First Clue Confirmed!

Back in April 2013, Forrest Fenn was interviewed on a radio program in New Zealand.  At the time, two people had figured out the first clue, but had walked past the other seven.  In that interview, Fenn noted that the first clue IS "where warm waters halt"!

Listen here!

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?

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.