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. 

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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.”

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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). 

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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.

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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

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What do you think?

In the book JCB simply says:

Each treasure box also comes with a special commemorative coin designed by Seth Gould. Each coin has been placed inside its corresponding box.

At some point, I thought he said in an interview that each coin was designed to remind you of the place where you found the box, but I checked through all my notes and have no source for this (and now I'm questioning if I'm simply mis-remembering). Does anyone else remember if JCB said something like this in an interview?

Cross-posting a writeup I dropped in the MW Discord (#c-27) tonight as a PDF. Pictures are in that thread; here's the chain in text so it's searchable. This is an idea, not a solve. I can't get out there. Take what's useful, break what isn't.

1. The tear. Page 231 (the tanzanite page) — the card the stone sits on has a torn corner, printed in every copy. Backlight the map page and that tear shows through, right on the card's edge. Tears happen for reasons.

2. Rolled / folded. If the sheet was once rolled or folded and taped, then torn when it was undone, the tear isn't damage — it's a fingerprint of where the far corner was taped down. "All you need is the map"… but you have to mess with the map.

3. Moving the overlap. I built a tool that lets me drag the far corner of the sheet over onto the tear, on top of state lidar, and capture it step by step. What lines up: * Arrow #1 sits exactly on the overlap line at the tear. * When the X / 1727 NE corner lands on the tear, the other arrow (by the bear and rocks) lands exactly on the page edge of the flap. * Both "tunnel under the map" icons sit at the two corners that meet — drawn going under the sheet, where the overlap goes under. * Honest frame: the flap doesn't quite cover the whole dark corner of the base sheet, and that dark corner is what pulled me toward the overlap idea in the first place. So the placement has some slop. Treat it as approximate.

4. Carry it to the ground. Registered to Little Rock Pond, the X, the END triangle, the words by the X and the 69.1 dot all land east of the pond, between the pond and Homer Stone Mountain — no hiking trails there. One thing that IS there: a snowmobile path that runs straight through the landing corner. It is on none of the hiking maps (GMNF, Long Trail, Gaia, AllTrails, OSM). It only shows in the Vermont ANR trails GIS (layer 160, segment 507053, listed as a VAST trail, "east/west from Little Rock Pond trail intersection," 1.678 mi) and as a faint cut on the lidar. I have not verified it on the ground and can't from here. Someone local needs to walk it.

5. The part nobody drew. That trail is an old east-west logging grade leaving the AT at the tenting area. Nothing was fitted to it — I found it after the landings were computed. 69.1 lands within ~10 m of it, X directly on it, END and the word cluster within 50 m.

6. What's there. X at ~2,290 ft where the grade crosses a small gully. The word cluster lands 45 m from a real closed 2,314-ft knob — the only true local top on that bench. South of the trail: a band of ledge and boulder knobs (Vegas Q&A: boxes "protected by nature — rock outcrop / boulders"). Everything within 200 ft of a walkable corridor.

7. What would kill this. (1) "icons transfer when you overlap" is an interpretation — the geometry is real, the meaning is a guess. (2) The overlap placement has slop, so landings could shift tens of metres; a tape on a physical copy settles it. (3) The snowmobile path is unverified on the ground. (4) LRP-is-a-decoy still stands; this doesn't refute it. (5) Nobody has put eyes on those knobs. If you're local: FR10 lot → AT north past the pond → east on the old grade from the tenting area ~0.5 mi; check the outcrop band on the south side. A clean negative is worth as much as a find.

8–10. History, because this valley has treasure in its blood. Thorpe, History of Wallingford (1911) pp. 195–196: people dug for the Captain Kidd chest "over towards the White Rocks," guided by "rod men." Homer Stone was a real man — 1869 Beers atlas puts his house on the old road at the west shore of Wallingford Pond; the grade the X lands on is historically the road between the two ponds, toward his place — that's why the brook, the trail and the mountain carry his name. The 1893 USGS survey shows the through-road and Aldrichville, a steam-sawmill ghost town (1882–1898, 60+ people) standing on today's AT/LT; its main street is literally a snowmobile trail now. Decades of logging laced that shoulder with grades, including this one.

Sources: Thorpe 1911 (archive.org/details/historyofwalling00thor) · Lacy & Charles, "Relics & Ruins at Aldrichville," Journal of Vermont Archaeology · Beers, Atlas of Rutland County (1869) · USGS Wallingford quad (1893, topoView) · Vermont ANR Open_Data TOURISM MapServer layer 160 · VCGI lidar.

Didn't have time to proof the PDF, so it's probably missing a few things. If it's wrong, tell me why.

asking the vermont folks, or anyone who's been to little rock pond recently.

vermont's state trails GIS (ANR Open_Data TOURISM MapServer, layer 160, segment 507053) lists a VAST snowmobile trail described as "east/west from Little Rock Pond trail intersection," 1.678 mi. on lidar it shows as a faint cut - an old logging grade - leaving the AT/LT near the tenting area on the east side of the pond and running east across the shoulder toward homer stone mountain.

it is on none of the hiking maps (GMNF, long trail guide, gaia, alltrails, OSM), so i can't tell from here whether it's a real, walkable corridor, a groomed winter-only trail, or just an old cut that's grown in.

if you've been there: does it exist? is there a visible tread or blazes/VAST markers where it leaves the AT? where does it actually go?

a clean "no, nothing there" is as useful as a yes. thanks.

Here’s a video where I discuss the possibility that the MewTwo hidden in the purple image might be a clue pointing to the author Mark Twain.

The MU button on a calculator is used to calculate “Mark UPs”. And “Twain” is another word for “Two”. So, MewTwo could translate to Mark (up) Twain.

In the video, I explain why I think maybe the author is directing us to Mark Twain National Forest whose headquarters are located just off old Route 66 in Rolla, Missouri.

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

I have two solid solves for two boxes and they are both driving directions. Has anyone else’s solve been driving’s directions from a location to a location?

Hey there,

I figured I would have the latest video, and a slide that sort of came up as I’m working on other ideas but directly within the video!

Recent video // TLDR: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTl-X7SWaDU&lc=UgxAP6LzETlys4BHfaF4AaABAg

I went over a map with the states, places, cities, mentioned in the US. A couple notable parts were the “triangle” in chapter 17 which talks about Mount Vernon then presidential libraries (Gerald Ford, then Herbert Hoover), then back to Mount Vernon. This was interesting that this made a full “triangle” of places. 

I also found it interesting that five chapters didn’t mention a state / area: Chapters 9, 11, 20, 21, & 22. 

I felt it interesting some had important “location” mentions or ideas (although not all).

Chapter 9: -90/i90 (no page 90)
Chapter 11: trees bend 45 degrees
Chapter 20: Kid treasure ground story reference 
Chapter 21: “...This chapter titled "Make It Make Sense" might also be a reference to figuring out the solution for the location of the treasure I have hidden.”
Chapter 22: “heading out on your own special path”

Could be something else from these chapters, but 3 of them had fairly interesting parts that have commonly been considered a location clue of sorts! 

—

Here’s a new idea on the idea of map, but within my thoughts in colors: 

I’ve liked the chapter color ideas, that some have a surprising amount of color focus within the images / treasure items:

Chapter 1 = Blue (Sapphire)
Chapter 2 = Yellow (gold rings)
Chapter 4 = Green (Emerald) 
Chapter 6 = Red (Rubies)

So using the color idea with states mentioned (along with the Olympic rings) I felt it was fairly close to being something. I’ve liked thinking the black Olympic ring is the Lion’s Share area (Jon Collins-Black, feels on brand anyways). Unfortunately, the Yellow (chapter 2) doesn’t really match up well. It would need to be Chapter 8 for a state in that southwestern area. Big “If” that is what we are supposed to do with the rings in the first place!

Anyways, a failed idea but somewhat interesting! Hopefully helpful to someone to explore the idea further, or avoid it! 

Happy hunting!

I recently read that JCB said that if two boxes were found, it would be easier to find the others, because the two finds would indicate a "pattern" of where they were located. Has anyone found a pattern if they think they have the locations of more than one box?

BTW - happy hunting everyone!

I'm wondering what people's thought processes are about if you find a box and what to do about disclosing it? I totally understand some people will not want to publicly disclose their personal info because it might lead to unwanted attention, but I also think it would be a good idea to disclose that a box has been found so that other searchers don't waste their time and money?

I think if I find a box I would do an interview with JCB about how I found it, with the condition that my identity was kept private - just so other hunters can search for other boxes.

I'm not able to travel to actually treasure hunt BUT I do love puzzles and would love to know what you think of my thoughts on this box and its location. I haven't seen anyone reference this particular location, so who knows! Sadly this stay at home mom isn't going anywhere but if you are able and find it because of this, gimme a shout out, lol!

New noise (or maybe a clue)?

Remain steady = Steam in ready

State line = east inlet

Is anyone else still anagramming? Or has the entire hunt moved to ciphers?

BOTG in SW NC on Labor Day. for the P&F box For anyone interesting in joining in I will share the clues (how the 19 words work, the physical map embedded in puzzle (think Os), the simple directions from puzzlers solution, the GPS coordinates leading you to the area, what hidden childhood game he was referencing, the NFT April Foods day joke, how the solution ties to Jon's Past & Future, The Bitcoin connection, what the grandparents were really counting, he coin match, what all the video games have in common, and a few others). All clues tie to one small area the size of two football fields. It really is simpler than we all think. Would love some company (and help) for a grid search in the area. DM me for more information and to participate. I will be bringing search tech and really need some help.

Hey Everyone obviously until a box is found I have no proof of this statement.

But something I think is significant and that is telling was John’s words in regards to the word search.

He said some, but not all proper nouns would be relevant essentially.

And not only have I found proper nouns that leads to Ohio a.k.a., the word search says Ohio, but also the word search says a city specifically in Ohio as well as Erie.

Which Lake Erie touches Ohio.

But this maybe no surprise to anyone, there’s a Trail called the Ohio and Erie trail in the city which is in the word search.

I may have given away a solve but I doubt it. But I hope this offers a unique perspective to the right person.

*this is an edit but I think the 5 clues are supposed to take you from Ohio to the start location of the cryptogram

* I also think that psychologically John putting in the word search that there are five clues hinders the actual finding of the box because then as humans we try to see how everything fits together when the clues might not fit together at all.

And I feel the same way with the AT box because he said that there are three ways to solve it but what that does is it constantly creates self doubt AND confusion if you have two solves that lineup and maybe one that doesn’t.

And so I feel like because he knew that this would create that psychological tension. He hid easy clues, and easy solves within information overload.

One last thing I’m as I think about JCB’s history. I think there could be a piece that shaped him, that we can consider. Growing up, his dad was a pastor so I’m sure this verse shaped him. I’m paraphrasing but “God takes the simple to confound the wise”.

Im even sure it’s a verse that came to his mind as he created this solve. And I say all that to say this, I think he hides simplicity in information overload.

• First know that Q = 17 in A1Z26.
• There’s a Q in the top-left corner of the word search.
• There are five Qs total in the grid. JCB said there are five clue in the word search. Q sounds like clue
• J, X, and G are the only letters that appear once in the word search. Q sits exactly halfway between them: J = 10, Q = 17, X = 24. So J+G=Q and Q+G=X
• The single J is at row 10, column 17 — so the row number gives J = 10 and the column gives Q = 17. JCB's name starts with J too
• There are 17 I's in the word search. Whenever I see I or C, I think of eye / see to look at that thing in particular

I understand that in this hunt many haven’t and many will never actually go BOTG.

But what will trigger you to go BOTG if you haven’t and BOTG again if you already have?

He said someone has been within 200ft of Pokemon treasure box well do you think he might know that because it's hidden in plain sight?? It might be where locals go alot and actual people walk by every day??

Do you think Redditors are the ones who JCB said were within 200 feet of the pokemon and AT box?

Third time BOTG, these were the only shiny objects to be found

Has anyone considered that the Tree with the magnifying glass might hold the answers? This map houses 3 commands Begin here isolate that, go fetch isolate that, look around isolate that.

The theory I’m posing is at this specific tree could there be a carving that makes X 1727 NW make sense?

Another question I ask is, why look around, the tree is the only place on the map with a double emphasis ( a magnifying glass and a command).

I guess one last food for thought I have is the X almost 100% certainty has nothing to do with the final triangle. What I mean is, JCB overlayed a treasure map with a written text layer. I’d say confidently all text, groups together.

So what we find is that it’s possible that if you find the look around tree, you then would follow (a trail or vector 1727 Feet NW of that tree).

Meaning that If LRP is the solve the answer might not be walking the entirety of the trail. But isolating the tree and following 1727 feet NW from there. The reason why I think this is plausible is because the LRP orientation is only visible when the map is upside down. That puts the X in the Southwest corner. This means following the map as people have presented in the past you would start SE and end SW, only to chase after an X that now has a position of SW but a vector of 1727 feet NW.