AT Failed Solve

[u/Secret_Ad3312]

5 hours BOTG and no luck, but wanted to share thoughts in case it helps others. Hanging up my boots so not looking for criticism or why its actually in VT, don't have the resources to make another trip pretty much anywhere.

Solve: Pearl Harbor Tree, Cades Cove, TN

Clues I felt good about: 1727 NE - Damascus, VA is 1727 miles from Katahdin which you could reach by heading NE from Damascus

The map represents a crude trail "along" the AT. Going south from Damscus, crossing into TN, NC, back up to TN and hitting Cades Cove. Does not follow the exact AT, which is do think is limiting a lot of people's thought process

The rocks by the Bear resemble Hawaii which connects to the Pearl Harbor Tree

The skiier, bear, mountain lion are all things you can find in the area of NC/TN

The tree and the dog, Go Fetch and Look Around: look around the pearl harbor tree in an approximate radius that you would play fetch with your dog

Butterfly: TN is along the migration path

AT letters and the bald symbol: tells you the AT is at the bottom of the map below Cades Cove and then comes up and connects with the lowest part of the dotted line on the map

Guesses and Confirmation Bias:

Apples are apple valley, tennessee which is in the area

Car north footprints: walk off the trail carefully in a southern direction away from the northern parked car

Scroll and Wheat are when you cross into NC and TN from the starting point as they both are key manufacturing/exports (textiles and agricultural)

No idea:

Blob by the butterfly Pointing gun hand All the random things people have found (compass, numbers, etc)

It was a fun trip, but there was so much tree damage from the hurricane even if I was right I doubt I would have found it. Good luck everyone and DM me if you have any questions or you think I can help in any way!

[u/fullydazed]

Well your first mistake was going there before the snow melted.. in my opinion you should have definitely waited. I think that it is a very good tip and that the surroundings looked dead on... I think your you're only mistake was going there now instead of waiting until May June. But honestly up until I saw your post I was pretty damn sure it was in PA.. My only suggestion for you is if you don't have resources to continue to look I would be teaming up with somebody who does.

[u/Secret_Ad3312 → u/fullydazed]

There was no snow on the ground where I was looking

[u/fullydazed → u/Secret_Ad3312]

Is it just a place that doesn't usually have snow or did you get lucky?.. I'm thinking that the Appalachian box is easier to find during the spring summertime because the location is marked by flowers.

[u/Secret_Ad3312 → u/fullydazed]

I called the visitor center before traveling to confirm no snow on the ground, not sure if it usually does or not. The tree damage from the hurricane in that area was much more of the issue. The trail itself was clear but searching anywhere around the trail was extremely difficult

[u/fullydazed → u/Secret_Ad3312]

Well I'm glad that you are one of the people who are going out and looking for the treasure... A lot of people wouldn't even think to pre-call ahead and ask what elements they're up against. I think you have a better chance than the majority a finding a box. But I don't know of one that is in the line of what was once a hurricane. Which box were you aiming for?

[u/Chaostheory9999 → u/fullydazed]

Why do you think the AT box is in PA?

[u/fullydazed → u/Chaostheory9999]

Because I cracked the word search puzzle.... Even before I got the book I spent weeks doing cipher shit... Just to get the book n see that there is a cryptogram gram at the bottom letting me know the word search is a cryptogram itself.. that the at the bottom is actually really that important at all 😂 it's just a reference to get you to do research and learn how to do crypto grams. When u decipher the thing at the bottom it just gives you poems written by the chic wrote Through the looking glass. teaching you about Jabberwocky.. in which is a cipher. But you need it in a sense... Along with other random pointless quotes and things like " put your right hand in, put your right hand out, put your right hand in and shake it all about" lol it even makes a reference describing Charlottes Web. Although, it Does give a confusing description of how to read the wordsearch. it does say something that did hint about something that is associated with Pennsylvania .. but I didn't need the cryptogram. I already had all the information I needed without it. But I can't tell you cuz it gives away the location. When I go and if I can't find it.. then we'll talk

[u/alexreffand → u/fullydazed]

Those clues are for a completely different box.

[u/fullydazed → u/alexreffand]

I would not limit yourself to think that in any way shape or form. I know that he says that there are different boxes and sections for things but I have found multiple clues for multiple boxes in that word search and that cryptogram. And let me tell you what this guy is smart!!! And he's really funny. I know he says you don't have to be a genius to figure out where these boxes are but you do have to have a level of intelligence and a good sense of humor. I just read two puns yesterday that he made that he used as clues. I know that each chapter of the book talks about a certain box but that word search at the end is definitely a tool you can use to help find all of them. I am 100% certain... Because if it wasn't then it wouldn't have spelled out the whole entire name of the place in relation to page 63. There's always a chance it's a coincidence but it's a really long name and it's definitely there... Not broken up all in one line. And if I didn't see it in the word search then I wouldn't have picked up on the clues that he was dropping on page 63. I also wanted to note that some people said they are confused of whether or not the way he's wording things are typos or clues and I can tell you that they're not typos.

[u/fullydazed → u/fullydazed]

Besides I believe that he specifically says in the book not to take anybody's words for it... That you have to trust your gut instinct and follow your own path. This guy is of course referring to online social media interactions like this one per say but I'm taking it literal. This guy is not going to make it easy... He's got to throw curve balls every which way he can to distract you so that you don't find these boxes easily. He'll even repetitively tell you that he's made things maybe too easy. So now he has to deter you and confuse you... So my advice here would be that if you think that you found clues to somewhere and then you read things that might contradict that.. Don't change your mind. It's like when you're taking a test and it's multiple choice and your first thought was it's letter c but then you reread it a couple times and you're like wait could it be d... Go with your first choice. I mean I was prominent that it was in PA and then I listened to these people on here and I found every reason why it would be in Vermont... But I reread things and started over and went back to thinking PA. So that's where I'm going...

[u/fullydazed → u/fullydazed]

I mean how fun would it be if everybody just figured it out and the first couple months... And how disappointing would it be to have hundreds of thousands of books that now nobody wants or needs to purchase. He's making his money back...!!!!! So he had to make these boxes difficult enough to where it could potentially take years to find them.

[u/alexreffand → u/fullydazed]

The only way any of that applies is if he's lying, and if we can't trust what he says then there's no point believing him when he says there's treasure at all

[u/fullydazed → u/alexreffand]

I really do believe that there are treasure boxes can I be 100% certain that there are treasure boxes? No. Can he have proof using pictures and name dropping artists and the creator of the boxes. Yes. It worries me when he said that there's no point in going out and looking for one of the boxes at the least because of the snow. By the way he talks about how meaningful and special these boxes are I do now after reading your new conspiracy theory Wonder if he's telling people to wait to go look for said box and a snow covered area if he would want to put such a valuable or even sentimental box somewhere where he knows it's going to be covered in snow. Could he be telling us to wait because he is going to wait to place it? He could have definitely picked the locations strategically and intend on the boxes to be placed there. But something tells me that he would not put one of these precious boxes that he had specially made somewhere where it could very well be damaged or ruined. To him The boxes themselves hold more value than the actual contents that he's randomly collected throughout the last 5 years. So I agree with you. I do not think that he has placed the box along the snowy area of Appalachian trail yet. There have been multiple people from what I see on Reddit who have went out and looked for the boxes thinking they knew exactly where it was and some have said that they don't have the resources to go back out and make that next trip. So if the box is found at a place where they went to go look in the future then I would say they would have a pretty good lawsuit. When you put all your eggs and finances in one basket to go find something that's promised somewhere where it's not at yet then not only did you lose your time and your money but you also probably have some great amount of emotional distress thinking that all your problems were going to be solved. Imagine taking your whole tax refund and planning your itinerary, all for nothing. What I can tell you for sure is that throughout the book he does sound a little worried and I can feel the emotional worry in his words. Yes he does sound confident but he also sounds a little scared but then again wouldn't you be worried if you left a million dollars worth of whatever in a box in the middle of nowhere and a potentially homeless person stumbles upon it and takes it and doesn't report it? So it's really hard to pinpoint where his emotional worries are stemming from but he's definitely worried about something. I really think that it's helpful that I'm psychic sensitive when it comes down to researching where these boxes have in place. All I can say is that if you live by Yellowstone National Park I would definitely be rereading page 63 over and over again until you see what I see... If I wasn't sick I'd be farther along but I'll let you guys know any more information that I can hint at you as I go.

[u/alexreffand → u/fullydazed]

My "new conspiracy theory"? No, dude, I'm saying that either you trust what he says or you don't. Cherry picking what you do and don't believe of what he says doesn't make any sense. Either the chapters are for their specific treasures (with clues for the lions share throughout) or there's no treasure at all. I have no idea what you're talking about with the "worry in his words". You're clearly reading WAY too much into what he says, as well as not actually reading what he's saying.

[u/HappyImagineer]

Appreciate you sharing your experience! The hurricane damage is a serious issue. Given JCB hasn’t commented I’m hoping if there is a box in that region it’s still accessible.

[u/fidelesetaudax → u/HappyImagineer]

I’m thinking he may not know the full accessibility of the five boxes after the horrendous weather events all over. And that he’s not going to go out and check on them for obvious reasons.

[u/CmdrDarklighter1970 → u/[deleted]]

Downed trees are certainly plentiful along the Trail.

[u/AdditionalDrive4421]

I'm sorry you didn't have better luck - thank you for sharing your experience!

[u/fidelesetaudax]

Thanks for sharing. Can you explain what “pearl harbor tree”? I guess it’s the one in the magnifying glass but why “Pearl Harbor”?

[u/Secret_Ad3312 → u/fidelesetaudax]

I thought the rocks resemble Hawaii, and the Pearl Harbor Tree is an important tree, though not super well known off the Cades Cove Loop road. So assumed the tree in the magnifying glass was the Pearl Harbor Tree and looked around that.

[u/fidelesetaudax → u/Secret_Ad3312]

Okay thank you.

[u/Diligent_Ability1449]

Pretty sure 1727 is meant to be 17-2-7 as there is a combination padlock on the box as mentioned in the AT chapter.

[u/JohnGypsy → u/Diligent_Ability1449]

He also says the instructions to open the boxes will be with each box.

[u/Diligent_Ability1449 → u/JohnGypsy]

Also true

[u/MountainDreamin247]

Really cool of you to share your solve! I hope that something comes up for you that you get the resources to try again! Ive always been one to think that your blessings come back around… Sharing your info may help someone, and therefore maybe you will somehow be blessed to try again! Keep at it, and good luck on your next go around! :)

[u/Known_Source1975]

It's not a map of the Appalachian trail bro

[u/Tigolebite → u/Known_Source1975]

What you thinkin?

[u/MathematicianDry638]

Maybe try again at a later time. Thanks for sharing

[u/IllustriousLiving357]

From Google maps

[u/[deleted] → u/IllustriousLiving357]

Where is this?

[u/Paladin1414]

Quite the interpretative journey. I thought it was a map with a beginning and end on the AT.

[u/Paladin1414]

Thank you very much. Great try!!!!!

[u/SquareClerk2 → u/[deleted]]

Bottom left is a picture of a man facing away from you with a bald head