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JANUARY 2013
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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
wilderness to die. That could trigger a
hunt of its own, spark some excitement;
one day an intrepid searcher would find
his bones and his treasure and learn who
he was, think kindly of him. His memory
would live on.
It seemed like a perfect plan. Except
for one hitch.
Fenn didn’t die.
FORREST FENN’S CANCER
went into
remission—and it stayed that way. As
a result, he didn’t quite get around to
burying that treasure. More than a dozen
years passed.
Then, in 2010, Fenn turned 80, and the
milestone spurred him back into action.
“
I had this treasure chest full of gold and
jewels just burning a hole inmy vault,” he
says. “So I decided to go ahead and hide
it somewhere in the mountains north of
Santa Fe, leaving clues onhow to find it for
any searcher willing to try.”
The clues are encoded in the memoir
he self-published that year,
The Thrill
of the Chase
.
There are nine of them, all
contained in a single poem Fenn wrote.
As I have gone alone in there
And with my treasures bold,
I can keep my secret where,
And hint of riches new and old.
Begin it where warmwaters halt
And take it in the canyons down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown.
From there it’s no place for the meek,
The end is ever drawing nigh;
There’ll be no paddle up your creek,
Just heavy loads and water high.
If you’ve beenwise and found the blaze,
Look quickly down, your quest to cease,
But tarry scant with marvel gaze,
Just take the chest and go in peace.
So why is it that I must go
And leave my trove for all to seek?
The answer I already know,
I’ve done it tired, and now I’mweak.
So hear me all and listen good,
Your effort will be worth the cold.
If you are brave and in the wood
I give you title to the gold.
As word spread about what Fenn had
done, treasure hunters rushed to Santa
Fe. Based on the 5,000-plus emails he
has received about the treasure, he esti-
mates that more than 1,000 people have
searched for it, though he assumes there
must be others out there that he doesn’t
know about.
Manywho contact Fenn are looking for
a li le extra help; others simply want to
share their stories. “Dear Mr. Fenn,” wrote
one, “we don’t think we will find the trea-
sure chest but I just want to thank you for
ge ingme andmy family off of the couch
andout into themountains.” Anotherman
told of how he went out to look with his
grown son. The two slept in a van and
talked about their hopes for the future.
They gaveup the searcha er twodays, but
it wasn’t a wasted effort, the father wrote.
“
If it hadn’t been for the book, my son and
Iwouldnever have had this
time with each other.”
Which isn’t to say the
quest should be under-
taken lightly. “There
are dangers involved,”
Fenn says. “Things can
complicate the search—
earthquakes, mudslides,
forest fires, floods, trees,
falling rocks. There are those who have
been at risk inwaterwhen they a empted
to searchsomeplacewhere itwasnot really
safe to go. Some have not beenprepared to
face the elements a er they parked their
car and startedwalking. Some have lacked
the proper clothing, food and water.”
One eager individual donned scuba
gear and swam along the bottom of a
murky lake until he almost ran out of air.
Another “rode 28 miles on a bicycle in the
snow and almost froze a er ge ing wet,”
Fenn says.
Still, the treasure hunters keep com-
ing. One Chicago couple, for instance, has
traveled to New Mexico 14 times to look
for Fenn’s prize. (In an email, the wife
told Fenn, “We are experts on where the
treasure is
not
.”)
“
What serious adventurers should
remember,” Fenn
DANIEL NADELBACH (COLLECTION), STYLING BY GILDA MEYER-NIEHOF; COURTESY FORREST FENN (GALLERY)
BOARDING PASS
To try your hand at unearthing
Forrest Fenn’s treasure—or to simply soak up the scenery
and culture of the famed Southwest—make tracks for
NewMexico with United. The airline flies to Albuquer-
que from its U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston,
Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., which
connect with hundreds of cities worldwide.
For more
information or to book your flight, go to united.com.
HAND OF THE CURATOR
From left, Forrest Fenn and wife Peggy at Fenn Gallery in 1978; a peek at
Fenn’s museum-quality personal collection, which includes many rare Native American crafts
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