Forrest Fenn’s Scrapbook 213 came out at perfect timing. Fall has arrived, and with things slowing down for myself, I was just discussing with my husband how TTCP should progress. As some of you may know, The Treasure Chest Project is a public spirited mission to inspire the Quest, hide Treasures, and pass the X-Citement. It is to give smiles.
Some of you may also remember, Forrest had given me a few small ‘Treasures from his Vault’ to offer in this Project. (More on that below)
Lots of ‘Treasure Chests’ are being hidden across the states, some out of country, since the weeks MW shared the project in August (see the gallery on TTCP). However, even though the ‘Treasure Chests’ with contact information are placed to be randomly found, and they are (since many are now missing), finders of the Treasure Chests have not come forth to announce their discoveries as some hiders expected. I was hearing this caused disappointment for some.
Now, the purpose of hiding the Treasure Chests is never for acknowledgment. They are hidden to give a smile to a random finder, and I’m sure they do. All those who hid a ‘Treasure Chest’ should be happy about that– as that is the foremost mission of TTCP. To Give a Smile. Which is so very similar to what Forrest Fenn’s Scrapbook 213 shared. It was wonderful to be reminded of this while working on the upcoming TTCP/ MW Treasure Hunts (more below!)
In Forrest Fenn’s Scrapbook, in his placing of leaves inside books, he said:
“Then I place each inside the cover of a book to dry out and wait for some smiling face to find it in the far-distant future.
You should do that too. It’s a way to leave your mark on history and someday cause a smile. Please don’t underestimate your importance. What fun it would be to find an old book with a leaf that George Washington had signed.“
That is so much what The Treasure Chest Project’s purpose is and DOES!- it is for spreading smiles around, not by placing leaves in books, but by hiding ‘Treasure Chests’. They aren’t meant to be ‘extravagant’ or expensive Treasure Chests, just little gifts to give smiles. Many of the ‘Treasure Chests’ I hid contained just a Presidential Dollar Coin with a MW Token or other small item.
A few others included some larger items. I enjoy hiding these. Often they are placed in either Geocaches or other discreet places for a ‘finder’ to come along- AND GIVE A SMILE TO! 🙂 (see the gallery on TTCP)
Whether we hear from the finders or not, doesn’t matter. We still love hiding the tiny Treasure Chests. I, and others, hid these tiny gifts to be found before the TTCP was formalized—before they contained any contact information inside for that possible added BONUS!
I know the ‘treasures chests’ are sharing smiles, and that is what is important. Exactly like it was mentioned in Forrest Fenn’s Scrapbook.
All who want to participate, realizing you may never know who might find your gift, but knowing you are sharing smiles, is encouraged to do so through the TTCP. Sure it will be great to hear from those who find them, and I’m sure eventually we will hear from some finders, but it is the giving that matters first.
As mentioned above, Forrest had actually given me a few ‘treasures from his vault’ to use in sharing this project. These ‘treasures’ will not be randomly hidden, however. FREE TTCP/ MW Treasure Hunts begin November 10, 2019 (X Marks the Day). Clues will be given to ‘virtual’ placed Treasure Chests. These will be ‘Treasure Hunt Puzzles’ to solve that will be fully armchair. There won’t be a need to physically go to the location.
The prize for TTCP/ MW Treasure Hunt #1 is a Milagro Charm from Forrest Fenn’s Vault. More details to come. Join the MW Treasure Hunt Facebook Group or subscribe to the MW Newsletter for updates.
And last but not least!
Congrats to Michele Toso!
Earlier I had announced that one special ‘Treasure from Forrest Fenn’s Vault’ would be given away in a drawing for those who participated and posted or emailed me images of their hidden ‘Treasure Chests’ at the launch of the project.
A drawing was held from those posted on the Facebook page or emailed to me. Congrats to Michele Toso who won that drawing! She will receive ‘Mammoth Hair’ from the Vault of Forrest Fenn!
I will be releasing The Treasure Chest Project’s /MW Treasure Hunt Puzzles, one each month beginning in November. X Marks the Day! The prizes are tiny treasures from Forrest Fenn Vault.
Stay Tuned!
Until then Share a treasure! AND A SMILE…..
Hi Jenny, are any of the tiny chests in Texas?
I am looking forward to arm-chairing the TTCP/ MW Treasure Hunt! Thank you Jenny and Forrest!
I have been hiking, and exploring, the Rockies, and the Great American West, the Sonoran and Chihuahuan and California, and Nevada, Utah, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona High Deserts, since I was 10 years old, in 1976. I have spent thousands of hours visiting with the Old Grandfathers, and Grandmothers and the little children, with their Little Stone Fetishes and Katsinas, and other hand-made gifts they receive, to learn of their Tribal Heritage, and way of life, of the Zuni, Hopi, Tewa, Ute, Paiute, Tohono O’odham, Pima, Pascua Yaqui, Comanche, Chiricahua, Mescalero, Navajo Dine, White Mountain Apache, San Carlos Apache, Tonto Apache, Acoma, Tigua, Taos, Hualapai, Havasupai, Arapahoe, Shoshoni, Sioux, Cherokee, Santee and tribes whose names I’ve forgotten ..
I have a collection of .. hundreds .. thousands .. of pure turquoise rock [natural, not the man-made crap], Turquoise and Sterling Silver bracelets and belt buckles and rings and necklaces and watch-bands and Bolo Ties, hand-carved stone fetishes, miniature wooden fetishes and totems, Katsina Dolls, Sand Paintings, hand-painted pottery jars, cups, dream-weavers, woven Baskets, stone Eagles, Turtles, Horny Toads, Bears, Coyotes, hand-carved sea-shells, carved bone, leather, beaded jewelry, oil and water paintings – all of them preciously stored and maintained, with who and where and when I got them from ..
Somewhere in about 1997, I started driving around the country, and stopping at public areas – rest stops with a sense of Natural surroundings – you know, the ones that aren’t just concrete along the side of a highway – ones that are a little nicer, and more relaxing, with native ground cover and trees and cactus and a little bit of Natural shade, where you can lay down and catch a 2 or 3 hour nap in the cool, refreshing breeze; campsites, parks, monuments – places that generally didn’t have a lot of people hanging around, but, yet, belong to everyone, equally – and I started hiding – secreting away – lost little gems that I had found in the desert, or in the mountains, during the previous 20 years – gold and silver ore from washes and old mines that I had explored, raw turquoise that I found, gold and silver jewelry, [modern “1970s or ’80s”] turquoise-and sterling jewelry, wedding bands: things of intrinsic and artistic value that would last in the elements until someone found them; a few indian artifacts I had found I returned to the nearest reservation – not knowing exactly which formerly local Tribe that got force-relocated by the US GOV they rightfully belonged to, or how ancient they might be; the Sobaipuri, after all, are all but gone: murdered – slaughtered – by Wyatt Earp and his Racist Gang of Thugs, and the remnants absorbed into the Tohono O’Odham 130 or 40 years ago – and 45 Miles from their Native Homeland along the San Pedro River, and the Chiricahua living hundreds of miles away from their Native homeland ..
I have done this .. [almost] .. every year since 1997 – in road trips from Springfield, Minnesota to Huntsville, and Mobile and Theodore and Dauphin Island, Alabama; and from there to Gulf Shores, Florida and back; and Alabama back to Springfield, Minnesota; in road trips from Alabama to San Antonio, Texas, San Antonio to Tucson, San Antonio to Corpus Christi, From San Antonio to The Big Bend Region of Texas, From Tucson to Utah south of I-70 [never get too close to the Temple Cult of the Mormons], from Las Cruces, NM to Red Canyon, Colorado, the White Mountains of Northern AZ, the West Side of the Rockies, from Cortez to Grand Junction, CO, from Cortez to Leadville, CO; the Tucson Mts, The Catalina Mtns, The Rincon Mtns, The Bisbee Mtns, the “Trail” from Benson to San Manuel, AZ, someplace near Niobrara, Nebraska, someplace near Grand Meadow, Iowa, someplace near the F-15 from Minot, ND, someplace near Mapleton, ND, someplace near the crash of a Minot F-15 at Alamogordo, NM .. at each one of these places, I sat under a tree, or a shaded wooden table, casually relaxing, and taking in the surrounding sights, as I slowly carved [engraved] my name into a small, palm-sized native rock, and left it “near” where I had secreted away the little treasure gift ..
I have no idea if anyone’s ever found any of these man-made works of art, or the rocks with my name on it — it makes no difference to me if they are ever found .. Because My Communion is with Nature, and with the Plants and the Animals and the Rocks who live on this Earth with us – the only earthlings destroying our own ecosystem for profit and political power over the tired and poor masses yearning to be free .. // .. And unlike the Lying, Scheming, Greedy, Power-Hungry Wyatt Earp and brothers – who’s only famous as a “hero” ’cause he lived long enough to see Hollywood, and sell his fraud of a story to a screenwriter – I don’t need to be rich or famous off the slaughter of 10 Million Bison – or the 10 Million Saguaro Cactus that are slowing dying – all because there’s Too Many People in the Tucson Desert Valley choking the air with smog and tramping over their shallow, sensitive roots – if it’s going to wipe them out, or act to destroy our planet Earth ..
With Wealth .. Comes Responsibility – To the Planet, as a Whole ..
Brad ..