New Clue Offered in New Mexico Treasure Hunt

Several years ago a millionaire placed a treasure chest of gold, jewelery, etc out in the wilderness and provided clues in a book he wrote.  More recently NBC has featured this hunt over the last couple of months on the Today show.

Today a new clue was provided and you can see the clip and the story of a hunter who got stranded in a storm overnight looking for the treasure.

I have a special interest in this story for several reasons:  I love hiking in the desert, my brother lives in Santa Fe, and like all of us I love a good treasure hunt (but on a much smaller scale !). I'll be in Santa Fe this summer for a visit, but since the better half is also taking this trip only the hiking part will take place...no treasure hunting.

I should also tell you that the "clues" provided are pretty obscure...the two new ones released on the Today show in Feb and March, 2013 do little or nothing to help. They simply rule out a couple of things. One dealt with altitude of the treasure chest placement and the other with the fact it was not in a structure.

Several years ago a millionaire placed a treasure chest of gold, jewelery, etc out in the wilderness and provided clues in a book he wrote.

Been there, done that, back in 96.

en(dot)wikipedia(dot)org/wiki/Treasure_Quest_(game)

So, from the sound of it there was no cash prize to be found. In the treasure hunt mentioned in the original post here there is a quantity of gold, etc in a real chest somewhere hidden outdoors.

While the odds of finding it are high, I doubt they are 175 million to 1 like the recent PowerBall lottery.

Part of the quest for this treasure is self-realization and exploring the outdoors. The young woman who got stranded overnight had an adventure and came out of it safely. So far no one has been hurt looking for that treasure. One fellow has made twenty outings looking for it....so far, nada.

Yeah, this time. What happens if the next one isn't so lucky?

Then, like auction buyers, they pay the price for their indiscretion. Nothing in life is guaranteed...not even life. Earthquakes, hurricanes, lightning, winning the PowerBall, slipping on a trail. Some of these things are in our control and some not.

If the clues were better I would make an effort to find the treasure, but as they are the chest could be anywhere from Yellowstone Nat Park (or nearby at least) to the Santa Fe area.  The benefit for me would be new trails and outdoor experiences. If the treasure was in California I would truly make more of an effort, but Santa Fe and the other possible locations are a stretch.

It would be neat if someone found it.

No, it would be disappointing if "someone" found it,
it would be "neat" if "I" found it!

No, it would be disappointing if "someone" found it,
it would be "neat" if "I" found it!

It will be a miracle if anyone finds it. The clues (widely available on the internet) could mean a lot of different things.

Still, it's fun  to imagine finding it and the exploring alone would be worthwhile. Walking a trail is a lot more fun (IMO) than cleaning out a locker (or at least MOST lockers).

So is this guy dragging this out for publicity for his book?

So is this guy dragging this out for publicity for his book?

No, not everyone has that motivation. 

He is wealthy like Gates, Buffett, etc (I don't know the exact figure) and has nothing to gain in that regard.

The book is only available at one place...a store in Santa Fe which he sold years ago. Any proceeds go to a charity.

He professess that he wants to get people off the couch and away from cell phones, etc and enjoy the outdoors and maybe discover something about themselves they didn't already know.