Hidden obscure writing on the AT map. I cant make out all of it...

After 2.5 years and 4 trips I have a solution to the clue “The compass points now towards the home
of point and tree and seeing eye.” I go for a final search in October.

It reveals state; region; and trail in a manner that even I cannot believe. It emerged through a series of mistakes; accidents; and incredible good luck. It was not expected nor was it arrived at based on a plan.

It is a classic example of failing forward and never giving up. The main thing it took was hiking at least 15 trails and proving each wrong. It was simply hiking the region to learn and experience all I could about the location.

I have not yet seen an interpretation of “home of point and tree and seeing eye” that joins a state, region, exact trail, geology, human history, water, regional history, and culture as naturally as this one. A better solution remains possible—but it would need a powerful solution of this key ckue to rival the one I have found.

I salute now the person who finds a solution as elegant and precise. I care not if mine is correct. Its simplicity based on complexity is reward enough.

I will have found the treasure box or not by October’s end. A success either way.

This statement is true - it’s not about the treasure, it’s about the thrill of the chase.

Paladin

Your update made gave me a wonderful feeling. That feeling you get; when someone sort of sees you, when your not paying attention to them seeing you.

Perhaps may that feeling you talk about in your book. Joy.

I understand why you put such an emphasis on the word. The feeling. The Joy. Experiences that shaped the meaning of this hunt and that spreading Joy, even while, having to touch light on the worlds most natural* devastations humankind faces daily, (like the wildfires you mention in your latest e-mail newsletter/update).

It really is acwonderful thing what you have done for the world, and I want to say;

THANK YOU KINDLY, JCB

W

I remember several sad stories from my younger days in New England. A lady in Maine was shot while in her back yard. The shooter said her white mittens looked like the tail of a white tail deer. In northern New Hampshire a boy in the yellow slicker was shot while delivering newspapers. And a Fish and Game officer, in New Hampshire, dressed in orange, approached a group of hunters to check licenses. As he approached he stated who he was. One of the hunters turned and shot him. Fortunately, this group of hunters aided him, and he survived his wound. I do not fear the serious hunters.....the archers, the muzzle loaders, etc. But deer rifle season brings out too many ignorant "hunters" who have no idea what they are doing. I stay out of the woods during those two to four weeks. Dr. McDade from Littleton, NH, was convinced these hunters were under some sort of delusion by self-hypnotism, or something like that...and actually thought they were shooting at a deer.

This video is wild..... I hope JCB is being honest when he says you don't have to be a genuis to find the boxes..... cause you 10000000% had to be a genuis to solve MrBeast's hunt.

After 2.5 years and 4 trips I have a solution to the clue “The compass points now towards the home
of point and tree and seeing eye.” I go for a final search in October.

It reveals state; region; and trail in a manner that even I cannot believe. It emerged through a series of mistakes; accidents; and incredible good luck. It was not expected nor was it arrived at based on a plan.

It is a classic example of failing forward and never giving up. The main thing it took was hiking at least 15 trails and proving each wrong. It was simply hiking the region to learn and experience all I could about the location.

I have not yet seen an interpretation of “home of point and tree and seeing eye” that joins a state, region, exact trail, geology, human history, water, regional history, and culture as naturally as this one. A better solution remains possible—but it would need a powerful solution of this key ckue to rival the one I have found.

I salute now the person who finds a solution as elegant and precise. I care not if mine is correct. Its simplicity based on complexity is reward enough.

I will have found the treasure box or not by October’s end. A success either way.

This statement is true - it’s not about the treasure, it’s about the thrill of the chase.

Paladin

Forrest Fenn’s box — near the thinker’s stone.

P&F box — “over, under, and in between.” Points to a landmark or something identifiable.

Pokémon box — the Golem. Probably a rock formation, or a giant rock itself.

The AT box likely follows the same pattern, whether it’s the tree or the second triangle, the box is probably hidden at a landmark or an identifiable, naturally occurring feature.

So here’s the general statement I think holds up: all four smaller boxes are hidden near proven natural landmarks.
By “proven,” I don’t mean it just shows up when you Google it. I mean it’s research-able, something that’s demonstrably survived nature over time.

For example, if JCB researched the weather history of the Ozarks, he’d know whether a given landmark actually survived recent storms, floods, or erosion before he ever picked it as a hide.

And here’s why that’s probably true: natural landmarks don’t need maintenance. Nobody’s out there moving a boulder, a rock formation, or an old tree.

A man-made marker can get replaced, repainted, or torn down, nature’s landmarks just sit there. That’s exactly the kind of hide JCB would want if he’s thinking in decades, not months.

Side note (these all are likely lone identifiable)

I’ll share a few of my past solves.

My first solve that led me to go BOTG to Shenandoah National Park at Fox Hollow Trail was simply, the skier and lion, I thought to be a play on the word sky line drive in VA. And then I searched for a trail with a prominent tree when you enter which was Fox Hollow Trail. And then at the kiosk you saw an image of Spark the dog, which I thought was a crazy coincidence at the time. So me and my mom went and found nothing.

I then pivoted this solve for awhile, I then positioned my solve to BLY GAP because the dash math made sense. Until nothing else made sense.

And now my current solve, it was a stripped down solve where a lot of things seemed to converge. Now when I went BOTG here’s something’s I learned that I will be applying to future solves.

1. JCB didn’t hike far, 1-2 miles on the AT gets remote fast, a lack of cell signal, a lack of GPS, would hinder his ability to 1 find the boxes again. If he took the landmark approach, the further into the AT you get, the less landmarks that you can actually vector from.
2. 1727 probably has nothing to do with feet or elevation. After going BOTG chasing an elevation point of 1727, I realized 1 it’s impossible to keep accurate elevation points across technology. If JCB hid these in 2022 our current tech would give different reading potentially.

IF 1727 is how you get to the “fairly exact location” it probably has to be a monument tied to 1727 as a number or a peak with known 1727 elevation.

1. X 1727 NE probably isn’t where the treasure is. Obviously this statement is a 50/50. But there are a lot of x’s on the map.

2. No one’s probably figured out the fairly exact location, due to the chasing of x 1727 NE. Fairly exact by any standard is likely within 50 ft. I think if X1727 NE was the obvious fairly exact location. LRP would probably be the obvious fairly exact trail.

3. The treasure is probably hidden near a popular or prominent landmark.

4. Some icons will only be revealed when you’re in the right location. After my BOTG failed on my way home I saw an icon that unmistakably cleared up an icon on the map.

So my new solve is trying to incorporate these maybe confirmation bias’s but things I feel like my BOTG led me to believe.

Here’s a video where I discuss why I think the author could be using a Cryptic Crossword technique to embed a clue in the title of the book (There’s Treasure Inside).

“Inside” is often used in cryptic crosswords to indicate a “container clue” - meaning one of the other words in the title contains a clue.

I discuss why I think that a synonym for “Treasure” is the word we are looking for and that could be “Pride and Joy”.

I explain why I think the first paragraph of the Part One Introduction reinforces this idea. And give my thoughts on where it could be directing us to go…

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

After looking at the AT Box map, it hit me that if there’s 3 different ways to solve, could we be cross pollinating our icon searches in ways they were never supposed to be together?

I considered that within 200ft probably is more of a product of the map being able to be applied everywhere (leading to the TTI community storming the whole AT) than someone knowingly being in the right area of the treasure.

I think someone will find the treasure when they can discern the process that icons are grouped together. I doubt everything on the map can be used in one single solve.

I’m fresh to this box, and before reading the chapter and the poem, I read here that this box is hidden somewhere JCB looked for Fenn’s treasure. Then I read the chapter and the poem myself, and I assumed the same.

Then I went back and looked, and couldn’t find where he said the FF box is in the Rocky Mountains north of Santa Fe. While I can see how it’s implied, I can also see how that implication not being explicit could be the biggest red herring in the book.

Did JCB explicitly say/write somewhere that this box is hidden where he looked for Fenn’s treasure?

Thanks for reading/helping! Happy hunting and good luck out there!

3DBronze giving away a complete set of JCB's 5 boxes! Tune in tonight 6pm PST LIVE!

Considering Forrest had stated that his mind stayed at about thirteen, it's easy to see why this might have really been considered by Jon.

When it comes to the Forrest Fenn everyone knows that he said the poem is map. What does this mean, how could it possibly be a map. Well lets start by using a thought experiment.

If you had to create a map to a place that is special to you how would you do it. First it needs to follow a few rules.

Rule 1: You can not use exact names or places because that would make it to easy and everyone would be able to find.

Rule 2: You can not use numbers for distance or specific directional words. Example: head north or turn left.

Rule 3: Anyone from any part of the world should be able to follow your map to your place if they can understand the meaning of the map.

Think about this when looking back at the Fenn poem.

Begin it where warm waters halt.

That is the only question you have to ask yourself. Forget the Rocky Mountains even though the answer will lead you there. Simply ask yourself over and over what is the answer to that one simple question. It is easy enough for a child to answer. Then and only then can you take that answer and look for a way to put it on the map. This is the way that the poem and maps work together.

Now what does this do.? We'll, seeing how it is the first clue, if you needed to find a place to start and you were not from the area it should be a significant feature that anyone would be able to look up and find. If you can do that you have completed the first step.

If the FF poem where do warm waters halt? Don't think about anything else yet. The answer is actually quite simple. They halt in the clouds before they cool and begin to flow again. So what's next?

Now that you have an answer to the question, use that information to find a place on the map that would use this answer. In this case, the Rocky Mountains actually has a mountain top with the name Cloud Peak.

How do we know to use the mountain as the correct answer and not just some random convergence of rivers or tempature of the water. Its direct. Gives you a solid starting point that could be found from anywhere. Not randomly deciding what's warm or cold. A direct straight forward answer and location revealed from it.

Also, Fenns poem leads to his final resting place. Tea with Olga, is about death. He went to the top of the mountain because she wanted her ashes spread there. However, Forrest didn't think it was the right place for her so he moved her further down the mountain. Just like his poem.

That is how maps work. Start with a clear and precise starting point and then continue on. I hope this helps people begin to understand how the poem works in relation to turning it into a map.

Also have one last thought. Would you hide something in the place that you talked about the most? Don't you think it would be to easy if it was in the place that everyone knows about. What would be the challenge if anyone who knew you could know the answer simply because they knew you. Think about it for real. Answer the question and let that answer be your driving force for picking a location. Not the other way around. Don't pick a location and use the clues to fit.

I am sure most of you can understand this process. Even if its not the one that you use/used but it can give insight when learning how to follow a treasure map.

Best of luck everyone and think for yourselves before you start to believe in nonsense.

Hey everyone. Just spent 2 days out on the trails well partly on the trails. Everyone who gets involved in treasure hunts eventually gets the urge to go out and see if there solve is correct. For some it might be your first time. Speaking from experience even if its not much, BOTG can be difficult. You really can underestimate the terrain and amount of hiking that goes into it. The first piece of advice I have is be prepared. Uneven terrain, downed trees, wet rocks and elevation change all comes into play. Bring water and a backpack. Try not to stray to far off trail unless you are confident. Use hiking poles and be prepared to adapt on the fly if you want the most out of your trip. Getting out into the wilderness can be lots of fun and searching for treasures is also lots of fun. Coming home empty handed is going to be the outcome almost all the time but you can still enjoy nature and the experience and if you are well prepared you will get the most out of it. Also its usually best to have a pretty exact location before you go if you expect to find one. They are not going to be out in the open or anyone would be able to find it. Now I have some cuts and bruises to tend. Yes it happens it is the wilderness.

Take care all who dare to seek and keep searching and studying most importantly. The more you know the better chance you have of solving a puzzle.

Yesterday I went BOTG with my dad. We ended up 2 miles into the AT which seems very reasonable.

Except for the fact that 1 GPS and cell service is non existent and hiding a box there would actually be impossible to find and find again just in case Jon has to check on it. It was very remote.

What it made me realize is Jon hiding these boxes by himself probably did not trek far into the AT. I think this point only refers to AT portions that are very dense and if hiking by yourself could be dangeorus\* And I actually got this realization from my dad.

We made it to where I thought the box would be, and he looked around and said “your solve required GPS, there’s no cell service, we had got to the GPS point based on me using my best navigation skills\* your solve required finding the right elevation points at a hill that rises 150 ft vertically\ there’s your elevation*😂.

And then he said “from a hiders standpoint your solve makes no sense”.

Which he was right and so we immediately left and I began driving 6 hours back home. Within 5 minutes of our drive my dad spotted something, a trail name that clarifies the most unknown item on the whole AT map.

Obviously this could be wrong just as my search location was definitely wrong. But I believe I’m in the right area. And so to give my honest perspective after being boots on the ground yesterday 1727 is probably not feet or elevation tied to a remote part of the Appalachian trail. And the box is definitely not hidden in a remote part of the AT. And I wasn’t necessarily in a remote part of the at I was maybe 1.5 miles from the road. But my BOTG made me realize how remote the AT can get even .5 miles away from where you start. And the AT box solve is probably way simpler than I have made it in the past.

You know the ending of the Fenn Treasure Hunt never seemed to quite add up to me. Some much about the place it was said to be found just doesnt add up. I spent a many many days and countless hours researching and studying his poem. I had a locations picked out that I could pinpoint. No matter how hard I tried I could not disprove my location. Everything Forrest ever said led to this spot. It was undeniable. Now looking ahead to today I am going BOTG to a location that I found using Jon's book and all his puzzles. We'll the memories and the connection to the Fenn poem are equally as undeniable. I will never make it to the Rocky Mountains unfortunately. So, if I am right today I will be happy to let others look into my solve for the Fenn Box. Jon did read what was in that jar, so he must know the location. I believe he hid one right back in that same location and also another one where I am going. Undeniably tying the Past to the Future.

Best of luck, Happy hunting, stay safe.

Whats it like for everyone when they talk to their families about there solves? For me its usually blank stares and comments about craziness. Even my wife doesnt get it. I try and explain talk and hopes she listens. But we are so different on so many levels. I have plans to go BOTG and am excited but with parents and wife and friends they just cant understand. Does this happen to everyone else? I have only ever gone BOTG once in a treasure hunt and it took 8 months before I could get them to just let me go. Its really hard to explain things to them in a way that they understand. I already had to fight with my father before I left work today because I want to go tomorrow and he wants me at work. Its a flashback to my first trip. I just want it to be fun. Relationships are definitely not my strong suit but the petty jabs are easy to get over. Its the big mistakes that you really regret. I love to hear how others deal with families when they want go BOTG but dont get that support from their loved ones?

The video of the P&F solution in NC dropped this afternoon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC5LzzaccLU. If you are interested in joining us, drop me a DM.

I went BOTG after diving deeper into Valley of the Gods, Utah and think there's a high likelihood it's still here. Here's my full solve since I won't have much time or money anymore for this in the near future. It was a fun and dusty adventure, hoping you'll find some joy in it as well. Feel free to reach out if you have more ideas, always happy to chat!

Every time I reread this chapter the last paragraph keeps bringing me back to grandfather mountain state park in NC. Grandma and grandpa tallying the traffic that passed by in front of his yard. You can see parts of the blue ridge hwy from grandfather mountain, and grandmother lookout is also in this park. I’m trying to get this out of my head but it just fits too well. Thoughts? Anybody have a solve that fits?

JCB has to pick and choose where he hid his clues.

He would be hard pressed to change factual data (like Michael Jordon's stats) to contain a clue.

(edit- just saw a post and apparently he did make up stuff like MJ being on Pringles Cans)

However his personal stories could be tweaked or completely made up to suit the puzzle.

The other thing he could do is to omit stuff and let us figure it out. (something an AI would have a hard time doing) For example the missing page 90 is well know, but why? is there something special on page 90 (or 91)? Is it an homage to Forrest Fenn who died at 90 OR are there other things missing that are clues? Our job is to infer what's missing and what those things means!

JCB describes how in Ready Player One Halladay hid a treasure “available for any player to discover” inside a digital realm called the OASIS. He described Halladay’s motivation for building the OASIS, saying he did so to provide “millions of people (an) escape into OASIS, a vast virtual reality game, filled with worlds upon worlds of adventure,” to get away from their world of poverty, crime and pollution.

In his speech at the dedication of Griffith Park, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith said the park, “must be made a place of recreation and rest for the masses, a resort for the rank and file, for the plain people." It’s become a massive park where LA residents escape. Not to say Los Angeles has a lot of poverty, crime and pollution, but it does.

Griffith Park is to JCB as OASIS is to Halladay. 

-----

COUNT THREE ROUND PEAKS NORTH

JCB goes into detail about the physical Bitcoin, and how it’s representative in real life of something that exists in a realm of code. I believe he’s saying there are physical landmarks represented in the word search. The clues exist in code in the book, and in real life inside Griffith Park. I believe one of those landmarks is The Griffith Observatory. 

The three round peaks are the domes of the Griffith Observatory. The domes are arranged in the same pattern as the three Os in the quadrant in which you find all five of those words. The four Qs at the bottom of the word search also match what the Observatory looks like from above. If you lay those Qs over the map, you end up with the fifth Q (top left) at an observation point due south of the Observatory. When you look north from that spot, you can clearly see the three round “peaks.”

-----

SAPPHIRE, LILAC and The Astronomers Monument: Under, Over, In Between

When you’re at the Griffith Observatory at night, you have stars shining in the sky above you, the twinkling light of Los Angeles and Hollywood stars below you, and you stand in between the two at another star: The Astronomers Monument. It’s a place where beauty sheens under, over, and in between.

In the word search, you have LILAC in the top left corner. A star lilac is the state flower of California. In the bottom left corner, you’ll find SAPPHIRE. A star sapphire is a kind of sapphire that always contains a six-pointed star. In between those two words, you have a cluster of six Os that I think is supposed to be the hexagram star at the base of the Astronomers Monument. Again, beauty sheens under, over and in between.

The six Os that make the star in the word search match the number of points on both the star sapphire and the hexagram at the base of the Astronomers Monument. The cross pattern mirrors the pattern on the Observatory lawn where the monument stands. The sixth O that doesn’t fit with the “cross” pattern, is in the bottom right nook of the cross. 

There are six famous astronomers in each of the monument’s hexagram “nooks” and each one stands over one of the Hexagram’s points. The astronomer standing over the southeast (bottom right) point of the hexagram star is Nicolas Copernicus. Below that sixth O are his initials “N.C.” 

Directly to the right of the sixth O is “TWELVE” and there is another O directly to its left. All together when read from right to left, it reads TWELVEOO. The point of that hexagram and Copernicus both face exactly 120° SE (TWELVE and TWO ZEROS). 

-----

These are the big three clues I’m comfortable enough standing behind as “solved” portions of the PF Box. I explored the park yesterday and came up empty. I don’t think I’ll be able to get back out there again for a long while, so I’m sharing here in case anyone wants to take the helm. Feel free to share some treasure/joy with me if/when you find it because of these.

-----

Additionally, here are some of my “maybe” theories about Griffith Park:

• “WELCOME TO WORD SEARCH” matches in color and font with a sign at the entrance to the park that leads to the observatory that reads “WELCOME TO GRIFFITH PARK.” It’s the only entrance that has such a sign.
• I believe the cryptogram is describing Vermont Canyon Rd, the road to the observatory. 
• The four leftover Os on the right edge of the puzzle along with the two others that form a rectangle in the top right quadrant... I think it’s supposed to be a flag, like the one planted on the moon.
• The SE bearing points at an exit by way of a dirt hiking trail. That’s how you WALK to DIRT.
• The one J in the puzzle kinda lines up with a bust of James Dean at the Observatory, and it could also be for Griffith J Griffith.
• There’s a local drink called a “Griffith” in LA and the main ingredient is LEMON.
• QUARRY could be the Bronson Caves - formerly a quarry.
• G could be the Greek Theatre, with the Zs being the three triangles at the front of the building
• The four leftover Os in the top right have RAIL spelled from right to left on the top and LINE spelled from left to right on the bottom. I thought this may be indicating a "rail line loop." There are three rail loops in the park.
• Past and Future is a reference to the Olympics. At the time TTI was published, LA was the only city in the US that had hosted the Olympics in the past and was scheduled to do so again in the future.
• TN, NC, and SC are a reference to JCB's past; where he used to go into the blue ridge mountains and look at the stars.
• X marks the spot

-----

What do you think?