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Since 2013, each February 4th, Forrest Fenn and I would share our Six Questions, and Answers. The day is always special to the Chase, and us; we enjoyed doing them for the Searchers. Although we did some Questions on the Sixth of January in 2020, the last official Six Questions with Forrest was in 2019.
As many of you know, Sixer is my nickname, and is what inspired Six Questions. Since it’s my name, it’s actually what I do. I do Six Things. They are Six/My questions, which also happened to be the amount. So for this February 4th, I thought it would be fun to share some background stories on the Questions and the Top Six Questions with Forrest from the past years.
The first set of Six Questions was done with Forrest BEFORE the Chase hit the Today Show at the end of February 2013. Before this TV appearance, it was mostly a quiet hunt with a few searchers mainly posting on Dal’s site. Although I was aware of the Chase, I was working on another treasure mystery involving the Lost Temple Treasure. I kept tabs on The Thrill of the Chase though.
And at the end of 2012, I asked Forrest if he wanted to do a MW Six Questions. I had done other Six Q’s for my website, but this was the start of Six Questions with Forrest- on the 4th.
The process with Forrest was I emailed him the Q’s I was thinking of asking. Sometimes Forrest would tweak a few wordings or discard questions. I would then send others to replace any completely discarded questions. He liked talking some about the Chase, but more about his life in the segment. And he never liked direct-Tell Us Where It Is Type Questions’. Those would ruin the Chase and we both respected and loved the Chase.
Through the years, I’ve heard many times ‘you should have asked this or put it this way’. I just smile and think ‘tell Forrest that.’ It’s not like any question was going to trick him to revealing something he didn’t want to say. He said what he wanted, regardless of the Questions asked. I was appreciative for all that he shared.
Those who couldn’t appreciate the time Forrest gave us, in answering any question, were sadly missing the point. To call the questions boring emphasizes the complete lack of respect for the Chase, and Forrest’s Time. Especially the most recent 2020 Q/A’s. He was giving us his thoughts, and taking away from something he values most- his time.
The Chase is more than- ‘give me give me Forrest-tell me a clue for where the chest is.’ It’s about learning, understanding, exploring, and enjoying everything around us and the opportunities the Chase has to offer. It’s about appreciation and finding contentment with the Chase. That wonderful balance of nature and life.
Forrest wrote the preface in my book, Armchair Treasure Hunts. In it he says,
“Isn’t it amazing that contentment often comes once you realize the world is meant for continuous searching? When you are content with all the search has to offer, you know there is no end. And you can meet it with peace.”
I always appreciate anything Forrest has to say. For I feel, if we come to understand the man more, through his words and life’s events, even if they aren’t Chase related, we might come to understand the Poem more.
The Six Questions with Forrest were always the result of both of us working together. They often got edited right up until they were posted.
For instance, the ‘Gut Feeling’ sentence of the 2018 Six Questions was added by Forrest at the last minute.
Another last minute edit off the top of head was the boy from the US. That became The Kid from Penasco. Forrest didn’t like my ‘generality’, so he defined who this boy was. The Little Girl in India was a Six Q/MW creation, but the Kid from Penasco was Forrest’s.
Below are the Six Top Questions with Forrest (and some commentary after each):
1)From 2013. The very first Six Questions.
- Q) From receiving feedback on hunter’s ideas and methods about how to discover the location of the chest, do you feel confident your method in hiding the chest will eventually be understood and the chest be found? Please know, I am not asking for any specifics. My question is more like, do you still feel your poem will lead someone to the treasure?
A)The person who finds the treasure will have studied the poem over and over, and thought, and analyzed and moved with confidence. Nothing about it will be accidental. T. S. Eliot said:
We shall not cease from our exploration
And at the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time
Commentary:
Along with the quote, “They never knew that it was the chase they sought and not the quarry”, which was from Q6 of this set, I loved how it positions the Chase – The Treasure is out there to find for the person who Chases it. It will not be a random find.
As part of the first Six Questions, this was perfect. It said, Treasure the Adventure. And I know we all are!
2)From 2014. A Word that is Key
- Q) My previous 6 questions were asked shortly before last year’s February 27th segment of the Today Show. Reporting on your extraordinary treasure hunt, it resulted in an explosion of new seekers from all across the world. What are some of your thoughts about the flurry of activity over the past year? Did the excitement towards the Chase surprise you in any way? Does it make you think the chest might be found earlier than first thought?
A) It is interesting to know that a great number of people are out there searching. Many are giving serious thought to the clues in my poem, but only a few are in tight focus with a word that is key. The treasure may be discovered sooner than I anticipated.
Commentary:
Although we’ve heard much about a word that is key, it was here it first got lots of attention. What I find interesting is before he says, ‘but only a few are in tight focus with a word that is key’, he mentions, ‘many are giving serious thought to the clues in my poem’. This first part is often left out, but along with the timing of this statement, I think it helps define ‘where’ this word that is key is at in the poem.
From the MW Forum, I recently posted:
In the second set of Six Questions, after the onslaught of searchers, Forrest mentioned a few were in tight focus with a word that is key. I’m sure we all know that quote by now, but the timing was around when searchers were moving in on the treasure. The 500 ft mark soon became 200 feet.
It seems possible those who were in tight focus with a word that was key at the time were those searchers keeping with the first two clues, exploring from there, getting closer maybe, instead of bouncing from spot to spot. They were in tight focus ‘on something’. For this reason, the word that is key might be a word that helps identify or confirm the location of the first two clues.
This word could be ‘Warm’. (here is more on those thoughts)
3)From 2016: Little Girl In India
- Q) Your treasure hunt has inspired people worldwide to discover history, culture and nature, but many people, (even in the US) might be deterred because they don’t live near the Rockies or can’t afford to travel. Should they be deterred? Can a little girl in India, who speaks good English, but only has your poem and a map of the US Rocky Mountains, work out where the treasure is? And would she be confident as she solves each clue, or only confident when she has solved them all?
A)I wish I had another treasure to hide in the Appalachians. The little girl in India cannot get closer than the first two clues. There are many disabled people who are deeply into maps and geography, and they are having a lot of fun.
Commentary:
This is top for many reasons. One of which it is this Q/A that inspired the Forrest Fenn Gold Medallion Treasure Hunts and those hunts to be mainly in the Appalachians. It was helping Forrest make his wish a reality. Dal and I were so honored to be able to make that happen, with Forrest approving of the creation of 50 limited Medallions for the hunts. (more here on that)
But this Q/A also seems to say, Boots on the Ground is needed. And depending on how you personally number the clues, but for many who number WWWH as 1 and Canyon Down as 2, it seems to suggest that the home of Brown might not be found/labeled on a map. I suppose you can say all land is on a map, but not all is labeled on a map. It begs the Q, does Home of Brown need BOTG to discover?
Either way, with the following from Forrest in the 2018 Q’s, we know Boots on the Ground is required to complete the Chase. One of Forrest’s Answers of that set was:
A)It helps to know something about Rocky Mountain geography when making plans to search for my treasure. Rocking chair ideas can lead one to the first few clues, but a physical presence is needed to complete the solve. Google Earth cannot help with the last clue.
4Q) From 2017: Marry the Clues to a Place on a Map
- Q) Even today, after more than six years of people searching, and after all the news coverage, articles, and stories written about your secreted treasure, some people are just learning about your Thrill of the Chase treasure hunt and getting involved. It continues to inspire. Do you have any advice for these new people? How should they begin the search six years after so many others? Do you feel they are at any disadvantage?
A)No, fresh eyes and new thinking might provoke a winning idea. I would advise new searchers to look for the clues in my poem and try to marry them to a place on a map. It seems like the longer one thinks about the search the more they complicate the problem.
Commentary:
There have been MW Featured Questions which say much the same thing. The Poem is a map. The Clues lead to Geographic Locations. If we can marry the clues in the Poem to a place on a map, it will lead us right straight to the treasure. Within several feet. Going from Place to Place.
And don’t complicate it. Simplify. (I’ll list these in another post later)
5Q)From 2016: Reminder it is Real and NOT in a dangerous Place
- Q) The Thrill of the Chase has become part of many people’s lives. People from across the world are searching for your treasure and are determined to not stop searching until it is found. They are fully enjoying the Thrill of the Chase and are in for the long term, if need be. What thoughts, advice, reminders, etc. would you like to most offer them?
A)I applaud those who are staying in the search, and enjoying what nature has to offer. I will reiterate that the story is real, the chest is where I left it, and it is not in a dangerous place. At age 85 I could go back and get it. But any place can become dangerous for anyone who violates the common sense rules of the chase. Stay out of the mountains in the winter time when it is cold and snow covers the ground.f
Commentary:
This Q/A was important for the time, and even moreso now. Although Forrest had said it many times, it’s not in a dangerous place, it needs mentioned time and time again.
Also in need, unfortunately, of mentioning time and time again is the treasure is real and out there to be found, even though lots of ‘people’ (I won’t call them searchers) claim it is a hoax or already found.
There will always be those who feel defeated and claim foul play. Ignore them and continue on. It’s The Thrill of the Chase not The Agony of Defeat.
6Q)From 2019: The last Six Questions and the Last Q:
- Q) We come to the last question of Six Questions. Question 42. I must give you the opportunity to offer any final words for them. What would you like most to say about the Chase or to Searchers?
A)Jenny, since these will be my last words on 6 Questions, I would like to thank you for asking me to participate. It has been an enjoyable thinking experience over the years.
I want to thank those of you who make up the community of searchers. It would be nice to meet each of you personally and share a bottle of Grapette. But, alas, it is not to be. I have decided to drastically curtail my social activities related to the chase.
The number of emails that enter my inbox each day have become more than I can handle, so it is time for me to step back from my computer. I hope those to whom I cannot respond will blame my stamina, and not my heart.
I’m content with knowing the Chase has rooted itself in hearts that will help it grow far beyond what I first imagined it could. I’ll be enjoying much of my time playing with my little dog Willie and watching the seasons pass.
Good luck and safe passage to all of you. f
Commentary:
It is clear Forrest has a love for the Chase and appreciates us Searchers. It has always been my and MW’s main goal to show appreciation and respect in return. I hope it is yours too.
I hope you enjoyed those Top Six Questions.