A theory on what is really going on

[Sal O'mander]

Good point, CRM. I was thinking the same thing about the numerous trees that would block the view. Plus you might think that towering pine branches might even be evident in the reflection. That pic was from the very first find photo.

I remember this image well... It was the first thing I noticed when the original chest photo was released, though I didn't possess the technical savvy to flip the image right side up...
it most definitely was not taken at NMH...

[CRM114]

I agree with many things you wrote. I do not believed mr. Fix it was an attorney. Attorneys as I understand it, have a duty to the court which is superior to attorney client privilege. That means if such as scheme was created, and the thing ended up in court, that Mr. Fix it would be compelled to tell the court that things were not as it was advertised. Attorney's cannot be a part to mislead the court, since the role of the court is to find the truth.

What do I know? However, I believe the Chase was Forrest's capstone project his life . He labored on it for fifteen years. He in effect was researching his PhD and writing his thesis. The poem is his dissertation and we are his students and examiners.

Unfortunately though, things did not go as planned. Searchers got lost, drowned or died. Forrest and his family was targeted by criminals and morons who stalked them and made their lives difficult. So Forrest at the request of his family decided to end the Chase. He knew he could fool a majority of his audience with a fake "The treasure (whatever that is ) has been found" conclusion.

I believe he asked a trusted friend to arrange the find. That way when "Jack" would find it, Forrest could have plausible deniability. I believe Jack never had the chest. I believe he still doesn't know the solution. Jack is just a paid actor with a NDA. The real finder is the shy man from back East. Shilo. Shy Low (Low or down in Gaelic means East). Forrest told him to retrieve it for the pictures. Whether he put it back or left a note there on how to take possession of the real McCoy, I do not know.

What I do know? However,IMO, from reading his Thesis and hearing the dissertation is that Forrest excelled in his studies. I suspect he found something significant in his research that will surprise even the best in the field of Southwestern Pueblo Anthropology/ Archeology. I find it interesting no one has asked how he came by the Mesoamerican Golden Frogs or artifacts.

Could it be that like "finding Lewis and Clark", Forrest was following Cortez across New Mexico? Personally, I suspect Forrest was successful where Cortez failed and he found an ancient village or fortress of the mesoamerican Indians. A discovery which will show how far North the ancient Mayans traveled. "Your effort will be..." You r F's fort will be....

This would explain why Forrest didn't want the exact spot known. The place would be vandalized by searchers. Yet, I believe with so much invested in his project, he left his project intact for those persistent enough to follow his trail.

I for one was relieved when he said it was found in Wyoming. That was the reassurance I needed. Game on. His message IMO was : why ohm ing. (classic Forrest)
1f Billy

Thanks for a thoughtful response, SB. I had half-thought the lawyer could be different than Karl, in fact Karl doesn't seem the type, but if Fixit were totally separate from the estate, his only job is to end the Chase. Karl may not even be aware. But it could be a non-lawyer too.

Your theory is probably my second alternative. A little more complicated, but it also explains a lot. It's sorta sad we ended this way if true, but I can live with it, because I can understand the position Forrest was in.

The gold frogs are interesting. I glance up at my book on the Fenn Cache and am reminded of my conclusion that Forrest was probably modeling the Chase after his various hunts for artifacts, teaching us how to do the research to find such things, with his numerous documented clever references to all manner of interesting rabbit holes. I certainly can agree your speculations regarding Cortez are possible, and it's just another reminder this is not a man who came up with a poem about a fish and a broken blaze.

There's no doubt if either of our theories are correct, he didn't want his secret known without work. If he ended it, the retriever was given coordinates and nothing else. I'll stick with that until a tape surfaces with him telling a solution, ha ha.

[Round Peg, Square Hole]

That is not where the hate came from, is it?

What is this hate and where did it come from? This appears to be a part of your vocabulary, not space jumpers.

[Hear me all]

Until Jack provides the clues that match places on the map, he can only be considered dumber than a post, not the genius he declared Forrest said he was after f died.

[Sarah Seedling]

Until Jack provides the clues that match places on the map, he can only be considered dumber than a post, not the genius he declared Forrest said he was after f died.

Why would you want to make someone look stupid?

[Hear me all]

Why would you want to make someone look stupid?

Jack chose that option. Nobody else.

[shyorphan]

Nope! Forrest thought that it was so difficult that no one would be able to figure out the solution. He did though truly give us all the information to find that spot in his poem. Then stupefied, forrest confided to those close to him that someone, (their identity still unknown to us), was able to decode the poem and come within striking distance of solving the whole thing. Forrest found first hand that what he estimated might 1000 years could be like a blink of an eye.

But then life happened and he had to intercede, not being able to wait for that person to finish....

We have to wonder if they still are working on it? I know I am. Sherif Billy after spending the morning searching, having no lunch and then drinking three beers. Nice hair!

Spot on Sherif. There’s nothing left to work on. It was solved completely in late 2019 and Forrest knew it.. The crazy unexpected stuff in early 2020 (search deaths and COVID) resulted in him pulling the plug with Jack as the hand picked finder. The irony is Jack is totally in the dark about the clues/solve.

[Walker]

Nope! Forrest thought that it was so difficult that no one would be able to figure out the solution. He did though truly give us all the information to find that spot in his poem. Then stupefied, forrest confided to those close to him that someone, (their identity still unknown to us), was able to decode the poem and come within striking distance of solving the whole thing. Forrest found first hand that what he estimated might 1000 years could be like a blink of an eye.

But then life happened and he had to intercede, not being able to wait for that person to finish....

We have to wonder if they still are working on it? I know I am. Sherif Billy after spending the morning searching, having no lunch and then drinking three beers. Nice hair!

That's a great picture, Sherif Billy. You can tell Forrest was having a good time. That's some genuine good humor he's wearing there. (Nice to see those moments.)
As far as that close searcher, if there was one (or more?), I'd guess that they still tinker with the whole thing. I mean, who can stop? None of us, that's fer sher.

[Meander]

That's a great picture, Sherif Billy. You can tell Forrest was having a good time. That's some genuine good humor he's wearing there. (Nice to see those moments.)
As far as that close searcher, if there was one (or more?), I'd guess that they still tinker with the whole thing. I mean, who can stop? None of us, that's fer sher.

Every time I see a photo of FF, I have to smile. The man had some kind of chemistry, didn’t he?

[Redneck Express]

That's a great picture, Sherif Billy. You can tell Forrest was having a good time. That's some genuine good humor he's wearing there. (Nice to see those moments.)
As far as that close searcher, if there was one (or more?), I'd guess that they still tinker with the whole thing. I mean, who can stop? None of us, that's fer sher.

Fer sher