Found Treasure! The Outlaw Cache of the H Charles Beil hidden treasure caches has been found! Congrats to the whole team (image below)! I had the opportunity to catch up with Kevin Cramer of the team and ask him the following Six Questions! What a story, adventure, and well deserved ending! This is what treasure hunting is all about. Thanks Kevin… truly inspiring.

Enjoy! (More Six Q’s from other members coming soon)….

  • 1Q) When did you first hear about the Outlaw Cache and begin searching?

It was about 2 and a half or 3 years ago on a camping trip to Raccoon Creek State Park with most of the group that was involved with this hunt. We had all been Geocaching together many times (as a matter a fact that’s how most of us met was through Geocaching). Right before the trip I read an article about H and his treasures. While sitting around camp I mentioned it to the group and curiosity was peaked. The Outlaw cache hit our radar because it was in PA and if I’m not mistaken it just happened to be the one I read about first.

  • 2Q) What inspired you to decide it was the Outlaw Cache you and your gang would take down?

It didn’t take Brett long to figure out that it was in the Wistar area. Brett is one of the most gifted people I know when it comes to anything map related. Once he determined it was Wistar the game was on. Ray was also digging into pictures of the area and he came across the picture of H near a foundation holding the Outlaw. Ray then started to compare things in the background to other pictures and he knew we had the location down. The hunt was a level 4 of 5 difficulty and we were confident it would be ours.

  • 3Q) Can you share the clues that took you to that location? And was it an X marks the exact spot, or a more general area that the clues led you to?

This was definitely not an X marks the spot type of adventure. On our first trip we knew we had the location of the foundation and that gave us a pretty good idea where the ring rock should have been, but the water was too high that day for the rock to be found. We located the site where the photo of H was taken but no cache was to be found. All that was there was a New York State Quarter in the exact place where the photo was taken.

So we regrouped and read the clues over again and started from there. Where the roads diverge we split up the team a bit. Ray took the old tram tracks as far as he could counting the pace count, until he determined that all that was in front of him was a steeper climb and a lot more “UP”. The rest of us went on the other path which we found out was wrong. At this point we were just exploring and we knew we had done something wrong. We went for miles and miles. Eventually circling back to the top, and Brett looked at the map and thought the trail we were on may be an easier way back to the tracks so we continued on.

At some point we found the entrance to the old mine and realized this was the top of the path Ray was on earlier. We just took a very long way around. We began searching that area for a short time then decided to move on and come back another day. We continued down the path which lead to another foundation and a beautiful rock structure that Jared took an amazing photo of one of us standing on top of. We had given up on the hunt for the day but realized that this was not the best option for the way down and we back tracked to the mine and all the way down the tram tracks and out to the railroad tracks for a long walk back to the car. About 18 miles round trip if memory serves me.

We returned many times over the next couple years and always to the same end. We knew we were missing something but it kept escaping us. H had done an interview on YouTube where he said about having a picture of one of us within ten feet of the cache. Ray sent me the clip of the interview and I knew what photo he had to be referring to. The one that Jared took over 2 years earlier. We went back with our minds laser focused on that area. Dan and Brett are like mountain goats and nothing was stopping them from getting to the top. They got there will before the rest of us. We all searched and searched. We started thinking of other possibilities. Then Lynn yells COME QUICK!!!! and in the exact spot Dan,Brett,Ray, Jared,Kim, and myself had looked many times in the past, she brings the Outlaw into custody.

Proving once again no area is ever truly hunted out.

  • 4Q) What did you enjoy most about the search? And while searching the location, did you find any other unique items?

Personally I loved the time we spent together as a group of friends. I’ve made new friends along the way that were not part of this group at the beginning, but I would never think to not have them along for the next ride.

Did I find any other unique items? Yes I found that for me this wasn’t about the treasure. We said from the day 1 of the hunt that it would be nice to move the cache on to another place and continue the story for someone else. Now reality has set in and we are dealing with the Covid 19 pandemic. I am one of the lucky ones and my job was not affected so I was able to continue working. Not all of this group was that lucky.

We have not found the value of this treasure yet, but I will not be taking a share of it. My girls made me a wonderful gift when they heard that this was found and took a small jar and filled it with coins they had in their collection and put charms on the jar that say found with the date and 4 skull charms representing the difficulty level that was on the map. That is all I want. I will do as I said and find some other treasure and continue this story. Right now I think it will be the next fictional chapter about a future member of the Davy Lewis family. I hope my friends will all take part in making the next chapter a thrill for someone else.

  • 5Q) What did you enjoy least about the search?

This one is easy to answer- all the “UP” that was involved in getting up the mountain.

  • 6Q) Since this Cache is found, is there another cache or hunt you have your sights? As a finder of one of H’s hidden TreasureMan Caches, do you have advice on how to go about finding them?

Yes we are looking at Woodsy Swamp and The Lost Cross. Advice? Yes. Don’t give up and if an area feels right don’t stop looking. We all looked at this spot where the Outlaw was hidden many times, but Lynn just looked at it a different way. Also when you find a TreasureMan Cache realize the treasure is with whom you are with and lets take some memories and move it along for the next person.

I don’t want as many “things” in my life anymore, I want experiences. This is one I will never forget. Thank You H. Charles Beil You have no idea the treasure you have really given me.

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