Page 172 - WDT MAGAZINE PORTUGAL

determined not to reveal any meaningful additional
clues. An irritated woman complained that the clues
were too difficult, so he gave her a new clue; he told
her the treasure is located more than 300 miles west
of Toledo, Ohio.
The story of Forrest Fenn and his treasure
inspired NY Times best-selling author, Douglas
Preston to write The Codex. Says Preston, who has
written 27 books, “the story is based on what Forrest
told me, but Forrest is much nicer, kinder, and more
honest than the main character in The Codex.”
Fenn hasn’t even told tell his wife Peggy or their
children where the treasure is hidden. “Because he
knew that once he involved someone else, the secret
would be let out of the bag,’ says Preston. “I was
concerned that some really clever person would find
it quickly – someone who knew about Forrest Fenn’s
life,” says Preston, ‘but Forrest said no, the treasure is
really well hidden and that it might take at least 100
years for someone to find it because even with the
clues, it’s still difficult to find.’
There are some who question whether there is
actually a treasure at all. But Preston, one of the only
people to have seen the treasure chest and its
contents before Fenn hid it says, “I held it with my
own hands, and I can assure everyone this is no
publicity stunt -- that gold is out there. Some of the
most wonderful things in the treasure are enormous
gold nuggets the size of hen’s eggs -- so big and heavy
and rounded and cold, weighing more than a troy
pound each, and worth several times their bullion
value.
There are antique gold coins, pre-Columbian gold
animal figures and jewelry, a bracelet made from
turquoise beads excavated in 1898 from Mesa Verde,
which Fenn won in a pool game. He put things in the
treasure chest that would survive a long time and that
would be interesting and unusual -- not just gold bars,
which are kind of boring. The chest itself is rare, 16th
century Italian, and with the gold inside, it weighs 44
pounds.
Fenn tells searchers to grab their water bottles
and come search. “You just have to find the clues,” he
insists. Fenn has not gone back to the location to see
if the treasure is still there because he is sure he will
be followed by searchers. “I was hoping the treasure
chase would cause some excitement and get a few
guys out into the mountains,” says Fenn. “I did not
expect it to get so big so fast, and I think I will be a
little disappointed if someone finds the chest because
the mystery will be gone.” But on the other hand, says
Fenn, “In 13 months, I’ll be 90 years old so I wish
someone would hurry up and find the treasure.”

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