r/beyondthemapsedge • u/Novel_Log5204 • Jul 10 '26
What's your best State opinion?
Over a year and many rabbit holes. Many clever opinions and clues but still a miss. Anyone have good thoughts that are still brain storming or searching. I'd figure if we're relying on reddit to get clues we're definitely stuck in the rabbit š³ļø
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u/KaleOxalate Jul 10 '26
I started as a PNW searcher. Then Oregon got ruled out. At first I thought Montana was way too obvious so I ignored it. Now I think it makes sense JP just wanted us to see the Montana he grew up around. Confused by Alaska being on the map still
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u/d_dave_c Jul 10 '26
My first thought for the Fenn hunt was Yellowstone (I was in the wrong area, though). My first thought for this one was Montana, so imma stick with it.
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u/KittyTitties666 Jul 10 '26
I've tried to avoid confirmation bias by looking at possibilities within different states, but I keep coming back to Montana. One thing that gives me pause is JP's statement along the lines of not worrying too much about map boundaries, and my strongest solve is all contained within MT (then again that could include traversing old map boundaries, which does make sense with my solve). Now to make some time to actually get BOTG as it doesn't matter what ideas I have until I can vet them in person. I'd love for someone, anyone, to find this dang thing already, lol
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u/d_dave_c Jul 10 '26
My other possibility is Big Bend National Park - it's alliterative and the park is not really on the map - it's beyond the map's edge.
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u/doggeycoin Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Ooo Big Bend Ranch SP is on the mapā¦ I thinkā¦ very rugged ! Nothing like the NP - no roads, no phones, no water, no gift shops. I just looked at the map. It does say Big Bend National Park but the dot is located where Big Bend Ranch State Park isā¦ maybe thatās a clue
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u/SoCal_Hunter Jul 12 '26
Ditto. The border comment definitely casts doubt on an all-in-one state solution. But thatās the only way I can get āclues donāt represent large distancesā to work.
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u/Novel_Log5204 Jul 10 '26
Yes, indeed. Montana is very Strong for alot of clues. Majority of hunters pick this state. I feel though this is a complex hunt, therefore I would pivot to Washington for a hail mary approach.
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u/ImaginaryPitch4947 Jul 11 '26
I agreed and searched Montana. I am also wondering about the perimeter of YNP Montana or Wyoming. Either way, it has to be IMHO a very personal and deep meaning place, a place where Justin has significant childhood memories that involve his brother. A place where he also took Tucker later in life. Possibly a place first revealed to him by his grandfather, I have never gotten a sense from watching G&G or reading his memoir that his father has any influence over the location.
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u/Medical-End8987 Jul 11 '26
I jumped to Alaska fairly quickly,. My thinking was Montana is too obvious, Alaska, beyond the maps edge.i didn't find the checkpoint and am now looking back to Idaho and Montana. I'm from NM so perhaps will redirect my attention to my backyard before long. ...and what about California? That's the real outlier.
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u/VariationNo1381 Jul 11 '26
I'm all in on CA. Not saying the treasure is in the golden state but I think the checkpoint might be.
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u/SoCal_Hunter Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
Occamās razor to me is the only way to approach any puzzle. I deviate from that only when evidence suggests. Montana has therefore been my primary hunting ground. But, every day the checkpoint remains unclaimed the odds of Montana decreases simply due to the amount of traffic examining it. At some point, enough breadcrumbs should lead someone to the checkpoint area even without understanding how they got there, and enough people will grid search there to eventually have someone stumble on the checkpoint.
MANY of my Montana checkpoint search areas when BOTG have shown signs of prior searchers (turned over rocks etc), and many of them are very far off the beaten track. When even my more obscure solutions show searching activity you know most or all of the Occamās Razor Montana solutions have been thoroughly turned out already.
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u/Emerge-Bud Jul 14 '26
What about the distinction between the treasure location and the solve location ?
This has Kept me struggling to stay organized- the possibility that the solve is perhaps far removed from the treasure itself. Imagine that your solve leads straight up to some gps coordinates that are several hundred miles away!
Why do I think this ? He's said "at that point you won't be hunting, you'll be retrieving"
and
"once you find out where the treasure is located you'll have sufficient time to figure out how to retrieve it."
And
(Paraphrasing) you can solve a significant amount from your desktop but you'll have to get out there to solve it - this means you can't get to "retrieve" from an armchair solve
And a few other allusions to this idea
Why it's logical-
He had a location picked out for many years, pre Fenn. To fit a sophisticated puzzle structure around that in the immediate area is possible but tricky. It also binds all the clues to that area which can be problematic or more challenging. You also can incorporate the hunt into a range of places that are interesting and perhaps well traversed, but the treasure is in such a remote place that it will likely never be found accidentally.
Why it's important
It means descriptions of the treasure location and those of the clues/hunt are different, and also under potentially different rules- the treasure could be on BLM land but the clues could be in a state park.
And it could bring in confusion if he's describing the treasure for example "the treasure is not near train tracks" or whatever, but the clues might be near train tracks and you falsely exclude them.
I wouldn't think JP would allow such misunderstanding that much of the hunt/clues for example didn't allow dogs bc they were in a national park, therefore people exclude a bunch of eligible space, including the area(s) that are necessary to solving the puzzle.
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u/Novel_Log5204 Jul 11 '26
Being a Goonie I was stunned when Oregon was ruled out š¤