A Fresh Interview with Forrest Fenn

Posted on April 29, 2015 by waterhigh

Forrest Fenn’s Treasure Chest

Click on this link for a TV reporter’s interview with the man who hid the treasure.

Mr. Fenn signing my TTOTC.

New Clue??? Tune in This Afternoon! Forrest Speaks

Posted on February 4, 2015 by waterhigh

Dude!

New Clue???

February 4th, 2015

News from Dal’s blog. Forrest will be on Huffington Post LIVE via web-cam about 4:45 ET this afternoon. (That would be 3:45 CST; 2:45 pm Santa Fe time; and you west-coasters can figure it out yourselves.)

Here’s a link —

http://live.huffingtonpost.com/

UPDATE

A fun interview with 2 professional treasure hunters and a treasure hider — Forrest Fenn.

Watch it yourself here — Huffington Post LIVE interview

Fathers and Sons

Posted on January 10, 2015 by waterhigh

Marvin and Forrest Fenn

Lawrence and Dan Fogelberg

Yours and mine

“The Leader of the Band”

1942 DeKalb All Grade School Band Concert

Dan Fogelberg‘s father Lawrence

Dan certainly had a way with words-

“I’m Just a living Legacy to the leader of the band”

2nd verse: “A quiet man of music
Denied a simpler fate
He tried to be a soldier once
But his music wouldn’t wait
He earned his love through discipline
A thundering, velvet hand
His gentle means of sculpting souls
Took me years to understand”

It puts me in mind of Marvin Fenn as school principal and Forrest’s tales of lessons learned. (See the books.)

Full lyrics here: Dan Fogelberg – Leader Of The Band Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Pondering

1972 Dinosaur National Monument

(Missing my Dad, too)

Where the Wild Thyme Blows

Posted on September 7, 2014 by waterhigh

Thyme

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows….

Wm. Shakespeare

No wild times in Santa Fe next month. The Fenn gathering at the Loretto Inn and Spa has been canceled.

I’d like to have attended, and not just to meet the competition, though that in itself might prove fascinating.

And not that it would have been really wild, but you never know.

English: Wild thyme in the flower bed of a “garden à la française” in the park of the castle of Champs-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne), France. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Favorite Fennisms

Posted on August 16, 2014 by waterhigh

A year ago, I set off on my first hunt for the Fenn treasure. I’d hoped to wait until I had a complete solve, but I knew that the snows come early on the northern Rockies. I was confident that the chest was hidden somewhere north and west of Yellowstone, but couldn’t rule out the rest of Wyoming, so off I wandered, with Mr. Waterhigh’s blessing (and/or his desire that I find the gold.)

I emailed Forrest from West Yellowstone and entertained him with my story of not having the right shoes at the waters at the Continental Divide in YNP.

Forrest’s response—

“You’re having too much fun.”

I next emailed him from the Gallatin Valley to wish him a Happy Birthday, and he invited me to Santa Fe for a cup of coffee.

Decision—

Hmmm?

a.) Should I stay on course and hike to a ‘water high’ with just the grizzlies for company, or

b.) should I skip my night at the hot springs, which I really wanted to visit, and set my GPS for Santa Fe?

Forrest said,

“Life’s short and getting shorter.”

Really. It was an easy choice.

Besides, I can always go back to Montana with Mr. Waterhigh.

(We spent our 24th or 25th or 26th anniversary there. Next month is our 35th, but he’s tied up this year….)

I was somewhere in Colorado before I got ahold of Mr. W to tell him of my change of plans. He suggested I pull the old Colombo thing as I was leaving. You know, pop back in the door, “Oh. Just one more question, Mr. Fenn….” and hope to catch him off guard with the perfect question.

I didn’t, of course. I was pretty much speechless….

So, I did find treasure south of the mountains when I got to meet the remarkable Forrest Fenn. All in all, it was a fantastic trip/chase.

Possibly my favorite Fennism is found in the Epilogue of his book, The Thrill of the Chase—

“And what I’ve learned that’s most important is that both countries and people should know enough to just leave other folks alone and do a better job of protecting our planet.”

— By the way, his 84th birthday is next Friday, so why not surprise him with a “Happy Birthday” wish from all 304 of you blog followers.

(He’s in the phone book, otherwise I wouldn’t post his address–

1021 Old Santa Fe Trail in Santa Fe, New Mexico)

DON’T just show up in his driveway! I’m thinking cards, flowers, chocolates, …. No wait. That’s me.

82-Year-Old Man Buries Treasure Worth $2 Million With Poem As Clue

Cities of Gold

Posted on May 27, 2014 by waterhigh

Cover via Amazo

So I read another Douglas Preston book this spring. (I bought this one, Mr. Preston.) It was a departure from his horror/thrillers I’d read previously, but this non-fiction book was fascinating in another way.

He decided to retrace the steps of Coronado from the border of Mexico to the Pecos Pueblo in search of the Seven Cities of Gold. It turns out that it was a bit of a wild goose chase for Coronado, but people will believe what they want to believe when it comes to treasures of gold. Time hasn’t changed that.

Preston smoothly wove massive amounts of history into the story of his trek on horseback through some very harsh lands. He’s also made use of the experience in some of his fiction, i.e. Thunderhead, Tyrannosaurus Canyon, and others.

Tyrannosaurus footprint from Philmont Scout Ranch, New Mexico (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Let’s see. Did Mapsmith call Dal foolhardy? Well, let’s just say it takes a certain mix of courage, stamina, and not too much information to undertake some adventures. Which is why the glory goes to the brave. Kudos to all of you. Lacking two of the above, I’m just happy to get the vicarious thrill when I read about your adventures.

Pecos Glazeware Bowl, labelled as serpent design, Pecos National Historical Park From the ruins of the Pecos Pueblo in in San Miguel County, New Mexico.

Tribute and Tributary

Posted on April 21, 2014 by waterhigh

Champagne Glow (Photo credit: pepemczolz)

A toast to Dal Neitzel — his blog, Thrill of the Chase, recently passed the 2 millionth mark! Beginner and seasoned searchers go there for the latest and the most useful information on the hunt for Forrest Fenn’s hidden treasure chest. Thank you.

Dal just added a great story, The Shaft, about one of his excursions last fall that involved a real life character named Harley. Kind of a LOL, edge of your seat story. I also think much could be made of the findings, but maybe that’s just my imagination on the run again.

This puts my stats in perspective. I was so tickled to have passed 250 followers and twenty thousand-some views a couple months ago. It pales in comparison, but I’m not in competition. This site is just a feeder stream to the rivers of info on Forrest’s and Dal’s websites.

Okay. Maybe it’s just a trickle, but it leads readers to more information about the man who wrote the poem with 9 clues

Forrest Fenn signing my copy of The Thrill of the Chase

and his books with hints, the man who hid a treasure trove of gold nuggets, coins and jewels, and the story of his life.

Snow is melting. Fevers are rising. Time to get the camping gear ready.

Chugwater Shepherd Wagon

Now just where does that warm water halt???

Dating Oldest Known Petroglyphs in North America

Posted on November 19, 2013 by waterhigh

English: Caveman stick figure. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

14,800 years ago ….

Click this —- Dating Oldest Known Petroglyphs in North America.

—– Maybe Mr. Fenn has underestimated how long it will take for his treasure chest to be found. Ü

Forrest Fenn’s Treasure Chest

The Birth of Symbolic Language – Pictograms (amycbrownlee.wordpress.com)
Petroglyph National Monument (coopsecondact.com)
Kris Kringle Kaveman, prehistoric paintings translated (lilyreed.wordpress.com)
13 Ancient Villages Discovered in Wyoming Mountains May Redraw Map of Tribal Migrations (westerndigs.org)
Bandelier National Monument (coopsecondact.com)

Ask Me No Questions and I’ll Tell You No Lies

Posted on October 25, 2013 by waterhigh

“Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”

Enzo to Andreas from The Dane

Cripple Creek, Colo., under martial law, 1894 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thanks to Stephanie and Toby for sharing Tuesday’s book signing Q & A in Santa Fe. It’s the next best thing to being there.

Forrest Fenn was being Forrest Fenn—

a) generously giving a new clue: The treasure is not above 20,000 feet.** Not that any of the mountains appearing on his map in Too Far To Walk are nearly that high.

I remember wishing while out west that my car had an altimeter so I’d know when I was over 5,000 feet (a previous clue.)

b) sealing his lips when asked for too much information.

2012.07.17-IMG_5034 (Photo credit: martin_kalfatovic)

It looked like the entire trio (Fenn, Preston, and McGarrity) had a wonderful time. Thanks again!

Now, in other business—i.e. Dal’s current contest—

I sent him 2 pictures, so the caption you see goes more with the first one, not shown, which is a shadow of a small wooden chest dripping with (costume) jewelry, and it’s the only picture, shadow or otherwise, that anyone is going to see of my “chest” on the internet.

Secondly, and this shouldn’t need to be stated, the “jewel” I’m holding in picture two is fake, a piece of glass, just so no one gets the idea it would be worth their trip to the Midwest.

If I had something like that, it would be in a vault like this one which happens to be on an island somewhere in the Pacific. Just saying.

** A better clue, the treasure is not over 10,200 feet, appeared in a separate article recently.

The man who buried his treasure in a poem (telegraph.co.uk)

In the Plaza with My Ancestors

Posted on October 14, 2013 by waterhigh

A thought from the 19th century that resonates today, courtesy of Eddie Two Hawks.

Wandering in Wyoming (Part Two of Trip One)

Posted on September 5, 2013 by waterhigh

My sights were set on Montana, but I had time to check out (parts of) Wyoming. The state is a collection of mountain ranges and basins. I knew I couldn’t cover it all. Had to scratch off Como Bluff and it’s dinosaur bone house—but it’s not open to the public anymore.

I planned to cover the Big Horn Canyon/Yellowtail Reservoir on my way home, but there was a huge change of plans along the way. So, where did I leave off? Worland.

In the morning I headed for Cody. First up, the Buffalo Bill Dam in Shoshone Canyon where I met Buck, a volunteer at the Visitor Center.

Buck

Wonderful, interesting, happy guy who served his country well.

After that, back into Cody to visit an historic church which the gracious man of the collar opened to me. It has an ancient Wurlitzer organ, of interest to few, but special to me. I told myself I wouldn’t refer to the church by its nickname, but there it was, on a bronze plaque right outside the door….

Downtown for lunch at the Irma Hotel. I gazed in the mirror and looked quickly down, to no avail. I also picked up a neckerchief in case that would be of help in some deciphering I’ve been trying to do.

After lunch I hit 4 out of the 5 museums at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center where I saw a fetching Fechin, the pre-sale artworks of many talented people, Plains Indian artifacts, natural history exhibits, and so forth. I skipped the Firearms Museum this time as Mr. W wasn’t along. (Been there, done that.)

Supper. A double rainbow. Discovered it was FF’s birthday, so I sent him best wishes and a note on my (lack of) progress.

Next up? I had reservations in West Yellowstone, the Gallatin Valley, and a certain hot springs over the next few days, but . . . .

Wyoming cabin made mostly of petrified dinosaur bones (trib.com)
Day Five: A exciting ride off of Big Horn Mt. (nickm94.wordpress.com)

Today Show TTOTC Clue Update

Posted on August 28, 2013 by waterhigh

It sounds like Forrest and the Today Show people have been in touch. Just waiting on Matt Lauer for the timing of the next clue. Getting ready . . . .