :  in the best secondhand condition
<the clothes offered for sale were all prewar and all as new>
— as was
British, informal
— used after a former name
<Myanmar—Burma as was [=Myanmar, which was formerly called Burma]>
— as you were
— a military command used (1) to cancel another command that has not yet been executed or (2) to direct troops to return to the position occupied before the last command
Origin of AS

Medieval Latin as, alse, alswa

The point of this post was to highlight the dimension of just one word, as, in the poem.  How did Fenn use the word "as" in the above sentence?

Fenn Quotes on Finding the Treasure

"If you're really serious about looking for the treasure, get TTOTC and read it, and then go back and read the poem over and over and over again, and then go back and read the book again but slowly, looking an..looking at every little abstract thing that might catch up in your brain, that might be a hint to help you with the clues. Any part of some is better than no part of any. f"



"Some searchers overrate the complexity of the search. Knowing about head pressures, foot pounds, acre feet, bible verses, Latin, cubic inches, icons, fonts, charts, graphs, formulas, curved lines, magnetic variation, codes, depth meters, riddles, drones or ciphers, will not assist anyone to the treasure location, although those things have been offered as positive solutions. Excellent research materials are TTOTC, Google Earth, and/or a good map. f" 


“There are hints in my book that will help you with the clues, but a clue will point you toward the treasure chest and a hint will just help you with the clues, if you can understand that. f” 

The Nine Clues

CLUE 1:
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.

CLUE 2:
Begin it where warm waters halt and take it in the canyon down, not far, but too far to walk.

CLUE 3:
Put in below the home of Brown.

CLUE 4:
From there it's [it is, it has] no place for the meek, the end is ever drawing nigh; 

CLUE 5:
There'll [there will, there shall] be no paddle up your creek, just heavy loads and water high.

CLUE 6:
If you've [you have] 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.

CLUE 7:
So why is it that I must go and leave my trove for all to seek?  The answers I already know, I've [I have] done it tired, and now I'm [I am] weak.

CLUE 8:
So hear me all and listen good, your effort will be worth the cold.

CLUE 9:
If you are brave and in the wood I give you title to the gold.

Over time I may adjust how the clues line up as I continue to solve the poem, but for now, that is the nine clues as I am seeing them.

The Eighth and Ninth Clues

The last stanza of the poem,

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.

...contains two sentences, thus two clues.

Eighth Clue:
So hear me all and listen good, your effort will be worth the cold. 

Ninth Clue:
If you are brave and in the wood I give you title to the gold.

The Seventh Clue

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.

In the above stanza, we have two sentences, but I believe it is just one clue - the first sentence is a rhetorical question, thus requiring no answer because the next sentence answers the question....making it one clue in two sentences.

So why is it that I must go and leave my trove for all to seek?

The answers I already know, I've [I have] done it tired, and now I'm weak.

The Sixth Clue

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.

Yes, once again, a single sentence with a complete thought.

If you've [you have] 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.

The Fourth Clue

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.

Here again, we have a grammatically correct sentence:

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.

The semi-colon does, however, present a challenge - as it is used to separate what could be two sentences, but maintains the sentence as one, we need to decide if this is one clue or two clues.

Clue Four only:
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.

OR

Clue Four:
From there it's no place for the meek, the end is ever drawing nigh;

Clue Five:
There'll be no paddle up your creek, just heavy loads and water high.

For now, let's leave the option open - the above may be one clue, or it may be two clues.  Instead, let's focus on the words that contain apostrophes since they could mean different things.

From there it's [it is, it has] no place for the meek, The end is ever drawing nigh; 


There'll [there will, there shall] be no paddle up your creek, Just heavy loads and water high.

From there it is no place for the meek,
From there it has no place for the meek

There will be no paddle up your creek
There shall be no paddle up your creek

The Second and Third Clues

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.

As I noted previously, many searchers break this stanza up into four clues:

1. Begin it where warm waters halt,

2. And take it in the canyon down,
3. Not far, but too far to walk.
4. Put in below the home of Brown.

In the second stanza, we have two sentences - and two clues.

How do I get from the above, to just two clues?  Like the first stanza - sentence structure.

Begin it where warm waters halt and take it in the canyon down, not far, but too far to walk.

That is a grammatically correct sentence.  

Waters is pluralized not because it is multiple waters, but so as not have to use the plurals of halt (halts) and take (takes) as that sounds awkward.  So instead you pluralize waters because they will do two things, the water will halt and take.

And they will halt and take "it" "in the canyon down, not far, but too far to walk."

Begin it where warm waters halt and take it in the canyon down, not far, but too far to walk.

THEN the next clue is Put in below the home of Brown.

Note: Brown is capitalized, indicated a proper noun.  Proper nouns have two distinct features: they name specific one-of-a-kind items, people or places, titles, etc. and they begin with capital letters, no matter where they occur within a sentence.  

Basically a proper noun "names" a common noun; where the restaurant in the shopping center is a common noun, The Taste of Thai is the proper noun.

The First Clue

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.

The first clue which needs to be solved is the first stanza; not within the first stanza - the clue is the first stanza.

Look above at the words again, then let's make it into a sentence - it is a complete thought, a complete sentence.

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.

How have I come to the conclusion that the first clue is the first stanza?

1. The entire poem is grammatically correct.
2. The first stanza is a complete thought, in a complete, single sentence.

When you read The Thrill of the Chase, Fenn talks a lot about his lack of education, how he prayed for D's (the implication being that he'd at least get a passing grade), and how he's just not that smart.  To create a poem that is grammatically correct is not something an uneducated person just gets lucky with - it is carefully crafted to be grammatically correct, it does not just happen.

So then, we have a complete thought, in a sentence - what does it mean?  I'll explore that in upcoming posts.

The Clues

Forrest Fenn does not tell us the clues in the poem; instead he tells us the poem contains nine clues.  It is up to us to determine what the clues are, then to solve them.

Since 2010, most searchers have approached the poem with the following as their clues:

1. Begin it where warm waters halt,
2. And take it in the canyon down,
3. Not far, but too far to walk.
4. Put in below the home of Brown.
5. From there it's no place for the meek,
6. The end is ever drawing nigh;
7. There'll be no paddle up your creek, Just heavy loads and water high.
8. If you've been wise and found the blaze, Look quickly down your quest to cease,
9. But tarry scant with marvel gaze, Just take the chest and go in peace.

That approach has not, however, led to anyone finding the chest.  

That approach eliminates the first and last stanza from not only having no clues, but it makes them extraneous and unnecessary. 

That approach is wrong!


In a Q&A published on Mysterious Words, Fenn answered a question with regard to the stanzas and words in the poem:

Q) Someone unfamiliar with your poem receives a message that says “meet me where warm waters halt, somewhere in the mountains north of Santa Fe”. Would they be able to work out where to go? If they can’t, would they need the whole poem, another stanza, or just a line or word to help them on their way? ~Phil Bayman

A) There are a few words in the poem that are not useful in finding the treasure Phil, but it is risky to discount any of them. You over simplify the clues. There are many places in the Rocky Mountains where warm waters halt, and nearly all of them are north of Santa Fe. Look at the big picture, there are no short cuts. f

A few words are not useful....a FEW...not entire stanzas are not necessary, or there are only a few words that are actual clues; instead there are only a few words that are not useful in finding the treasure.

In my next post I'll detail what I believe the nine clues are, so stay tuned!