Justin Posey Six Questions! The Hunt for a million-dollar treasure – hidden somewhere in the American West has launched! Clues to find the treasure are in a poem – with others inside the book – Beyond the Map’s Edge (available on Amazon) and in the Netflix Gold & Greed Documentary.
Justin was one of the searchers featured in the Netflix Documentary. He searched for the Forrest Fenn treasure for numerous years and purchased the Fenn Treasure after it was found by Jack Stuef in 2020. (Previous Six Questions with Justin about that).
Inspired by the Forrest Fenn treasure hunt, and having items originally from the Fenn Treasure, he decided to create his own hunt for treasure. Let’s learn more!
(Join discussions on the MW Discord or MW Forum)
Six Questions with Justin:
- 1Q) Congrats Justin on releasing your book and treasure hunt – Beyond the Map’s Edge! When did you decide to make a treasure hunt? Was it only after the discovery and purchase of the Forrest Fenn treasure chest or had thoughts of creating one crept in while searching for his treasure? What were the deciding factors to create it? Did you keep with 9 clues in the poem or how many are there?
Thank you, Jenny! It’s been a long time coming. I had idle thoughts of hiding a treasure throughout the search for Forrest Fenn’s treasure. I got serious about hiding the treasure around the middle of 2022, and I hid the treasure in 2023. Creating this hunt has been therapeutic, like an elaborate form of closure that most people might achieve through therapy or prescription medication, but I chose to express through hidden valuables and cryptic verse.
The poem contains at least ten clues. Ten breadcrumbs leading to my container of wonders.
- 2Q) What advice would you give to new searchers who are unfamiliar with any past hunts? Is the treasure hidden along a trail or is it completely off trail that searchers need to learn how to navigate in the wild, so to speak?
No fancy equipment needed for my treasure hunt, folks, unlike some other treasure hunts where you practically need a Ph.D. in Cryptozoology. Previous treasure-hunting experience? Irrelevant.
The treasure isn’t lurking near any trail, either. I didn’t want it to be one of those situations where hikers accidentally stumble upon it while looking for a discreet place to relieve themselves. That would ruin the whole point of a hunt, wouldn’t it?
- 3Q) You say all essential clues are in the poem. However, as you know, Forrest Fenn’s poem was quite ambiguous, and could lead searchers to multiple locations. How will your poem differ? How or when will a searcher know they have the correct meaning to a clue? Also, is there any word play in the poem – that while not necessarily ‘red herrings’ – discovering their true meanings may be difficult.
As an engineer by training, I approach puzzles with the same meticulous precision I once applied to arranging the condiments in my refrigerator—alphabetically, then by expiration date, then by personal preference. My treasure hunt has a built-in checkpoint that will give you that reassuring feeling of “Yes, I’m not completely lost and wasting more precious vacation days on a wild goose chase.”
I did, however, try to balance my natural inclination toward exactitude with the requirement to actually leave one’s house. Because let’s face it, there’s only so much adventure to be had while sitting at a computer, aggressively Googling while crumbs from breakfast accumulate in your keyboard crevices.
- 4Q) It’s been mentioned there are clues in both the book and the Netflix Gold & Greed documentary. Since these clues are not ‘necessary’ – how would you describe them? When will a searcher know they have found/solved one?
There are some good hints in the series, but I needed a safety net in case Netflix told me to go jump in a lake after I dropped the bombshell on them that I had hid clues during filming. I had to consider the outcome where ALL of my clues were edited out of the series. I had exclusive creative control over my book, so I put many eggs in that basket, so to speak.
Someone technically might be able to crack the poem in isolation…much like how my friend claims he can identify any wine while blindfolded, despite once confidently declaring a bottle of Welch’s grape juice to be “an insolent little Bordeaux with notes of pretension.”
- 5Q) Does writing the book- Beyond the Map’s Edge – help bring closure to the chase for you? How did you feel writing the book, creating the hunt, participating in the Netflix Documentary, and now releasing it all out there? Exhilaration, relief? Do you have any regrets, fears, or concerns, especially knowing some of the dangerous aspects which occurred in Forrest’s hunt?
They say never write a book as therapy, but I’ve never been one for conventional wisdom. Writing “Beyond the Map’s Edge” was a surprisingly cathartic experience.
I feel a sense of relief washing over me now that the treasure hunt is out in the world for people to enjoy.
I’ve done everything I can to ensure this is a safe experience for everyone. Nothing dangerous is required to find the treasure. I implore everyone to review the Safety Guidelines (https://treasure.quest/safety) and not take any risks in the wilderness. Remember — nature demands respect!
- 6Q) Your hunt/book has been released. Any surprises to date? Seeing how things are taking off, do you feel your treasure will be found sooner or later than first expected? What would you like to say to searchers of your treasure? What do you want them to experience?
The response has been far beyond what I ever imagined. I had it in my mind that “Gold & Greed” would end up being a niche documentary that would mainly be of interest to a small community of searchers.
Instead, it’s ignited a passion in so many people that my inboxes have become a living entity, demanding food and attention. I have received over a thousand messages per hour, and it is not possible for me to respond to everyone. Please know I am not ignoring you. The outpouring of messages has been almost all positive, and I’m beyond ecstatic to feel the excitement in the air!
I hope the hunt lasts at least a few months so that many people get to experience that childhood thrill of discovery, like finding money in the pocket of your winter coat or realizing there’s one more cookie in the package you thought was empty. Beyond that, I’m ambivalent about its timeline. It could be found quickly or it may take a while.
Please know that I’m genuinely grateful for your support. I’m excited for you all to get out there and explore—to trade your computer screens for hiking boots, if only temporarily. Good luck and happy hunting!
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