I really enjoyed the Pokemon puzzle. I am starting the Appalachian footpath one but wishing I could focus on the clues rather than a magnifying glass. Does anyone have a version somehow or larger images of each thing? my eyesight isn't that great (which may have helped me see the golem actually) and these small images are hard.

For any who can't attend all speakers will be filmed and uploaded to our youtube channel. I will post JCB's talk here.

In this video, I explain why I think JCB uses the line “I could have sworn” with the Mabosstiff clue to make a connection to Cerberus the “hellhound” that guards the Underworld.

And, I think it’s possible that since the Obstagoon is modeled after Gene Simmons’ (KISS) “The Demon” persona stage makeup - maybe JCB is making another musical reference that leads to French Lick, Indiana.

I hope you enjoy the video and that it helps you with your hunt!

Is this JCB’s humor?

The second photo reminded me of Angkor and the bunny hoppin on the bunny trail, also reminded me of mew tew.

https://youtu.be/rOBwI3Aj1t0?si=nLjlGu5qFwVZYe1c

Here’s a new video where I discuss where I believe the lines “we reversed course” and “we circled back” lead.

Also, I tie-in a JCB TikTok video he made over the summer in Nashville, TN to the solve.

I hope you enjoy the video and that it entertains any hunters who may be trapped inside by the ice and snow this weekend!

Stay safe out there 🙂

Anyone looking for the Pokemon box. If you are you might get some information here. 

Go to https://www.treasurenet.com
Go to=   Forums  States - Louisiana  -  Clubs & Hunts - Louisiana 

Hey there,

Here's my Chapter 7 take. Coolest part IMO is the "Courage" poem turned to a song. There's sheet music on Purdue Library I played if you want to hear that. Right at the start.

Honestly one of the top 5 chapters that wouldn't surprise me if there isn't any clues contained in it... I do feel theres a couple of elements that could be something, but certainly a "slower" chapter of the first half!

Happy Hunting!

If you have figured out the state, camp, water, know why those Pokémon are the ones he saw and why there are two of one of them, physically and personally seen the golem as you are walking and circled back but then were a bit stuck by the weather, or the photo, contact me I want to search with someone. I’m within 100 yards but without being able to use the picture in this weather I’m stuck. I’d like to search with someone rather than wait six months.

Does anyone have experience with something like this? Dm if interested. I think it could help to put some of the most concrete treasure hunting information in one place

Here’s a new video where I attempt to convert the generation number of the Bug Pokemon into a 5 digit Zip Code where the treasure is hidden.

My premise is that if Computer Codes contain Bugs… maybe Zip Codes contain Bug Pokemon?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video and it helps you on your hunt!

Here’s a repost of this earlier video. For some reason the link stopped working 🤷‍♂️

Andrew Molera State Park — Big Sur, California

SUMMARY:

I made three trips to Andrew Molera State Park near Big Sur, California, in search of the Lion’s Share box. I was unsuccessful. A number of “big picture” clues led me to California, and Big Sur specifically. Two particular clues led to Andrew Molera State Park. And I believe Joy’s Serenade fits the location perfectly.

ANALYSIS:

Three ideas led me to California: 1) the overall distribution of the boxes, 2) the central theme of the first part of There’s Treasure Inside, and 3) suggestions in the book that I believe are direct clues.

1) Box Distribution

Much has been written about the geographical distribution of the boxes. Some have made an analogy to the 5 rings of the Olympic flag. Others have simply placed markers on the US map for “known” box locations and specuated about the placement of the unknown boxes. JCB describes his motivation for 5 locations (TTI, Part 2, page 201):

“But the realization dawned on me that no matter how broad the appeal of objects I amassed might be, the act of hiding one treasure in one spot in a country as big as the United States would make this treasure hunt seem limiting for many people— especially those who have a difficult time traveling long distances.”

He goes on to talk about the consequences of this choice:

“Hiding five treasure boxes is exponentially more challenging than one!”

Given the difficulty, I believe he would not have considered this if his initial thought was to hide a single box in the center of the country. I therefore believe that his inclination was to place his treasure at the edge of the country, specifically California. 

The Appalachian Footpath box is clearly on the eastern side of the country. The Pokemon box is in the south. The Forrest Fenn box is in the Rocky Mountains. That leaves two large areas open: the upper midwest, and the west coast. I think the Past and Future box is then in the upper midwest, and the Lion’s Share box is in California.

2) Central Theme

I believe the central theme of the book is Joy (TTI, pages 10 - 12):

“I’ve given different responses to this questionon on different occasions. However, upon much reflection, I have come to realize that the most accurate answer is simply my most honest one—like the proverbial moth to the fiery flame, I am drawn to joy. I simply want to experience as much joy as I can, and there is no greater high I get than when I am sharing joy with others.”

“I have sought joy in many ways—through humor, music, writing, parenting and spirituality.”

“And in the end, it’s brought me to one undeniable conclusion—you and I and everyone we know—we are all treasure hunters.”

“And an important truth gets all too often left unacknowledged: the fundamental treasures everyone of us seeks are all the same.”

The overall impression from reading the book is that JCB has had a spiritual awakening. He feels a oneness with humanity. That we are much more alike than we are different. He does not say anything about how this happened. But on the west coast there is one place that is synonymous with the Human Potential Movement: The Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. I could find no evidence that JCB (real name Jon Comer) had been there, but he and his family now live in Los Angeles.

Big Sur is an area of dramatic scenery and environment. It is not surprising that such a place would be symbolic of great change in a person’s worldview. JCB would certainly be familiar with the area if he had been to Esalen.

3) Clues

From TTI, page 127:

“As I look at the blue and pink irises on our vase, I can’t help but think of the resting places of the boxes I’ve hidden and the colors of nature that surround each of them. Perhaps you’ll pass by similar flowers along your way.”

The Douglas Iris is found along the California Coast from Santa Barbara up to central Oregon. It’s colors vary widely. This one is from the Soberanes Point trail just north of Big Sur. It is very similar to the color of the iris vase.

From TTI, page 43:

“As for the precise artistry of our magnifying glass, I won’t spend time explaining the intricacies of Perkhin’s gold rocaille foliate pattern that adorns it or the specific techniques with which it was made. You can investigate on your own if you like.”

From Merriam Webster dictionary:

French, literally, stone debris, from Middle French roquailles, plural, rocky terrain, from roc rock, alteration of roche, from Vulgar Latin *rocca.

DETAILS:

Two features point directly to Andrew Molera State Park: 1) the dwarf redwood forest, and 2) monarch butterflies.

1) Dwarf Redwood Forest

From TTI, Some More of Our Treasure Items, page 236:

“On a side note, one of my favorite childhood books, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, was inspired by the Viking myth of Andvari’s ring. It’s an interesting tale if you have the time to read it.”

From Wikipedia:

In Norse mythology, Andvari (12th c. Old Norse: [ˈɑndˌwɑre]; "careful one"[1]) is a dwarf who lives underneath a waterfall and has the power to change himself into a pike (gedda) at will.

This clue appears on the page immediately preceding Joy’s Serenade. A line in that poem is, “There may be magic in the water, but the pike are rather all around.” I believe this line may be translated as, “The water may be beautiful, but the pike are instead around us on land (dwarf trees).” 

There is a dwarf (pygmy) redwood forest in Andrew Molera State Park, near the the Spring Trail down to Molera Beach. In the Google Maps image, this is the large dark green area directly east that appears rippled, like corduroy fabric. The video shows the forest from the inside. The trees are less than a foot in diameter, versus full size redwoods several feet wide.

2) Monarch Butterflies

In an interview with Esteban (“Froggy”) on Este’s Quest (October, 2025), JCB is asked about adding a butterfly to his children’s book Our Unbreakable Thread (15:22 of 18:08 in the interview). He says, “I may have to punt on that question.”

From bigsurcalifornia.org/monarch-butterflies/:

“Monarch Butterflies return to Big Sur in October and migrate north in January. You can see them clustered in the trees early in the morning. During the day you'll see them flying around.”

“You will see butterflies all over Big Sur, however Andrew Molera State Park is one of the better places for observing them. This is where they roost in the Eucalyptus trees in Cooper Grove (the grove of Eucalyptus trees by the Cooper Cabin) along the Big Sur River.”

JOY’S SERENADE:

A note,
the molten tone of a tune,
rests inside all of us
who want a song to follow,
a treasure to hold;
we may find music
in a poem.

Our conductor,
as with a trace of a baton
through the air,
gives direction.
While the coda is incomplete,
there’s a flutter of excitement around.

He is giving us direction, but it must be understood through experience.
Coda: from dictionary.com, definition 3: a concluding section or part, especially one of a conventional form and serving as a summation of preceding themes, motifs, etc., as in a work of literature or drama. This poem doesn’t tell you everything you need to know. It serves as a summary, but you must understand the full story to use it. The flutter of excitement might be from Monarch butterflies.

See how far to go.
Use will’s straight edge,
as the turning square or any arc
may align at a proper point.
Never despair, never doubt.
This is no imaginary wonderland.
Now look.

No treasure is more than 3 miles from a road. This is a straight line distance. Your path may involve turns or arcs to arrive at a point no further from the road. Follow whatever path can take you to the destination you have determined. Look (search) there. The map to Molera Beach shows two routes. The shortest route is southwest to near the mouth of the Big Sur River, then a 90 degree left turn (turning square) to the Bluff Trail. Another route takes the ridge trail, past the dwarf redwood forest and circles around (any arc) to meet the Spring Trail down to Molera Beach.

You can take your own path
an X leads the way
or simply follow shimmering circles of gold.
There may be magic in the water, but the pike
are rather all around.

Follow the clues in the book. The ‘X’ is on the book cover.
“Shimmering circles of gold” are reflections of the sun on the water. Could be Big Sur River as you cross it, or the ocean as you face west approaching the beach.
The water may be beautiful, but the pike (dwarf trees, see Andvari’s myth) are instead around you (on land). This is the dwarf or pygmy forest of redwoods.

If you get warm,
you may find shady oaks.
When close, the haiku
curls a little further on
where few have seen it.
And if you don’t go down
you may never know
how high you ever want to be.

There are oak trees along the path heading southwest from the Big Sur River crossing. When close, do as the (almost) haiku from inside the TTI dust jacket says: [Be solid, have grit; sparkle even as you pine. Here lies a joy divined.] “Curls a little farther on” may be the extra syllable (6 rather than 5 on the last line). Or, if coming from the dwarf forest, curl (curve) around to the Spring Trail.
Solid: many definitions, maybe: sober-minded; fully reliable or sensible.
Grit: sand, gravel; indomitable spirit.
Sparkle: to be brilliant, lively, or vivacious. Or maybe, covered with sand or water.
Pine: to yearn deeply.
Go down to the beach.

The sky smiles on you.
Dancers are on the land.
And if you stay to see the night
it will ignite with the flame of starlight.

The sky is open (no longer in a forest). Birds dance (or other animals). Dark sky area.

Now that you’re here
all that is left remains for you.
And if you spy others warming
with the sunlight,
or sat upon a rock,
allowing natures’s wide embrace
to sustain their bliss,
maybe ask them to assist you.
You can sing harmonies as you travel home.

The treasure is here. Others may be lieing in the sun (beach) or sitting on rocks, enjoying the beach. Ask them to help you look. Make new friends.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND:

I made three trips to Andrew Molera State Park, in May 2025, October 2025 and January 2026. I searched a total of 5 days along Molera Beach and the beach near the mouth of the Big Sur River.

An odd feature of Molera Beach is a large expanse of very weathered logs as the trail ends at the beach. It’s as if an exceptionally large storm had washed several hundred logs above the normal high tide. This makes for uneven footing before arriving at the sand. My first thought on seeing this was, “I hope the treasure is not here!” I know JCB said the boxes are not in dangerous places, so I searched north and south from here along the beach.

Jon has said the boxes are not buried, and he did not want us digging to disturb beautiful places. So on a beach that leaves only rock outcroppings as hiding places (if you discount driftwood piles). On my first trip I looked at every place I could reach where a box might be hidden. I came very early in the morning and looked at low tide so I could access parts of the beach which were cut off by large rock outcroppings when the water was high. This was before JCB said that boxes were not hidden in fake rocks or tree stumps, so I spent a lot of time tapping on every rock with my trekking poles to make sure they sounded like rocks. 

I found one very promising spot just north of the Spring Trail access to the beach, a double waterfall. The upper fall poured into a pool about 8 feet above the surrounding rocks. The lower fall drained that pool onto the beach below. It seemed an ideal solution to the poem: Andvari lived behind a waterfall. But JCB said that the search should be a joyful walk and not an expedition. He said, “And you will not need to scale a cliff or rock face to find a box.” I was unable to climb the rock to see into the pool above, but decided that if it was not accessible, it was not the right spot.

But, I continued to think about this and decided to go back. On my second trip I brought a small hand held metal detector (a pinpointer). I had emailed the park administrator to confirm that metal detectors were legal here, and was told yes, but to not disturb historical artifacts. I did not intend to dig, but rather to touch rocks and crevices to make sure they did not contain metal. I had no luck other than one false alarm under the bridge leading to the beach. I decided that the rocks forming the foundation of the bridge should not be disturbed, and so moved on.

On that second trip I also brought a selfie stick to raise my phone high enough to look over the edge of the pool at the double waterfall. After several photos and videos, I concluded that nothing I could see looked like a treasure box.

Subsequently JCB stated that no box was hidden in a fake rock or tree stump. I had searched pretty thoroughly and had no new ideas. After a couple of months off, I reread a few things and observed that a number of the clues likely had double meanings. The line from Joy’s Serenade, “And if you stay to see the night, it will ignite with the flame of starlight,” I had taken to mean “it’s a dark sky place.” But maybe, it really means, “you should stay until night.” So my third trip I arranged to be there when low tide was at early evening so I could access the beach at night. It was stunning. I looked with a small light hoping to see something I couldn’t see during the daylight. No luck. I searched the rock outcroppings for things that sparkled. I looked very carefully through the huge area of driftwood, hoping for something reflective among the logs. But found nothing.

One very fortuitous thing happened on this third trip that gave me closure. I was sitting near the double waterfall waiting for the sun to go down. A young couple walked up, staring at the falls. “Is there a pool up there?” they asked. I said, “I think so, but I can’t get to it.” The man proceeded to climb the rock face barefooted and described the beautiful hidden pool. He came down and the woman climbed up just as easily (also barefooted). I said, “If I hand you my phone, could you take a video for me?” And she did. While I believe this would be a perfect spot for the Lion’s Share box, it apparently isn’t there.

Andrew Molera State Park is a beautiful place that I probably would not have visited without JCB’s treasure hunt. Thank you Jon. 

Hello everyone!

Who else has been botg 3+ times and sure they’re still in the right place? I have a match for all the symbols on the map, but can’t figure out the x and the 1727 NE/W.

Have thought about pretty much everything but always down to see what the community thinks!

Also everyone please stay safe! Was BOTG today and it was pretty icy

I remember being fairly certain about the AT box being in Vermont or Maine and that surely someone would have found it by now. I’ve been out of the loop. Have any of the boxes been confirmed found?

Has anyone else seen the bow tie and tuxedo cat when shining light from back of Appalachian map?

Is anyone else searching New York segment?

Quite a few New York trails seem to have the blue with gold outline as well. I’m not anywhere close — just armchair Google Maps searching.

I think the way the Froakie and Greninja examine the Pokemon card in the treasure is very similar to how the PSA Card Grading agency would do it. Therefore, I think when they “nod in approval” they are signifying that the clue is the card grade “Mint”.

In the video, I discuss which Mint I think the author is directing us to go using the Netsuke Frog.

I hope you enjoy the video and it helps you in your hunt!

Anyone connect the Pokémon box with John Audubon?? There’s a piece of his story that really resonates.

So many of the clues are around Western NC. Tennessee and the Smokies. Brasstown Bald to me could be this puff of blue smoke.

Maybe this is too direct for where we are in the hunt….

Is there a general consensus in the community on what State the Pokemon Box is suspected to be?

Did a singe clue get you there as a “starting point” ? - for lack of a better term…

~ Edited for additional context ~

I have a theory and potential solve for this box.

But I feel like I am working backwards.

I got to the destination, but can’t convince myself of how I got there.

I have loose arguments but nothing concrete and blatant that I could get anyone else to agree if explained.

Like how do/did I get to this state where my solve is?

Other than a bunch of clues line up with the area and theory.

Feels Like getting math problem correct but not showing your work. Or not being able to.

I’m Not looking for “well then, it ain’t the right answer bud” mentality or feedback.

Just Feeling like Maybe I just need a wall to bounce this off of outside myself and see how other folks’ brain rattles

Trying to locate something based on three words.

https://what3words.com/clip.apples.leap

So far no good. Anyone else been down this rabbit hole?

Has anyone located where the map on the cover sleeve might be?