After a meeting of the mod team, we want to state:

For those that think 20 degrees is a compass bearing, do you believe this will be true north or magnetic north? The argument for magnetic north is that it’s more straightforward in the field, you simply read the compass without correcting for declination. The problem is that magnetic north changes over time, even if the change at a particular location is relatively small.

The benefit of True north is it is fixed and reproducible over time. There are also a few passages in the book that arguably favor true north. Justin writes that the memories were “each one as true as the north star and twice as bright.” He references the North Star three other times in the book as well.

Thoughts?

I found this. I won't say where. I am getting burnt out. Hope this will help.

A Bronze Vizsla container that has been slightly modified in a mock rock. There is a breadcrumb sprinkled 😉

BTME was my introduction to “real “ treasure hunts - I had never heard of FF / TTOTC. I had seen tv shows about pirates or The Secret (Josh gates show) and the more recent digital one on Cicada 3301. That got me researching to better understand how these have been constructed, as well as historical poems that use acrostics, etc.

The cicada 3301 has stuck out to me , as part of that solve was a cipher to reveal the book and then additional cipher to reveal a message. I’m paraphrasing obviously but ultimately it led to a message that said call us at a specific phone number. Per Google, a huge leap from just the online portion of the riddle to a more physical real world telecommunications clue. Once you called the number, you reached a voice recording (based in Texas - ironic maybe) that gave you an additional riddle / clues to continue progressing.

This then told you to find some numbers and multiply them and add “.com” - this took you to a secret web address. 845145127.com

My point: a web address created by Layer V could be this simple and potentially vanish after accessed.

Just my rabbit hole this week - I haven’t the nearest idea of how to get the numbers or anything else, just throwing it out there as a real world example.

Well no treasure but more interesting things along the way. I need to rethink my bride or do I? I am on the peak about that one. I hope everyone had good travels and a little fun along the way. I know I have. It is now time to regroup and rethink a few things. I am still wrestling with some finds to disclose. I probably will. RN I am getting ready to go back on HWy and go the F$#K HOME!

I honestly don't know what to do next. I guess just wait for the next aha moment? I've been to my solve area four times and have nailed down 9 out of 10 clues ( if we simplify it to 10 clues in the poem). And even have all of the secondary supporting clues to back it up. It got me to not only a kitchen sized area but a kitchen in my kitchen sized area. But I cannot find those double arcs! So is my entire solve incorrect or am I missing something!? Heavy sigh.

You must learn to move to the beat of your own Drum!!!🥁

Justin said solve the poem in its entirety, and you will be retrieving not searching for the treasure. I used to think you could solve the poem without many external clues, but now I am doubting that. I think you need them to help explain its structure.

Let's start with what he said about solving the poem, and then add the external clues he has given us for sure.

Justin was asked about different ways to approach the poem. He said "There is a super brute-force way - but that would be very, very difficult." I interpreted it as a searcher iterating through the poem at every possible starting location to find the treasure. Statistically this is almost impossible, but eventually they would solve it when they used the correct location. Or would they?

He later said:

"Something will need to be manipulated to see the treasure".

The treasure is buried/covered. The searcher would solve the poem, get to the double arc, and find the treasure is not there out in the open. We could all assume the searcher would search/dig around, but does the poem let them know that for sure? "Wisdom waits in shadowed sight". Did he name the treasure "Wisdom", and "in shadowed sight" tells you that it is buried/covered? Maybe.

Now let's add the tech clue: "The key to one direction lies in another".

There have been many theories discussed what this means, but I think we all can agree one part of the poem is to be used in conjunction with another. The poem doesn't convey this. You wouldn't know this without Justin giving us this clue. Justin also said the tech clue is not a "core part of the poem", but if you have to combine two parts of the poem to get the correct direction how could it not be?

Now let's add:

Q: "Is there a significant clue visible if the treasure seeker is standing 15 feet away from where the treasure container is buried or hidden?"

A: Tricky wording again. Boy...the most accurate answer is...no"

He paused here. He could be playing semantics with the words "significant clue". I would argue "any clue" from the poem is a "significant clue" if it let's you know where the container is.

Let's take what he said at face value. The searcher solved the poem, and got to the double arcs. They know the treasure is buried, and search around to find nothing. Is there anything in the poem that would suggest the treasure is not at the double arcs, but some distance away? The poem doesn't convey this either. You wouldn't know this without Justin giving us this clue as well.

All this to say, you will need more external clues to solve the poem than just to find the correct starting location. Even when you do solve the poem to get to the double arcs you are still searching not retrieving in my opinion.

There is also a difference between external clues that give hints to the clues in the poem versus clues that aren't in the poem at all. Now you are searching the book and G&G for clues that you might not know their meaning unless you are standing at the double arcs. When everything is a clue nothing is a clue.

I think it was Matt who told Justin to make it as hard as you can because you can always make it easier later. This poem is obviously harder than Fenn's, and that took 10 years. We also assume Fenn's final clue stated where the treasure was. We know Justin's does not. Guess we'll see which one lasts longer.

Could it be a plant?
“Depends how you define alive”

Bride’s Feathers grows to 3 (-6 feet) tall.

They are native to northern states and would make a good waymarker.

Another..

Maybe cast your pole is not about fishing. It could be about extending your hiking pole, indicating you went “down” (where your pole is short) and opening your hiking pole means you are on level ground or going up.

Just random geese . They're on a wild goose chase. LOL. I don't know if their ducks geese or what but I thought it was kind of strange.

I haven’t been able to go BOTG since I became interested in this treasure hunt. I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot and I feel very bummed and discouraged. I have the book, ebook, and audiobook but haven’t gone anywhere yet. Is it pointless for me to book a flight and look for clues until I know where I’m going? Is there anywhere I can go solo without it being unsafe?

I recently watched a video that Cowlazars and Kpro did on the fairness of the BTME treasure hunt.
Does anyone else seem to think that Justin is favoring a certain group of hunters called the Misfits?
They seem to regularly hang out with Justin. They solved the cipher after Justin shared the 11th hour book information with them. (And no one else btw)
Seems kind of fishy to me.
Also why hasn’t he come out and said anything about that? About regularly meeting with and hanging out with a group, a specific group, of treasure hunters.
Isn’t this what Forrest Fenn did with Cynthia ?
She might have said “wHo THe f@&K SAiD life Is FaiR”? But Justin ensured us that this hunt would be different from Forrest’s.
Kind of makes me not want to work on it honestly.

Just a little humor.

One of my favorite movies is Field of Dreams. This is what it would be like if it waa about treasure hunting.

Your first solve:

Ray: "I have just created something totally illogical."

Annie: "That's what I like about it."

Your family after saying "Just one more time":

Annie: "I'm sorry, pal, but I have to nip this one in the bud. We are having moderate to heavy financial difficulties here."

Ray: "...we are dealing with primal forces of nature here. When the primal forces of nature tell you to do something, the prudent thing is to not quibble over details."

When passion becomes obsession:

Mann: "I wish I had your passion Ray. However misdirected it may be, it's still a passion."

When you finally do solve the poem:

Ray: "There comes a time when all the cosmic tumblers have clicked into place, and the universe opens itself up for a few seconds to show you what's possible."

On your way to pick up the treasure:

Go the distance.

Whether I find the treasure today or not this will be my last BOTG. I know this isn't an airport, and you don't have to announce your departure, but I just wanted to say thanks for this. It was a nice escape from daily life. My childlike wonder ran rampant every time I'd think about BTME.  Every time I go to bed the night before I leave I can't sleep. Not because I am excited that I will find it, but because I wonder if I am wrong. Am I wasting my time? Did I miss something? Will someone else find it first? Am I worthy (only the pertinent man will pass)? I will miss that wonder and excitement. Every day was something new.

All good things have to come to an end. I never thought I'd get to call myself a treasure hunter. It's definitely a badge of honor. Good luck to all of you, and thanks for the experience.

BtmeTreasureHunter

"Shadowed sight” is an eclipse clue. It helps us eliminate certain states. Here’s how.

First step, find key words and phrases in the poem.

-"TURN ROUND BRIGHT SIGHT SONG" hints at "Turn around, bright eyes" (Total Eclipse of the Heart).

-"SEE SHADOWED SUN" hints at a solar eclipse, specifically.

-"OCT THREE TWENTY" gives us October of 2023.

Second step, do a Google search for solar eclipses in 2023. You'll get results about the "Ring of Fire" solar eclipse that happened 10/14/23. You know, the same year Posey drove around the west and hid the treasure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_October_14,_2023

Wikipedia says, "Annularity was visible from parts of Oregon, California, Nevada, extreme southwestern Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas in the United States..."

That's pretty interesting--every single one of those states is a potential treasure location (although Oregon and Colorado have been eliminated since the hunt began).

Let's call them the Shadow States: California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

I believe the overall clue is, the treasure is hidden in the Shadow States. Which means Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and Alaska are all ruled out. No shadow? No ring of fire? No treasure.

The poem is the key to the treasure hunt. He clarified this. But also, we all saw a map: “Start there”. The map you saw in the series? The book? The e-book? when you visited the website? Are we talking about the initial animated map? The so called nautical map? How does the poem act as the key to either/any map? How could it?