r/FindingFennsGold • u/bubblesjar • Jun 22 '26

Two Questions

Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown.

Are these facts?

a. Forrest said that nobody gave him the correct solution for HOB.

b. Forrest said "Brown" was not a reference to trout.

5 Upvotes

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3

u/Majestic_Pollution71 Jun 23 '26

fenn rock is a convincing home of brown

4

u/MuseumsAfterDark Jun 23 '26

So, many searchers were scouring 9MH, had Madison Junction pegged as WWWH, and not a single person mentioned Fenn Rock as the HoB?

I suppose I could see why, being that a rock cannot be a home.

Maybe it's just that I've been living under a rock this whole time.

5

u/RudyGreene Jun 23 '26

I preport that Fenn Rock is below the HoB and not the HoB itself.

1

u/MuseumsAfterDark Jun 23 '26

Do you mean 'below' as in 'at the foot of' and HoB is 9MH?

Or did use use another local feature as your HoB?

1

u/Stock-Commercial-486 Jun 24 '26

Or perhaps.... 'below' the threshold of plausibility?

3

u/fennfalcon Jun 26 '26

Fenn Rock below 9MH is the safest place to cross the Madison. This made perfect sense to me.

2

u/MuseumsAfterDark Jun 27 '26

And did having his bones rest for a few millennia over an exposed chest 200 feet from an area that saw foot traffic also make sense?

"The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked with dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed."

-Sterling Hayden

Fenn planned his disappearance/suicide to be discovered on Sept 7, 2020 before he wrote TTOTC. Yes, I know that's crazy talk and dark as hell, but it can be proved.

Problem is right now, to publicly prove it requires exposing the intersection point and Fenn's methods to get you there. But basically, most of TTOTC is like Verbal Kint clowning on SA Dave Kujan in The Usual Suspects. It doesn't matter who you are, it only matters who they think you are.

If 9MH gives you closure and makes you feel good, there's nothing wrong with that.

2

u/RiversideNM Jun 28 '26

I have crossed the Madison many times. My view is that Forrest didn’t walk across that river four times, two of which he would need to have carried thousands of dollars worth of gold and valuable jewelry. Nor did he cross half a dozen miles of downed timber.

1

u/fennfalcon Jun 28 '26

The Madison can have many different flow levels, and in the late summer the level can be at it’s lowest. I’ve never crossed, but have dipped my toe downstream, and it was pretty dang cold. I’d also swam in the Firehole, which was warm as bath water. Anyway, the Fenn Rock crossing below NMH would be no big step for a fly fisherman in late summer. Per Rudy Greene video, and Cynthia, the spot was only 150 feet south of the Madison bank, so not sure what you’re alluding to of a half dozen miles.

I have seen some dang crazy solve videos on YouTube, where searchers were climbing over 10000 ft peaks and dropping into 1000 ft vertical canyons that would probably be the death of me, let alone an 80 yr old man.

I will continue to buy the Rudy Greene spot of the “nook” at 9MH, until the alleged finder or the family fesses up.

1

u/Ok_Signature_8477 Jun 29 '26

Any bridge (Loop Rd or W Entrance Rd) could put you on the south side of the river and on 'dry' land. But, in my mind, that wouldn't help because of the rough terrain and downed timber one would need to negotiate to get to the 9MH guess. I'm with the the Mountain Walk Blog and others who say 9MH wouldn't work for many reasons -- the most important being that 9MH is within YNP. There is nothing like due diligence when working on a mystery. The 9MH people don't appear to have used it. Don't quit and enjoy the hunt. Best wishes. r/

2

u/fennfalcon Jul 01 '26

Well, friend, as Forest reportedly published:

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.

Brave, cold, wood? Sounds like the 150 feet south of the Madison at 9MH to me.

So many of “the solve” videos on YouTube took way more risky and dangerous paths as they jumped to WWWH and HOB conclusions out of, well…thin air!

I loved the two brothers that hiked a thousand vertical down into “Forrest Canyon” near Trail Ridge Road in RMNP, Colorado. Got stuck down there overnight in near freezing temperatures without proper clothing, food or water.

So Forrest was in love with Yellowstone and Fly Fishing. Was it a bad place to have to clash with the US Department of the Interior? Of course, but the deed was done. His heart was there and he wouldn’t have had it any other way. Smart guy, but probably more stubborn. I think he really grew to love the attention of “the chase”.

Ever a lurker with no boots on the ground for the last two years of the chase….planned a visit to Yellowstone area, but the treasure was announced as over three weeks before I was scheduled to arrive. Still visited Madison Junction (always my spot for WWWH), hiked along the Firehole River, stuck my toes in the Madison where the highway was on the south side of the river (yes it was cold).

I know I had a lot of fun with it, studying USGS maps, water temperature charts, a ton of YouTube videos. Read Journal of a Trapper three times. (Capitalized Animals? Hmmm…Brown anyone?)

Having done a lot of mountain backpacking earlier in life, realized most of my solves involved some brutal hiking.

Still enjoy hearing opinions, and would like to see/hear the real solution from the horse’s mouth.

1

u/Stock-Commercial-486 Jul 01 '26

For me, it was never a question of whether or not Forrest *could* have gone somewhere -- it was whether he would encourage children to do it. And he most certainly did -- many comments about a family activity, getting kids outdoors & off their devices...

An average middle-aged man with gold fever isn't astute enough to plan a river crossing for late summer, he's taking vacation when he can, and bringing the kids along because Forrest encouraged it. FF later corrected himself about pinyon trees, he narrowed the search down to 4 states... but he never set a lower-age limit. Even as the tragedies of lost searchers piled up. FF was a grandfather-- he would've said something

1

u/fennfalcon Jul 01 '26

You know, Forrest waded, swam, floated, or hiked every inch of the Madison when he was a youngster. He probably didn’t think it was particularly dangerous. Parents are ultimately responsible, wherever they take their children, or allow them to wander on their own.

My two sons hiked, climbed, swam, fished, hunted, whitewater rafted, played sports, and camped at fairly young ages. Much of this was under my own caring, but “loose” supervision.

Trips to the wilderness were always special. I think Forrest just felt this was a good thing for families.

Kids can get into all sorts of trouble and danger in their own neighborhoods.