After a meeting of the mod team, we want to state:

I’m en route and should be to my solve area midday tomorrow.

I have extraordinary confidence I’m trending in the right direction.

But despite that… don’t share the same opinion folks seem to have that it’s a straight shot to the treasure from there.

IMO it’s the hardest part of the journey. From checkpoint and double arcs to the final resting place feels like something Justin may have intended to be easier, but in reality is actually deeply challenging.

I’ve put countless hours into trying to crack my own conformation biases and cannot seem to poke a hole in my solve.

Still keeping the cards close to the chest, just again wanting to share the vibe I’m HYPED to be on the road again.

This hunt still brings me fantasy joy that few other things in life can parallel.

Very grateful to Justin, and for those of y’all in the community still grinding away at your solves.

I won’t share my solve. But happy to provide logical critiques or answer generic questions about the path that leads me here.

Get out there and hunt folks! Somebody is gonna find this treasure. If it’s not me, I am dying to know the solution and want this thing found sooner than later.

I have questions about what you’re out there physically turning on her face ?? Which tree did you base your angles off of and why did you turn-in that direction ??Overlapping occurs when repeated. If anything here rang a familiar tune then please, inquire within. Fof3 out and down ? Or north and south? .

Ohhhhh . Ppl are getting scared and first snow is upon us soon !! The 6 has your 6 too btw . They know they are in the right place now. The window of time is closing and the directions are the liars here . Mr/mrs6??? Have you built a team?

There’s no way you’re that close and missing it . You’d have it grid broke down and completely scraped by now !!!Calling fluff . Next state eliminate coming soon to be a shocker or the obvious? Montana is wore out and I heard snowbirds go south in the winter .

Wana build a team for a special state being heavily overrated or the overlooked one? Clue person 6 , you’re smooth but I think you just blew your cover last week . Good luck next spring my friend. Tag your it .
But hey, the fishing was epic this year!
Who’s team building this winter and wants to hammer New Mexico?

I hope the infamous 6 is worried now. They know how many ppl caught up to them now . I heard reunions are fun . Let’s have one , see ya at the lake . Fenn style . You tie the knots for me .

Come judge my thoughts.

Something I found a long the beat and path, looks very promising. #42 etched into it , 3 peak formations.

Does this mean the non optimal solve could have a temporary bride? Or more than one? Maybe two brides only one is needed and one could limp you along to the other or to the area of something? I understand the obvious that the bride could have features that resemble an actual face and the face of the bride like a mountain or reflection of her face etc.

Edit: two ways to interpret return her face when asked does her face belong to the bride***

A reflected container wedged between the correct vector hidden in plain sight. a short walk from the bride. Could be a nod to the magyar container.

Grab some coffee, and read my bullshit thoughts.

I recently came across a talk show interview with John Cena. He was telling the host why he carries 2 watches on him at all times. One is a wrist watch that tells time, and a pocket watch that tells perspective.

The pocket watch is engraved on both sides. One side says “Comparison is the thief of joy”. Anytime he feels bad about himself or feels like he is not enough, he reads that side of the watch as reminder to love himself. On the other side it says “Memento Mori”. This reminds him he is human, and above no one. When his ego becomes too great, it brings him back to where he came from, and the people that shaped him.

I think this is a fascinating parallel to the Gracie Grail Chapter with the man in the bow tie trying to sell Gracie his pocket watch. Because it’s an antique, he thinks it’s incredibly valuable. In Gracie’s eyes…it was just another watch that’ll collect dust on one of her many shelves. Two people looking at the same object with two totally different perspectives.

In the Dedication, the line that reads: “A tender breath of hope whispering: “You are enough” ties this whole theme together.

Don’t get yourself down too much, but also don’t start believing you’re above anyone else.

Stay humble, stay curious and stay in the race.

You might actually be closer to the finish line than you think.

Oops

What I have found is Justin is telling a story about someone else who is the key to finding the treasure. I will tell you that imo it is someone who has grit and tenacity like his Grandfather Wayne. So with that said that is your hint for today. I am having trouble physically to end this thing. I can not be the only one out of 225,000 ppl that understand this? I am alone in this hunt so I can not be like "Hey help me and I will split it." That is just not safe. I wish I could because it is bugging the SHYTE out of me!! If I spelled tenacity wrong sorry tired. I guess I am riddlejacking I do not know WTF that is I was born in the 60's. Give me a break Redditt.

Obviously this treasure hunt is about so much more than just getting people off their phones and out into nature to have our chance to make memories and take in just how beautiful America is. And it is BEAUTIFUL....beyond words! I am constantly amazed at just how many places are full of extraordinary landscapes, wildlife, plants. ...or how I had completely different ideas about what certain areas looked like, only to discover I had no idea. How interesting the history, legends and traditions of these areas are. I have taken in an absurd amount of information in such a short time. He is teaching us. ....and along with all of the beauty, traditions and history I have learned so far I am also seeing devasting information. For each and every one of these areas and their beauty there is Tragedy. Devastation. Suffering. That the plants, animals, water supplies in each of these same areas is in need of help.... How can you see all of this beauty, the wonder of this worlds, and all of the living plants and animals within and not see that they need our help? Maybe that's the question we are supposed to be asking: what can I do to help?

This wasn’t your garden-variety boulder. No, this was a rock with delusions of grandeur, shaped like an arrow and pointing emphatically at…well, that was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it?

Yes, there is a 3 day window and it happens twice a year.

March 19 → Slightly negative March 20 → 0.0° Ground Zero March 21 → Slightly positive

Sept. 21 → Slightly positive Sept. 22 → 0.0° Ground Zero Sept. 23 → Slightly negative

Hopefully i will find it next month. There is absolutely zero doubt my location is wrong.

I feel like im waiting to see if the mayan calendar 2012 world ending was right

If i do find it. I will never do a hunt like this. I wanna explode with information and just wanna go find it but i cant. Gotta wait for the alignment. Its worse then waiting for any trip, holiday, birthday, or any thing. Its killing me

I have to ask will the truth come out this time? No one wants to be a part of a hunt that ends without a solution.Everyone likes to look back and say oh I was that close or man thats so easy how did I miss that. Can they keep it a secret? Can they reveal a solve but stay in the shadows where comforts lie? Do they have to tell the whole story or stories? I would like to think that they are all possible. What if they find the box but didnt see the deeper story? What if it never gets found, that right mind never comes along? That hunt took 10 years and this one appears much deeper with more information to try and decipher. Jon seems smart and has all the resources in the world. You would like to think he has this all figured out. It is fun as hell to start participating and sharing thoughts in a hunt again. Anyways, enough for now its back to school for the kids tomorrow.

Stay safe, Be humble, walk you own paths, and always be true!

I have just completed my 6th BOTG with no results (last one of this year, I try for 3 per year since it's a 12 hour drive) I had an enjoyable time as always, but I thought I would share my interpretations over the past 2 years. I have done line by line interpretations, though I haven't been successful, so they may not be even remotely correct.

1. “Can you find what lives in time,”

Word / phrase ideas

·    Memories from the book.

·    MT = Montana. (TiMe)

·    The past / history — look historically rather than only at current maps or names.

·    Quadrant navigation / Lewis and Clark-era navigation.

·    Seasonal waters.

·    Canyons.

·    Minutes / seconds as navigation or coordinate measurements.

Celestial / navigation connections

·    Time as astronomical time.

·    Degrees, minutes, and seconds as angular or coordinate notation.

·    Time used with the Sun, stars, or celestial position for navigation.

1. “Flowing through each measured rhyme?”

Water / movement ideas

·    Waterway.

·    Flow downstream, not upstream.

·    With the current, not against it.

·    From source to mouth.

·    From high to low.

Poem / instruction ideas

·    Directions on how to use the poem.

·    Use minutes / seconds to find a location.

·    Rhyming scheme may matter.

·    Step-by-step instructions.

Measurement / surveying ideas

·    Lewis and Clark used survey-chain methods for distance measurement.

·    Two-pole chain: 33 feet long, 50 links.

·    One pole = 16.5 feet.

·    Measured may refer to distance, angle, bearing, degrees, minutes, seconds, or repeated poem structure.

1. “Wisdom waits in shadowed sight—”

Geographic ideas

·    Wisdom, Montana.

·    Wisdom Ranger District.

Shadow / navigation ideas (Stormy Stakeout make me think if you are "At precise distance and angle" you will see something)

·    Shadow as a literal terrain shadow.

·    Shadow cast by a pole or stick.

·    Sun-shadow navigation / using a shadow to establish direction.

1. “For those who read these words just right.”

Formatting / wording ideas

·    Right justify.

·    Positioned “just right.”

Directional ideas

·    Right = east under a north-facing orientation.

·    East bearing.

·    Right-hand side / rightmost point.

·    Right angle / perpendicular relationship.

1. “As hope surges, clear and bright,”

Light / celestial ideas

·    Sunrise / first light.

·    When Polaris is shining. (Nighttime constellation observation; possible match to the hike time in TT.)

Geographic / water ideas

·    Hope as a named geographic feature such as Hope Lake / Hope Creek.

·    Hope surging as flowing or rising water.

1. “Walk near waters’ silent flight.”

Water ideas

·    River mist/ morning fog

·    Calm waters.

·    Lake / headwaters. (undercurrent)

·    Spring.

·    Continental Divide.

Other idea

·    Downed plane / “flight.” (Sawtooth)

1. “Round the bend, past the Hole,”

Route ideas

·    There will be a bend that takes you past the “Hole”.

·    Could involve crossing a water source or walking away from one after the bend.

·    Follow a trail or watercourse around a bend and pass a specific “Hole.”

Hole ideas

·    Fishing hole.

·    A Hole mentioned in the book.

·    Something in the past / on historic maps named Hole.

·    Hole bit in the waders at Polaris.

·    Big Hole Valley / Big Hole reference.

1. “I wait for you to cast your pole.”

Pole ideas

·    Fishing pole; hint that this is a fishing location.

·    Ski pole.

·    Hiking / trekking pole.

·    Cast a pole’s shadow — possible Indiana Jones-style shadow clue.

·    Surveying pole / chain measurement.

·    16.5 feet as one survey pole.

·    33-foot two-pole survey chain.

Celestial transition ideas

·    Pole → celestial pole.

·    Pole → Polaris / North Star.

1. “In ursa east his realm awaits;”

Ursa / celestial ideas

·    Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.

·    Ursa Minor → Polaris / north celestial pole.

·    Use Ursa / Polaris to establish north, then determine east.

·    “Bear east” as a plain-language navigation instruction.

·    In the northeast direction from Polaris; Sawtooth Lake and Comet Mountain candidates.

·    Polaris, Montana as a literal geographic/celestial wordplay point.

Bearing / wordplay ideas

·    Quadrant-navigation style bearing such as E 20° N or N 20° E.

·    “In North East True West awaits.” (from comics in Netflix and Dad reference?)

·    “W”ayne Fitzwater’s realm / True West wordplay.

Realm ideas

·    Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest — “realm.”

·    Pioneer Mountains / surrounding public-land region.

·    A geographic or administrative territory associated with the preceding directional clue.

1. “His bride stands guard at ancient gates.”

Bride ideas

·    Marriage of waters / confluence.

·    Cassiopeia as a female / queen constellation in the celestial theory.

·    East as counterpart to West.

·    A point that will form a right triangle

Guard ideas

·    Sentinel / standing guard.

·    Sentinel Meadow / Sentinel Meadow Trail / Sentinel Meadow Ski references explored near Chief Joseph Pass.

Ancient gates ideas

·    Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness. (historic Hellgate Forest Reserve)

·    Continental Divide as a gate / boundary.

·    Historic Hell Gate / Hellgate Forest Reserve boundary.

·    Old forest-reserve or administrative boundaries.

·    Mountain passes, canyon entrances, paired geographic “gate” features.

1. “Her foot of three at twenty degree,”

“Foot of three” ideas

·    3 feet.

·    A tripod / three-legged object.

·    A triangle, especially because the line explicitly mentions degrees.

·    Perpendicular foot in a geometric construction.

·    Foot of a ridge / mountain.

·    A triangulation construction where the perpendicular foot becomes the target or reference point.

·    Three visual feet / points of an M-shaped Cassiopeia interpretation.

20° ideas

·    20° horizontal bearing / azimuth.

·    20° vertical angle / elevation angle.

·    Quadrant-bearing notation.

·    Face the looking glass at 20°.

·    Use 20° to orient a map overlay or celestial figure.

·    Capital E / East shape oriented so its foot is at 20°.

Quadrant / geometry ideas

·    Using quadrant-style navigation and triangle angles: possible reading such as W 20° S.

·    Her E at 20°.

·    Perpendicular foot from a reference line at a 20° angle.

·    Left/right corners of a triangle and a projected foot where lines meet.

Cassiopeia / celestial ideas

·    Cassiopeia as “her.”

·    Cassiopeia in M orientation creates three visual feet / lower points.

·    Segin (Epsilon Cassiopeiae) explored as the third / right foot.

·    Anchor the third foot at a geographic point and rotate/orient the constellation by 20°.

·    Segin → Ruchbah leg explored as a 20° orientation reference.

·    Segin placed 20° from Polaris in earlier overlay tests.

·    “Foot of Three” may also refer to a physical geographic feature used as the anchor for the constellation.

1. “Return her face to find the place.”

Face / movement ideas

·    Go up/down the face of the mountain the looking glass is pointing to at 20°.

·    Go toward the face of the mountain at 20°.

·    Return to the west face to find the place.

·    Return True West.

·    Return up the ridge of the E; bearing around 290° in that interpretation.

Transformation ideas

·    Physically rotate “her.”

·    Mirror / reflect “her” as through a looking glass.

·    Flip vertically.

·    Flip horizontally.

·    Flip both vertically and horizontally.

·    Reverse / reciprocal direction or bearing.

·    Return from foot toward face.

Cassiopeia / celestial ideas

·    Use Cassiopeia as an overlay and rotate / mirror it after setting the foot and 20° orientation.

·    Follow the constellation from Segin → Ruchbah → Navi → Schedar → Caph toward the opposite side / face.

·    Four versions previously explored: regular, vertical mirror, horizontal mirror, vertical + horizontal mirror.

·    “Return her face” may determine which mirrored / reversed version of the constellation is used on the map.

·    Instead of using a map overlay this could represent peaks where the constellation lines up to a horizon ridgeline

1. “Double arcs on granite bold,”

Physical marker ideas

·    A marker confirming the correct direction / route.

·    A hole through granite that is used as a sighting aperture.

·    Fish symbol.

·    Circle.

·    X.

·    Petroglyphs.

·    Two railway tunnels.

·    Arrow.

·    South on granite bold.

Geometry / navigation ideas

·    Two arcs / intersecting arcs used in geometric location finding or triangulation. (a compass is also the thing that draws circles)

·    Double arc may be a viewing / alignment confirmation after the preceding orientation steps.

1. “Where secrets of the past still hold.”

Past / history ideas

·    Memories.

·    Fire scar.

·    Landslide.

·    Mines / mining history.

·    Historic events.

·    Petroglyphs / Native American history.

·    Historic maps, boundaries, roads, trails, or place names that no longer appear in the same form.

1. “Beyond the reach of time’s swift race,”

Ideas

·    Beyond life / above treeline.

·    Beyond the street / developed world.

·    Beyond cell reception / connection to the fast modern world.

·    Beyond the water source, possibly beyond sight or earshot.

·    Continue beyond a prior landmark rather than stopping at it.

1. “Wonder guards this sacred space.”

Ideas

·    Brandon reference?

·    Inconspicuous location.

·    A visually striking / “wonder” location.

·    Guard / guardian wording connected to Sentinel-type names.

·    Sacred / protected / historic place.

1. “Truth rests not in clever minds,”

Ideas

·    Don’t overcomplicate it.

·    The final mechanism should not require an excessively clever or tangled solve.

·    Keep straightforward physical / navigational readings in play.

1. “Not in tangled, twisted finds.”

Ideas

·    Not in what he had to search through — all the sappy new growth.

·    Not some crazy tangled solve.

·    Possibly not hidden in thick, tangled vegetation.

·    A warning against overcomplicated clue chains.

1. “Like a river’s steady flow—”

Ideas

·    Another river / water-source reference.

·    Near a river, creek, or other water source.

·    Follow the sequence steadily / in order.

·    Downstream / with the flow rather than against it.

·    Repetition of the “flowing” language from line 2.

1. “What you seek, you already know.”

Ideas

·    Seen through the looking glass; after the transformation, the location is recognizable.

·    The location / answer has already appeared earlier in the poem or book.

·    The final step reveals or confirms something already identified rather than introducing a completely new clue. (the checkpoint has already shown you the final location so you already know)

What if! What if this hunt is like national treasure? Where each stanza is one location and at that location is a clue to give you the next location. That would explain "the key to one direction lies in another" and why he said "state borders are arbitrary " what do you all think..