Becoming Forrest Fenn

[Suzy]

Are you referring to FF's comment about he's umbilically attached to the location? Interesting thought Forrest seems to have multiple meanings for things. It's like the "Stick" in the find pic. It's an Olive Tree stem or branch. Now that has meaning and more than one in context. We got the Olive jar being shook in F's face story. We have the autobiography in the Chest in an Olive jar . What does an "Olive Branch" mean as a phrase also!

Everything has meaning in that chest find picture. IMO . Makes sense to me that it's an Olive Tree stem or branch. Therefore, the two Hen Eggs must be something other than assumed? Perhaps!

IMO.

Eggs and umbilically attached. Yep, you put the words right in my mouth, Asetenash.

And I think you're also right about the olive jar. I imagine most of us missed the boat by passing over and forgetting about the "peace jar". Yep, that boat sailed right on by while we all had our thumbs stuck up somewhere, wondering why Forrest said "they'll be no paddle up your creek". Why would a person need oars if they were already going with the flow and if the current were thus far carrying them downstream? If you ask me, we'd look pretty silly using oars ripping up the current as it heads on a downward trek.

Oh well. So much for us peg-legged wanna-be pirates.

Here's one for the road!

[Suzy]

Me too! IMPlied. Teheheh

You little rascal, you!

You and Chester . . . fooling us all along!

[Zapster]

so is your spot Forrest Fenn's favorite fishing spot? NOPE

Presumably you are alluding to your belief that 9MH was Forrest's favorite fishing spot. But not once did Forrest ever publicly make that claim. In the first paragraph of the Flywater chapter of TTOTC, he writes: "We always used to take separate vacations so she could go visit her mother and talk about me, and I could go visit my father and talk about our favorite fishing holes." Now, it doesn't take a great leap of faith to assume that the two full pages of fishing pictures in that chapter include some of Forrest's and Marvin's favorites: Water Hole, Highway Hole, Nine Mile Hole and Watkins Creek among them. In Ramblings & Rumblings, Forrest writes:
"The Madison River in the park had three good fishing holes; the Slow Bend (five miles up), the Nine Mile Hole (you guessed it, nine miles,) and the Water Hole, (about eleven miles). These were our secret names and the great fishing spots were also TOP SECRET."

Forrest grouped these three fishing spots together, collectively calling them the "three good fishing holes" on the Madison within the park. He doesn't say they are the only good fishing spots in the park, nor does he say any of them were his favorite. But he DOES apparently draw a distinction between them and the GREAT fishing spots which were not just secret but TOP SECRET.

[kpro]

What stands out to me is how crazy you are.
FF is not some mastermind that has secret meaning behind every single word he utters.

Everything about this hunt was low mental effort.
Ziplock bags in the chest
Steel key that he should have known would rust to hell and been useless
misplaced scissors in the dragobracelet ziplock bag
dragon bracelet wrapped in a paper towel
missing pieces of loot like the frog and ring
chest not even closed properly
blaze that got destroyed
poem that didn't rhyme in places

And his idea for the finder after he'd been on multiple national news interviews and good morning america and talk shows and radio shows and people interviewing him at his house.
His idea for the finder was to just shut up and quietly sell the chest piece by piece?
FF was completely deluded at this point.

And even more evidence of his bizarre thinking was if he wanted to give the finder a $1000 bill his grand idea was to place it in his mail box and have the finder come with a mask on and commit a federal crime.

This is your mastermind?

Make your point without the name calling please.

[Gunrunner]

Presumably you are alluding to your belief that 9MH was Forrest's favorite fishing spot. But not once did Forrest ever publicly make that claim. In the first paragraph of the Flywater chapter of TTOTC, he writes: "We always used to take separate vacations so she could go visit her mother and talk about me, and I could go visit my father and talk about our favorite fishing holes." Now, it doesn't take a great leap of faith to assume that the two full pages of fishing pictures in that chapter include some of Forrest's and Marvin's favorites: Water Hole, Highway Hole, Nine Mile Hole and Watkins Creek among them. In Ramblings & Rumblings, Forrest writes:
"The Madison River in the park had three good fishing holes; the Slow Bend (five miles up), the Nine Mile Hole (you guessed it, nine miles,) and the Water Hole, (about eleven miles). These were our secret names and the great fishing spots were also TOP SECRET."

Forrest grouped these three fishing spots together, collectively calling them the "three good fishing holes" on the Madison within the park. He doesn't say they are the only good fishing spots in the park, nor does he say any of them were his favorite. But he DOES apparently draw a distinction between them and the GREAT fishing spots which were not just secret but TOP SECRET.

And then you still have to justify the treasure being hidden at at TOP SECRET fishing hole in the first place, as opposed to some other place that may have been even topper and secreter and unrelated to fishing in any way at all -- other than through that knotted up ball of yarns.

[Spoon]

Off the top of my head, there were three things that stood out (I should probably give another listen)....

1. The selling of things piecemeal - intermittently, partially, gradually, fragmentary, little by little, step by step, in stages, divided (several), parceled out, by bits and pieces, one by one, etc.
2. Creating a new email address to hide identity - false name, ficticious name, pretend name, alias, nom de guerre, etc.
3. There'd be no pressure on him - burden, stress, strain, squeeze, difficulty, bother, blackjack (intimidation), etc.

What stood out to you?

Those were some pretty bizarre things to say, alright. Such a diversion from the way he presented the Chase originally. Who would have thought that a finder should have to live a lie the rest of his life? It all suggests to me that something went horribly wrong.

[voxpops]

Those were some pretty bizarre things to say, alright. Such a diversion from the way he presented the Chase originally. Who would have thought that a finder should have to live a lie the rest of his life? It all suggests to me that something went horribly wrong.

Yes, but if the chase was originally designed - and advertised - in this secretive way, I doubt it would have caught the public's imagination in the way it did. People were dreaming of fame and glory to go with their fortune. But I don't believe this was ever about the gold, although Fenn could not present it as such. Years ago I suggested he had other fish to fry, and I still believe that. However, without us and our dreams the chase would not have worked for him.

[Livinlifebig]

Those were some pretty bizarre things to say, alright. Such a diversion from the way he presented the Chase originally. Who would have thought that a finder should have to live a lie the rest of his life? It all suggests to me that something went horribly wrong.

I believe a searcher was at the right place at the right time and saw the lead searcher. They then got very lucky.

[Moody Chameleon]

Yes, but if the chase was originally designed - and advertised - in this secretive way, I doubt it would have caught the public's imagination in the way it did. People were dreaming of fame and glory to go with their fortune. But I don't believe this was ever about the gold, although Fenn could not present it as such. Years ago I suggested he had other fish to fry, and I still believe that. However, without us and our dreams the chase would not have worked for him.

I agree that the Chase was not about the gold. I believe it was used as a lure, but I just don't understand exactly Forrest's purpose of it all. Was he was ultimately fishing for someone that could solve the poem? If so, why? If not, why was he trying to grab our attention?Something tells me that this is much bigger than a bronze chest of gold, and I believe there's something in that olive jar that will answer some things, IMO.

[voxpops]

I agree that the Chase was not about the gold. I believe it was used as a lure, but I just don't understand exactly Forrest's purpose of it all. Was he was ultimately fishing for someone that could solve the poem? If so, why? If not, why was he trying to grab our attention?Something tells me that this is much bigger than a bronze chest of gold, and I believe there's something in that olive jar that will answer some things, IMO.

I agree. I think we need to look at the totality of who and what Forrest was.

He started out as an undisciplined and slightly wild kid, with an even wilder brother. His military career gave him focus and, despite lacking a certain amount of confidence, he became a decorated and successful pilot of outstanding talent. He left the air force and divided his life into art dealer and covert operative, with one side possibly feeding the other. After a bout of cancer he began to dedicate his life toward what would eventually become the chase, and which saw him through to his last breath.

From his time in the military onward, it seems that, despite being fun-loving and sociable, he was never frivolous or half-hearted. His force of character carried him through to success in whichever field he entered and led him into the highest echelons of society. There is nothing that suggests he created this treasure hunt on a whim or without purpose. The very fact that he wouldn't give up on it, despite deaths and trouble for his family, tells us that it meant more to him than an easy retirement. The post-chase wall of impenetrability suggests that he felt it vital (a word that leaps from the page in TTOTC) to maintain secrecy. There is no way that such confusion and opacity could be kept in place for years after his death without extremely careful forethought and planning.

My conclusion is that there's no way this was a treasure hunt. As Moody Chameleon suggested, it's big. The answer surely lies somewhere in the man's history.

[Spoon]

I agree that the Chase was not about the gold. I believe it was used as a lure, but I just don't understand exactly Forrest's purpose of it all. Was he was ultimately fishing for someone that could solve the poem? If so, why? If not, why was he trying to grab our attention?Something tells me that this is much bigger than a bronze chest of gold, and I believe there's something in that olive jar that will answer some things, IMO.

Sounds a lot like Charlie and Chocolate Factory, with Forrest Fenn as Willy Wonka.

[Livinlifebig]

Sounds a lot like Charlie and Chocolate Factory, with Forrest Fenn as Willy Wonka.

But Forrest spelled it Willie.

Hmmmm, I wonder whys?

[Not4but242Walk]

But Forrest spelled it Willie.

Hmmmm, I wonder whys?

His aunt's name.

"she looked just like my mom"..."no need to show both"

Tarzan and Indulgence
Chaos and Embroidery
he hid a chest at "79 or 80"
ΩΩ

I sense a twin theme.

"The more they aged the prettier they became"
Must have been that patina

[Livinlifebig]

I love old photos. They kinda have an emotional element. I often spend time wondering what they might have been thinking, what life was like etc.

Again, a dedication to family, friends, love and peace.

Do you not see the twins?



Isaiah 45 :: NIV. I will go before you and will level the mountains ; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.