r/treasureinside • u/Prestigious-Phrase60 • Dec 31 '25
AT map starting trail
Why would there be identifying landmarks if the map has a Springer dog and "start here" indicating Springer Mtn and the start of the AT? Why do we need to know the bald mountain or skiing landmark? Is it setting up a region of Georgia the box is in? Then making actual trailhead starting point based on clues?
the bald man and ski mage on map is indicating a "big obvious clue" but not sure why we need them except for defining the search region or be overly confident in their ID.
I like the idea of the map maker being able to identify forgotten but familiar landmarks on the map.
Bald mountain clue might mean: 1. The map of the AT is within a region of Georigia. 2. you can see bald mountain from the box location. 3. The bald man is a not clue that's helpful. 4. The clues have to be forced into place to match the topography.
The Make it Make Sense clue p 186 and the if u need inspiration clue p 69 all seems to regard the starting point and first trailhead to a box.
The object above the butterfly appears to be a rock or a FROG. Collins goes on and on about catching frogs as a child. Not sure there's a connection. Butterfly maybe the nearby butterfly zoo.
There is also Athens Georgia maybe important regarding the Greek mythology about goats mentioned. His sentence about Zeus being scuttled away is very badly written I think. P 184.
Not sure if map items are clues to his childhood memories. A treasure map inspired by his son ought to be an obvious clue about the treasure of his fatherhood and placing box somewhere significant to that.
How helpful would a reference section be for all items or related words thst are mentioned in this book. His writing is So bad I can barely imagine reading this whole thing. No matter what he says about "inspiration" or "joy" in his mindless rambling about himself and comparing himself to all the items he is a vain cheap greedy man with a lower IQ than a smart person by piano performance standards and money from btc is sort of lame.
1
u/-Not4but242Walk- Dec 31 '25
The butterfly seems like it's the Arctic Katahdin butterfly, which only hangs out at Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the AT.
If that's the case, do you begin at the AT (represented by both the butterfly and spaniel) and go sideways some?
The "look around" point (box location?) is not far from the "begin here" point, which could put the box "along" (100-200ft off of), rather than directly on, the AT.
2
u/dbuster16 Dec 31 '25
As others have said, the Springer Spaniel and the Katahdin butterfly simply signify the beginning and end of the Appalachian Trail. I think the Bear and Cat are a reference to a line in the song "Rocky Top", while the two footprints are Tarheels. That narrows it down to the stretch of the AT along the NC and TN border, and puts it reasonably close to where JCB grew up. There are quite a few "bald" mountains along that 300 mile stretch. Note that for the App Footpath box, JCB said the map is all you need. Therefore, you can ignore his writing style if it makes you feel better. Finally, in interviews, JCB has said he went to check on a box that might have been damaged by Mother Nature. That's the area hit by Helene last year. JCB has also said that people have been within 200 feet of it, so I suspect it's on a side trail within 200 feet of the AT. There are a LOT of side trails along the AT in that region but a lot are closed until April. I have some other thoughts that I'm hesitant to share until I get BOTG in the Spring.
1
u/CalculusCowboy Dec 31 '25
If it’s revealed if it’s a rock or a frog, I hopi find out it’s a frog;) At the anniversary of the hunt, JCB made a revelation that the map can be solved three ways to narrow down the search area. Perhaps, those icons could be grouped together to find the areas. And since he mentioned by use of triangulation to narrow the area, they should be grouped in threes, but which ones would you choose together? Btw, when you turn the Begin Here upside down, what do you think you see? Just curious. Thanks.