treasure hunters on search for Forrest Fenn's treasure
Mindy and James

This is the fourteenth in a series on Six Questions with Searchers of The Thrill of the Chase Treasure Hunt by Forrest Fenn. Questions are asked and then answered by those who are enjoying Forrest’s dare!

(Read how you can participate) 

Six Questions with Mindy!

1)When did you first hear and learn about the Treasure Hunt?

I heard about it on the Today Show…I’d heard little bits about it before, that a man had wrote a book that supposedly would lead you to a treasure. After hearing about it a few times, I decided to check it out, and from there, it’s become so much fun…

 

treasure hunter2)What inspired you to become involved and begin searching?

Mostly, my son…and my love for puzzles and treasure hunting. Both me and my son are mildly autistic (high functioning Asperger’s), and the chase was a great way to bond and communicate.

 

3)What is your most favorite part about the Treasure Hunt so far?

hunting for forrest fenn treasureMy “most favorite” parts so far are that first trip to Colorado with my son…the memories we created will last forever.

And also the friendships, too. It’s been great meeting everyone and having fun times at Fennboree.

I’ve met a lot of awesome people, including my fiancé, James.

It’s also, after many years of a kind of dusty skepticism about the good in humanity, inspired me to write poetry again, and with that renewed passion, a new hope has planted it’s seed in my heart and brought a fresh joy into my life.

 

4)What is your least favorite part about the Treasure Hunt so far?

The fighting. The chase was made to unite, not divide.

 

treasure hunting for forrest fenn treasure5)What is the best or most unique thing you found while searching for Forrest Fenn’s treasure chest?

Memories. Every memory we make is unique, remembered by each individual soul in its own way. Those memories are priceless.

 

6) What more would you like to say?

Although our world’s reality may lack the gentle, misty dancing of fairies around a fire, and the noble, snow white purity of the unicorn, it is just as magical, with its moose and mountains and the sanctified colors of the rainbow that we can look forward to after the thunderstorms that batter the plains.

Finding that magic and marveling at nature’s awe-inspiring expressions has spurred my thoughts toward a blossoming hope that my children may experience the same wonder I have, and each make their own unique discoveries on their journey.

searching for the treasure chest of forrest fenn

 

Thanks Mindy for sharing your answers!  And a beautiful answer to Question Six…….  actually all of them!  Your kind heart shines through them all!   Love them!  Thanks again!

26 Comments

    1. Thanks, Jeremy,
      I don’t think F’s intent was for this treasure hunt to turn into a cutthroat, winner-be-glad, losers-so-sad kind of game. I don’t think he intended division among searchers, especially when one of his repeated quotes is “why can’t folks just leave each other alone?”

      F saw his share of bullying and fighting, and with the wisdom that comes to some with age, he saw that that kind of “cold” is not worth the effort.

      One of his early quotes about reasons he hid the chest was that kids today will be our future leaders, and the way things are heading, those children aren’t learning what they need to become good leaders–senators, congressmen, presidents. One reason for hiding the chest was his way of steering kids back onto the right course.

      And his method of doing that was getting families back to spending time with each other, uniting them. I don’t think he intended the treasure hunt to be a solitary effort to gain the treasure at the expense of everything and everyone else.

      I’m glad the treasure hunt continues to unite people today, and it was a heartwarming thing to see families and friends together at Fennboree. 🙂

      Mindy

      1. Whomever solves the clues and finds the treasure is going to get it, whether they’re the nicest person in the world, or the biggest jerk. That’s the reality, and he certainly knows that even if searchers don’t.

        I think he just put it out there to see if anyone could figure out the clues. The invitation is open to anyone, without requirement of being pure of heart. There’s no advantage to nice people. It’s not a reward for being good. It doesn’t favor families, or kids, or pacifists, or even people who agree with Fenn. It just is.

        There’s a treasure out there, some clues to find it, and if you can figure out the clues, it’s yours. That’s the sum total of any intent involved, I think, and I believe that’s supported by the things he wrote in his book and has said over the years. Everything else is projected on to it. The basic, core challenge of the treasure hunt has always been: Can YOU find it? It’s a personal, individual challenge.

        And yet…

        In spite of this, and probably to his great pleasure, many good interpersonal things have come out of the treasure hunt. Community, families sharing time together, people’s enjoyment. Really good, and unpredictable, things. Some bad, sure, but largely positive things, and a great many of them.

        These types of social good have come from what is essentially a personal challenge for individual people. I think that’s remarkable, and pretty cool.

        Congrats on your engagement 😉

        Jeremy P.

        1. Thanks, Jeremy. 🙂
          FWIW, I agree with you. All that’s required is that a person, good or bad or in between, figure out the clues. Anyone can find it.

          I guess “intent” wasn’t a good word choice on my part. Maybe a better way to explain it is that the book seems to speak a lot about a universial ideology of, if not brotherhood, maybe of just getting along.

          To me, that’s part of Forrest’s story–his maturing from the scapegoat kid who couldn’t pass a test (not because of being stupid, but the psychological issue of not being able to test well), the “second-favorite” son, the kid who thought hiding was better than interaction, and the kid who grew up to identify himself with Holden Caufield as kid–to a wise old guy who flirts with First Ladies, chills at Suzanne Sommers, and basically gets along fabulously with just about everyone he meets.

          He couldn’t do that without discovering something about himself along the way, and I think when he learned to like himself, the ball was set rolling for him to begin to like others too.

          Gosh, I know I’m explaining this really wrong, but I can’t think of another way to say it.

          Maybe it’s my inherent idealistic view on life that gives me my “gut feelings” on how F would like to see it play out. He did say he hopes someone deserving will be the finder. Now, to understand that, I just have to figure out which definition and in what context “deserving” is used. Lol.

          Sorry if I make no sense. It was a long busy day!

          Mindy

  10. Thank you for sharing Mindy. It is an enjoyable read when everlasting memories have been instilled into the hearts of searchers. I am looking forward to the day one finds the treasure because it will forever tie their story to Mr Fenn’s generosity of the chase. I think Mr. Fenn would rather have a positive ending then a skeptical one and would like to see the outcome. Hopefully this will be you.

    OH!

  13. I enjoyed reading your answers Mindy. Your contributions are always an interesting read. As a kid in the 70’s the medical world tried to explain to my mom that I was ADD or ADHD. My mom is a psychiatric nurse and flat out said to all of them that I have no deficiency but rather mental gifts. She refused their Ritalin prescription. My gravitar was said to have aspergers but look at what he accomplished. Keep on keeping on!

    Alsetenash

    1. One of my kids had ADHD pretty bad. The meds helped a lot once they got the right dosage figured out. But she was also going to a mental health clinic for her depression, and I went with her at one point. My wife had told me of her concerns that they were dwelling on suicide and our kid wasn’t suicidal at all. So I’m sitting there listening and the aid was going on and on about suicide, and I finally said “you know, you’re going to talk my daughter into suicide as an alternative.”
      Boy did the you-know-what hit the fan and I threw it right back at them. I took her and left, and cancelled the whole thing.
      My daughter couldn’t thank me enough.
      Today, she’s a health nut and working on becoming one of those exercise/health advisors. She’s become a real go-getter and very self reliant. She says she still has a little depression but it’s manageable and she uses herbs. No meds at all. She just took the bull by the horns and did it all herself.
      (Not a recommendation for everyone, part of it was that she simply outgrew some of it.)
      And I couldn’t be prouder!

      Buckeye Bob

      1. Thanks for sharing Buckeye Bob. Great story of victorious percerverance! Good on you for what you recognized and did. My dad had to tie my crib to the wall because I would rock it around the room lol. Hyper with a 5D imagination just causes boredom of the 3D world lol. Perhaps one of us will solve this poem and hunt!

        Alsetenash

        1. When I was young, my mom said I knew how to talk but I just wouldn’t until I was four.

          I didn’t go to preschool because I was WAY too shy.

          I was so picky with my food, my mom was always taking me to the doctor to make sure I wasn’t malnourished.

          The Awperger traits were strongest before I joined the AF. The training the AF puts you through tends to sensitize some prominent traits, although looking people in the eye was a tough one. And standing still in formation in 110 degree heat wasn’t my strong point.

          But I learned to adapt in many ways.

          But today, you wouldn’t know I have aspergers until you get to know me a little…:)

          Mindy

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