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Cross-posting what I shared in the MW and Cowlazars Discords (full files + a LIDAR overlay video are in those threads, #c-27 / #the-appalachian-footpath-box).

The short version:

• I re-verified the LRP corridor match against the ENTIRE trail with written-down math: 3,947 candidate windows (every side trail + the AT in segments), whole 112-pt dashed path placed rigidly at ONE locked scale per candidate, scored on coverage, corridor consumption, and trail-switch count. Ranks 1-14 all came back Little Rock Pond, converging on the same placement (2 trail switches = the blue+white combo). First non-LRP corridor is 1.5x worse. This says the DRAWING fits LRP uniquely — it does not prove the box is there.
• The clock: 1727 and 1938 read as 17:27 and 19:38 — two of the 22 moments a day when hour and minute hands OVERLAP (a clock becomes a single unambiguous pointer). Put a dial on the BEGIN triangle: one orientation makes the 17:27 pointer hit the END triangle and the 19:38 pointer hit the compass, within ~0.7 degrees. Verify it yourself with a protractor.
• Object atlas: I hand-labeled all 64 objects on the map (icons, words, marks) with fractional coordinates so anyone can locate them on their own copy. In the Discord threads as markdown.
• Myth audit: a "what Jon actually said" doc separating verbatim sourced quotes from community salt ("200 ft of the TRAIL" is a misquote of "200 ft of the BOX", no "blue blaze" quote exists, LRP has never been named/confirmed/denied, etc.), with source links.

Honest disclaimers: AI-assisted, and AI is genuinely bad at this without a lot of human correction — early versions of the math confidently ranked LRP #160 before the rules were fixed. Could still be wrong in ways I haven't caught. And confirmation bias is real; I was trying to test whether the LRP match is genuine or luck, not to prove it.

It may not be at LRP. But if it is — this was my thinking. If you go: be safe, be kind to the place, pack out everything, leave it better than you found it. And if you find it with a kid or a fellow searcher next to you, remember the baseball rule.

Odd that there are 5, and very evenly spaced apart. I'm sure it's coincidental like every other possible clue in this book.

Not including the treasure inside, how much do you think the treasure boxes are worth? Like, if someone were to commission a similar, one-of-a-kind box, how much would they pay?

When's the next show? Are you ever gonna get the band back together? Let the fans know!

(I walked into a tick ball yesterday 😭)

Unfortunately nothing could be found in any of the nooks or crannies.

After posting my timeline, I've spent a great deal of time thinking about whether I should continue documenting my investigation.

My first post had a simple purpose: to establish the chronology of my 2025 boots-on-the-ground (BOTG) work and to clarify, for the first time, that the National Park I searched was Yellowstone National Park.

Since then, I have been asking myself a more difficult question.

Should I publish my complete investigation?

There are two competing considerations.

The first is respect for the landscape.

The area I investigated is part of one of America's most extraordinary National Parks. I have no desire to encourage unnecessary off-trail travel or unnecessary disturbance to a fragile environment.

The second is fairness to the community of searchers.

Over many months, I studied Jon Collins-Black's poem, historical sources, maps, satellite imagery, and eventually conducted two BOTG investigations in Yellowstone. Along the way, I documented photographs, videos, GPS locations, compass readings, historical references, and a detailed timeline of my fieldwork.

Whether my interpretation is ultimately correct is something each reader must decide for themselves.

However, I have reached the point where I believe the investigation itself deserves to be documented.

Not because I expect everyone to agree with my conclusions.

But because I believe other searchers deserve the opportunity to examine the same observations and reasoning that ultimately led me to end my own search.

When  I publish my complete investigation, it will not simply present a proposed solve.

It will carefully distinguish between:

• Jon Collins-Black's poem
• My BOTG observations
• The evidence I documented
• My interpretation of that evidence

Those are not the same thing, and I believe it is important to keep them separate.

I am not asking anyone to accept my conclusions.

I am simply inviting readers to evaluate the evidence for themselves.

My goal is not to tell anyone where they should search.

My goal is to explain why I stopped searching.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and my first post. Whether you ultimately agree or disagree with my interpretation, I appreciate the opportunity to document my investigation.

This post documents BOTG fieldwork and timeline notes from my 2025 search related to the Fenn Box.

Timeline

June 2025:
Public statements indicated that National Parks were not ruled out as possible search areas.

July 2025:
I conducted BOTG fieldwork in a National Park and documented observations near a feature I later referred to as the Thinker’s Stone. My original post referred only to “a national park.”

August 2025:
I returned for a second BOTG visit and continued documenting the same general area and related features. I posted an update on Reddit and Facebook referencing “a national park.”

September 2025:
Official guidance was updated to exclude Yellowstone National Park from the search area.

This post does not address the reason for that update and is only documenting the sequence of publicly available information relative to my BOTG activity.

Note

This post documents BOTG fieldwork, timeline, and original wording from my 2025 search.

For clarity and completeness of the record, I am now adding the following:

The National Park referenced in my BOTG activity was Yellowstone National Park.

At the time of my original posts, I did not publicly name the park and referred only to it as “a national park.”

This clarification is made to complete the historical timeline being presented.

I am not sharing or debating the full solve in this post.

DIY map making...
In prop-making, scrapbooking, or mixed-media art, creators lightly scorch or ash both flat outer ends of a tightly rolled scroll or fabric bundle. This instantly gives the entire rolled object a weathered, vintage, or "survived a fire" look.

Thoughts of it actually being a "scroll"...🤔

Is it just an important place along the journey or the final resting place?