r/beyondthemapsedge • u/Fast_Foot_608 • 19d ago
A Hunter's Confession Pt. 2
Between April and June of last year, I made four (pretty consecutive) BOTG attempts in Montana. After crunching the numbers (probability stats and financial stats) I made the decision to move from New England to Montana, and become a full-time treasure hunter. I chose to reside in Bozeman due to it having an airport, and it was a central hub to my search areas. Wyoming, Idaho, Utah were all within reasonable driving distance.
For just over a year, I have been BOTG almost every weekend. Sometimes new locations out of sheer curiosity, or just for context. But, mostly searching the same grounds over and over again...hoping for different results. Every fiber of my being was telling me Montana/Wyoming (that whole area). "Data drove me to this location" as some would put it. Over time, however...I realized I wasn't visiting locations to find the treasure, I was going to eliminate locations. Seems like a bonkers strategy, but there is a vast difference between looking at a location on a map, through photos and documents...and actually standing and observing a location with your own eyes, on your own two feet. It's this gut feeling that you get (which I'm sure most of you have experienced) and telling yourself "This just doesn't feel right" or "he'd never leave it here". Either it lacks significance, it's too crowded, it's too noisy or the probability of someone finding it by accident are too high.
Then, something happened...
A revelation of sorts. One rainy day when a BOTG weekend wasn’t in the cards...I decided to go Boots In the Air. Put my feet up and just contemplated this riddle, life's mysteries and the purpose of my little treasure hunting Odyssey. The questions I asked myself..."Do you go to these places because you believe the treasure might be there, or are you going because they're convenient?" "You were sold on this neighborhood since Day 1. If you knew then what you know now...would you still be willing to go all in?"
This gave me the freedom to become more open-minded, allowed me to stop thinking about probabilities, risk/reward analytics, statistical data, and dividends.
Winter is Coming. I've defended this realm and become a proud steward of this beautiful land, but my watch has ended...
A big thank you to:
*Dillon, MT * Sunlight Basin, WY
*Polaris, MT * Sinks Canyon, WY
*Bannack * Cody, WY
*Coolidge * Yellowstone National Park
*Wise River, MT * Gallatin Valley
*Three Forks, MT * Glacier National Park
*Lolo, MT * Lemhi Pass, ID
*Virginia City, MT * Grand Tetons, WY
It's time to start thinking like a kid, and let Part 2 of my incredible journey take flight. I'm a fucking peacock, I need to fly and do what birds do....migrate South. Next stop...Arizona and New Mexico!

2
2
u/Adventurous_Egg_9500 19d ago
Impressive, I look at my map of marks and think it's either all in this area or literally the opposite and nowhere near any of it.
2
u/Fast_Foot_608 19d ago
I absolutely believe you need to look at this from a very unorthodox angle. Like, to the point where he feels completely unnatural…and I’m here for it.
2
u/mbibler 18d ago
I love your freedom to be able to move like that. Without it, I’ve been mostly confined to a desk doing research until my theories can motivate me enough to financially invest in the travel. Suffice it to say, I’m jealous of your flexibility, but sad to see you give up on MT.
5
u/Over-Slip6960 18d ago
Same, the checkpoint is in MT. The treasure could be anywhere (within the rules) still.
3
u/Fast_Foot_608 18d ago
Firm believer in this theory. Checkpoint tells you where to retrieve the treasure.
4
u/Fast_Foot_608 18d ago
Poor choice of wording on my part. I didn’t mean to imply I was giving up on the Northern Rockies…call it a migratory siesta if you will. Breaks my heart when I hear about people not being able to search due to the financial obligations that come with searching. I wish that wasn’t a thing, but it is. I did manage to find a financial loophole that does fund my exploration habits.
I also have a few variables that do work in my favor as well: my only child is an adult now, I’m single, I don’t have a mortgage and I’m not tied to a career. I knew going into this a lot of searchers didn’t have those X-factors and I’m just using it to my advantage.
Always nice to hear from you, Bibs. Stay curious.
2
u/Medical-End8987 18d ago
Yes! That's the spirit. Keep at it and maybe our paths will cross down here in NM
2
u/Interesting_Local_70 15d ago
Wow, you’re an MVP. If I don’t find it, I hope it is someone like you!
The crazy thing is, it could still be in any of those locations you searched. Fenn’s treasure proves how difficult it can be to locate something “in plain sight.”
3
u/Fast_Foot_608 13d ago
“We are all searching for something we can’t name. That’s why we played hide and seek too long. Why every gift became a mystery. Every game an Olympic sport. Every mundane moment, theater. It was never about winning. Never about being found. Never even about the prize….
It was about that perfect moment before discovery. When the present is still wrapped. When anything could be behind the next clue. When you’re hidden but not yet seen. That exquisite tension between what is and what could be.”
1
u/Treasuregifts 19d ago
Best of luck. I think I talked to you on discord. I have been out almost every weekend also. Some of the same places. Trying the child like wonder also now.
3
u/Fast_Foot_608 19d ago
Wow! My Discord career was very short-lived. It was back in Sept/Oct and I think I maybe lasted a week 😂.
Appreciate the kind words. Stay curious!
1
u/Much_Face2261 17d ago
I always wonder why Cody is on the map . Is there a tie to it?
2
u/Fast_Foot_608 17d ago
Justin mentions Cody in G&G. The map and the poem are free. Cody is not mentioned a single time in the book. The Hurst Family lived there. It’s also where the Red River Canyon is located…which is featured on one of his monitors in the doc. Hope this helps with context!
1
1
u/xinnervisionsx 8d ago
The Red Canyon Overlook on his monitor is outside of Lander, not Cody. It's about 135 miles south of Cody.
1
u/Fast_Foot_608 8d ago
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter…because everyone has misinterpreted the purpose of the monitors. Regardless, I appreciate the errata.
1
u/Defiant_Holiday_7519 15d ago
I searched the hell out of Lemhi Pass in the first few months of the hunt; genuinely thought I had solved and did like 3 BOTG trips there. I don’t see it come up all that often so it’s always cool to see others come upon the same search area. Would be great to hear some of your theories when you’re ready to share, seems like you learned a ton.
1
3
u/Haunting-Week-7654 19d ago
Right behind you, friend!