Netflix/Reddit: justicerymanTreasure hunter Justin Posey claims to have peppered the Netflix documentary Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure with clues to his own buried bounty, and now viewers have put together a map of where they think it could be.
But the new docu-series also serves as a cautionary tale. This whole saga started back in the late 1980s, when art dealer and former US Air Force pilot Forrest Fenn was diagnosed with terminal cancer. This inspired him to hide a chest filled chest filled with gold, jewels, and artifacts valued around $2 million somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
However, the doctors were wrong. Fenn recovered, and in 2010 he published The Thrill of the Chase: A Memoir, in which he provided clues to the loot’s location through a cryptic 24-line poem, captivating thousands of adventurers worldwide.
Before it was finally discovered by a man named Jack Stuef in June 2020 – three months before Fenn’s death – five people lost their lives during the search. As well as tracking these events, Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure sees dedicated hunter Justin Posey kickstart a brand new quest.
Gold & Greed viewers share map after Justin Posey clues
Posey, a software engineer, was one of thousands who dedicated his time and efforts to finding Fenn’s treasure. Now, he claims to have buried his own treasure to spark a new hunt, and his cryptic clues have led some to believe it’s located in Alaska.
In Episode 1 of Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure, Posey speaks with a producer off screen, whispering, “I wanted to let you know, I’ve hidden some clues in that interview setup, within all the spaces you guys have filmed in my house.”
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“Clues to what?” the man asks, to which Posey replies, “Well, I’m planning on hiding a treasure… hopefully Forrest’s.” Netflix and the creators of the new documentary series don’t know whether the clues actually made it into the final cut.
However, not only does Posey feel confident that they have, but he’s also launched a book and a website called Beyond the Map’s Edge, which coincided with the release of the Netflix docu-series.
Inspired by Fenn’s quest, he’s written a cryptic poem which, if deciphered correctly, he claims will lead the hunter to a million dollar loot. It reads:
Can you find what lives in time,
Flowing through each measured rhyme?
Wisdom waits in shadowed sight-
For those who read these words just right.
As hope surges, clear and bright,
Walk near waters’ silent flight.
Round the bend, past the Hole,
I wait for you to cast your pole.
In ursa east his realm awaits;
His bride stands guard at ancient gates.
Her foot of three at twenty degree,
Return her face to find the place.
Double arcs on granite bold,
Where secrets of the past still hold.
Beyond the reach of time’s swift race,
Wonder guards this sacred space.
Truth rests not in clever minds,
Not in tangled, twisted finds,
Like a river’s steady flow-
What you seek, you already know.
Now you know the context, this Redditor’s post might make more sense. They write, “Just finished Gold & Greed, which led me to Justin’s website. I’ve seen some Reddit comments about Yellowstone or Granite Creek, but I just get a strong Alaska vibe.
treasure.quest“He included Alaska in the map on his website, and the poem is called Beyond the Map’s Edge. Seemingly beyond mainland USA. The line ‘beyond the reach of time’s swift race’ makes me think of the Arctic where the days or nights are long.
“The line ‘double arcs on granite bold’ I think of the granite Talkeetna mountains north of Anchorage. When you zoom out of southern Alaska it looks like double arcs. Also, this could be a stretch but the word arc being in the word Arctic.”
They also included a map, with a red arrow pointing to Talkeetna, suggesting this may be where the treasure could be buried.
The idea has sparked plenty of interest, with one person writing, “Just finished the series and I have to admit, as a single guy in his 40s with not a whole heck of a lot tying me down, I could see myself getting lost in this.”
However, others aren’t so sure. “I don’t know, didn’t he say something about a national forest or something along those lines at the very end of the third episode?” wrote one. “Also I’d think he’d want to keep it in a more readily accessible location for the general public.”
“I think Oregon or Washington State,” said another, while a third added, “I think it’s gotta be dog friendly. Flying is not dog friendly. Also Alaska isn’t generally what people think of the American West.”
Forrest Fenn’s hunt serves as a cautionary tale
His hunt may have awakened the adventurous spirit in many viewers, but the Netflix documentary also highlights the dangers of Fenn’s original quest, which led to the death of five people.
Posey was one of the most enthusiastic of the bunch, having dedicated years to deciphering Fenn’s clues, employing his analytical skills and even an ore-sniffing dog named Tucker in his pursuit.
Despite his extensive efforts, Posey did not locate the treasure before it was found by an anonymous searcher in 2020, later revealed to be medical student Jack Stuef.
The treasure was eventually put up for auction, and Posey put in an offer, but it was ultimately won by an anonymous buyer for more than $1.3 million. He did, however, manage to gain ownership of a few items of Fenn’s original treasure.
Ultimately, Posey and Stuef are the lucky ones, as are the others who made it out with their lives. Five people weren’t so lucky.
Randy Bilyeu was the first to die while looking for Fenn’s gold, having disappeared in 2016 before his remains were found along the Rio Grande.
The body of Paris Wallace, a pastor from Colorado, was also found near the New Mexico river in 2017. Jeff Murphy died from a fatal fall at Yellowstone National Park and Eric Ashby drowned in the Arkansas River that same year.
The last man to die during the search for Fenn’s gold was Michael Wayne Sexson, who became stranded at the Dinosaur National Monument national reserve in March 2020.
While Posey’s new treasure hunt has sparked excitement, Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that come with real-world treasure hunting.
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