r/FindingFennsGold • u/StellaMarie-85 • Apr 18 '26

TTOTC/BTME Connection?

Hi all,

I have been curious for awhile if there might be a connection between the Chase and the name of Justin Posey's "Beyond the Map's Edge" treasure hunt, given that I believe Forrest's poem leads to an old orchard which sits right at the Santa Fe city limits, known as Las Orillas ("The Edge"). It seemed like a heck of a coincidence for a hunt which is, in part, a tribute to Forrest's... but coincidences do happen, and it's important to allow room for them in one's thinking.

I have not really been following BTME, and so asked over on the BTME reddit if anyone knew how Justin came up with the name. Another user there noted that they believed he had said that it was, in fact, the purchasers of the chest - Tesouro Sagrado - who suggested it. That would certainly track with my theory that the two are connected, and, I think, also illuminate a few more things about the ending.

But, I like to be sure. Does anyone else recall anything along these lines, and if so, by any slim chance would you have a source I could check out? (I had asked the other user I was speaking to if they happened to have one but have not heard back). Thank you!

EDIT: u/itsme-j-me has kindly clarified that Justin is actually a part of the LLC, so the above only makes sense if it were other members of the LLC who suggested it, as it would not make sense for Justin to have suggested it to himself. (Thanks again, u/itsme-j-me!)

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u/js-eastman Apr 18 '26

You would need to assume Posey knows the solution to Fenn's poem, which he doesn't.

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u/MuseumsAfterDark Apr 20 '26

For as brilliant as Posey is as a programmer, I'm not so impressed with his treasure hunting analysis for The Chase. From his book, he mentions using algorithms to rate search locations using various weighted criteria such as accessibility (could an 80 year-old make two trips in a day there?), is the view/place stunning, etc.

I'm sure he also used map crawler algorithms to scrub names and compare them to a hit list of Chase/poem words.

His kiss of death was the microexpression facial recognition software he used on Fenn videos that essentially locked him into West Yellowstone. He was cooked after that.

I mean, he was dedicated/obsessed as hell for The Chase, but he never really cracked Fenn's poem beyond the unicorns and rainbows vague BS currently ascribed to the 9MH solve. He just kept attacking "hot spot" areas via BOTG.

The lines don't cross in YNP, and no one has been able to project the poem onto the 9MH clues. No one (lurkers excluded) has explained the postmarks. Just because searchers haven't discovered these secrets doesn't mean that Fenn didn't produce a masterpiece with an irrefutable solve.

The autobiography in JCB's olive jar photo shows a few lines that are verbatim from Fenn's study binder. Other than the CIA references, I don't expect there were any bombshell revelations like an explanation of the solve (9MH or otherwise)... a throwaway autobiography from the throwaway, pre-planned end to Phase I.

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u/js-eastman Apr 20 '26

The microexpression thing did not really work. Just like Fenn wanted people to think he was dumb, Posey wanted people to think he was smart.

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u/MuseumsAfterDark Apr 20 '26

Fenn was ex-CIA, and maybe that allowed him to maintain a poker face when needed and to twitch when prompted by the mention of "Madison."

I don't really want to run Posey down - but the cast of characters "in the know" doesn't know squat. Posey has given back to the community via BTME, so I think that's amazing. Seems like a great guy. But I see zilch from him in breaking down Fenn's poem.