Forrest Fenn's Treasure Poem
Forrest Fenn wrote a poem in his book The Thrill of the Chase containing nine clues. He said that the clues will lead the person who can unravel them directly to the treasure chest which contains over twenty-two troy pounds of gold, coins, precious gems, and ancient artifacts.
Next is the hard part. Forrest Fenn didn't say which parts of the poem contain each of the nine clues. That is open to the readers' interpretation. All he said was the first clue starts at "Begin it where warm waters halt". He also didn't say how exactly treasure hunters are supposed to use or arraign the clues in order to find the chest. There are three main theories of how to use the clues to solve the poem and find Fenn's treasure chest. You can learn more about these theories here Theories To The Clues or continue reading!
Fenn's Treasure Poem
As I have gone alone in there
And with my treasures bold,
I can keep my secret where,
And hint of riches new and old.
Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown.
From there it’s no place for the meek,
The end is drawing ever nigh;
There’ll be no paddle up your creek,
Just heavy loads and water high.
If you’ve been wise and found the blaze,
Look quickly down, your quest to cease,
But tarry scant with marvel gaze,
Just take the chest and go in peace.
So why is it that I must go
And leave my trove for all to seek?
The answer I already know
I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak.
So hear me all and listen good,
Your effort will be worth the cold.
If you are brave and in the wood
I give you title to the gold.
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This map of the Rocky Mountains featuring Forrest Fenn's poem was included in the back of his book Too Far To Walk.
"If a person reads the poem over and over and are able to decipher the first few clues in the poem, they can find the treasure chest. It may not be easy, but it certainly isn't impossible. I could go straight to it." - f
The Nine Clues In Fenn's Poem
Since the nine clues are open to interpretation, there are several options to defining them. Below are some examples for defining the clues in the poem. They are meant to help you start thinking about the clues and different ways of seeing them. One of these clue orders could lead to the correct solve or it could be a different order. The solve could also be a combination of these orders. That is the challenge of the clues in the poem.
Example Orders of The Nine Clues
Your task as the searcher is to read the poem and arraign the clues in an order which makes sense to you. Who knows!? Maybe you will think of a clue order that no one has though of yet and find Fenn's treasure!
Below are three example ways of defining the nine clues in Forrest Fenn's poem. Keep in mind these are just examples and there are other ways of identifying the clues as well!
Clue Order #1 - Everything
One common solution is arraigning the clues in the following order and using all of the information in the poem after where Fenn says to start the first clue at "Begin":
As I have gone alone in there
And with my treasures bold,
I can keep my secret where,
And hint of riches new and old.
- Begin it where warm waters halt
- And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown. - From there it’s no place for the meek,
The end is drawing ever nigh; - There’ll be no paddle up your creek,
Just heavy loads and water high. - If you’ve been wise and found the blaze,
Look quickly down, your quest to cease, - But tarry scant with marvel gaze,
Just take the chest and go in peace. - So why is it that I must go
And leave my trove for all to seek? - The answer I already know
I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak. - So hear me all and listen good,
Your effort will be worth the cold.
If you are brave and in the wood
I give you title to the gold.
Clue Order #2 - Everything Alt
Another alternative solution is arraigning the nine clues in the following order and using all of the information in the poem after "Begin" in a natural reading flow:
As I have gone alone in there
And with my treasures bold,
I can keep my secret where,
And hint of riches new and old.
- Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk. - Put in below the home of Brown.
- From there it’s no place for the meek,
The end is drawing ever nigh; - There’ll be no paddle up your creek,
Just heavy loads and water high. - If you’ve been wise and found the blaze,
Look quickly down, your quest to cease,
But tarry scant with marvel gaze,
Just take the chest and go in peace. - So why is it that I must go
And leave my trove for all to seek?
The answer I already know
I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak. - So hear me all and listen good,
- Your effort will be worth the cold.
- If you are brave and in the wood
I give you title to the gold.
Clue Order #3 - Partial
You could also place the clues in this order and shorten the clues by only use in the information between "Begin" and "take the chest and go in peace":
As I have gone alone in there
And with my treasures bold,
I can keep my secret where,
And hint of riches new and old.
- Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down, - Not far, but too far to walk.
- Put in below the home of Brown.
- From there it’s no place for the meek,
- The end is drawing ever nigh;
- There’ll be no paddle up your creek,
Just heavy loads and water high. - If you’ve been wise and found the blaze,
- Look quickly down, your quest to cease,
- But tarry scant with marvel gaze,
Just take the chest and go in peace.
So why is it that I must go
And leave my trove for all to seek?
The answer I already know
I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak.
So hear me all and listen good,
Your effort will be worth the cold.
If you are brave and in the wood
I give you title to the gold.
Theories To Solving The Nine Clues In Fenn's Poem
Great, So We Have Our Clues! What Is Next?
Next, you have to decide how to interpret the nine clues in Fenn's treasure poem. One reason why the treasure has not been found yet is because no one has discovered the location of the treasure chest. There are three main theories you could use to find the location of the chest. Since the chest has not been found yet, no one is sure which theory is correct.
Fenn's Treasure A to B Theory
The Clues Lead You To The Treasure Chest
The A to B solve theory follows the nine clues in the poem in order to solve the poem and find the location of Fenn's treasure chest. It follows the idea of solving the clues in order from 1 to 9 like journey of traveling from point A to B. One missed step could throw you entire search off track, so it is vitally important to understand and follow the clues exactly to your solve location.
A to B Solve Probability
Many treasure hunters looking for the Thrill of the Chase and Fenn's treasure think this is the most correct theory with the highest solve probability and plan their treasure hunts accordingly. That being said, no one has found Fenn's treasure yet using this theory (assuming they would come forward with the find publicly).
Fenn's Treasure Circle Path Theory
The Clues Are About The Treasure Chest Location
The circle path solve theory is based on the idea that the clues point to a specific location where the chest is located. In this theory, there is no path to follow because all of the clues are together in the same spot. You will find Fenn's treasure chest once you find that spot. You won't find the chest unless you find the spot containing the clues. The important of this theory revolves around locating the right location which fits with the nine clues.
Circular Path Concept
Another variation of this theory is the circular path theory where the clues begin and end in the same place with several clues (one or more) in close proximity to the starting and ending clues but not exactly together in the same spot physically.
Circle Path Solve Probability
This theory is interesting since it also goes along with the concept of placing an "X" on the map that Forrest Fenn has mentioned. That place is the start, end, and chest location. This is one of the lesser popular theories with Fenn treasure hunters, since it majorly depends on a searcher's ability to identify a specific location. Also, searchers are hesitant to publicly discuss their exact circular location details since giving up the location could mean giving up the solve to finding Fenn's treasure.
Fenn's Treasure Unlock Theory
The Clues Are The Key To Unlock The Treasure Chest's Location
The unlock solve theory is based on the idea that the clues allow you to "unlock" a specific location. First, Forrest Fenn did say not to "mess with the poem" so we can't change the order of the poem lines, words, or anything of that nature to get a solve here.
Unlock Concept
In the unlock theory, the clues themselves may or may not relate to the location of Fenn's treasure. However, the location should naturally fit with other clues and hints which stand out to you in The Thrill of the Chase book. This theory can get rather crazy quickly as speculation can take over and muddle the waters. Be very careful of confirmation bias and getting stuck in a solve you think makes sense. Solves in this realm include decoding place names (don't mess with the poem though), latitude and longitude coordinates, and other things of this nature.
Unlock Solve Probability
This theory is one of the least probable theories since it is very subjective and can have many different interpretations. Forrest Fenn also said that no specialized knowledge was needed to find the correct solve, so that potentially eliminates things like ciphers, cryptograms, and other things you have to decipher or codes you have to crack.
The Next Fenn's Treasure Theory
Do Any Other Treasure Theories Come To Mind?
Can you think of something else? Maybe a theory to Fenn's treasure poem that no one has thought of yet? Try to look at the clues in the poem and theories to develop your own. Think about things like:
- What haven't others tried yet?
- What comes naturally to you?
- What parts of the poem make sense to you?
- Which parts don't make sense to you?
- Craft your solve and start searching!
"People will be surprised when they find out where it is." - f
Forrest Fenn Talks About His Solve Tips
While coming up with your solve, Forrest Fenn recommended:
- Read The Thrill of the Chase book normally
- Read the poem six, eight, ten times - studying every line and word
- Read The Thrill of the Chase book again slowly looking for clues or hints that will help you follow the clues
He said, "You can find the chest with just the clues, but there are hints in the book that will help you with the clues." Also, he has mentioned looking for "aberrations that live out on the edge" and things that stick in your mind. Write these ideas down and see what you can make of them! You could just as well find Fenn's treasure!
Forrest Fenn mentioned these solve tips in an interview with Lorene Mills on the Report From Santa Fe on May 13, 2011.
The full interview video is shared on YouTube and watchable at this link. Watch This Video On YouTube Here. Fenn's clue tips start at 26:58.
