Upamanyu Biswas
Netflix’s ‘Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure’ delves into the Forrest Fenn treasure hunt through the eyes of different hunters who all came up with their own theories and solutions to the quest. While the documentary series largely focuses on the epic tale of these hunters and the man who set everything in motion, it also serves as a soft launching pad for those seeking to renew their hunting itch. As stated by treasure hunter Justin Posey in the documentary series, there are clues littered throughout his house, which he claims provide some insight for a new treasure hunt orchestrated by him. Like Fenn, Posey also released a new poem in a book that provides the main clues for his search. However, the hints in the show are also likely to help any prospective hunters get a head start over others.
Justin Posey’s Screen Wallpapers and the Clues From the Poem
Justin Posey mentions that he was able to place treasure clues around his house without the knowledge of the producers, which suggests that he was confident the clues would make it into the show. This means these clues had to be placed in the most common backdrop we see Posey in throughout the show: the interview setup where he sits in front of a collection of computer wallpapers and a giant clock above his head. While these wallpapers may seem innocuous at first glance, they are possibly hiding the clues hunters must travel to in order to find the treasure, especially when tied to the text in the poem.
In his poem, ‘Beyond the Map’s Edge,’ there are two specific stanzas that potentially offer big clues about the location: “Round the bend, past the Hole, I wait for you to cast your pole” and “Double arcs on granite bold, Where secrets of the past still hold.” The “hole” in the first line could be referring to Hole ‘N’ The Rock, an attraction in San Juan County, Utah, south of Moab. The river’s bend could point out to the bend in the Colorado River close to Moab, which you can easily locate on the map. Meanwhile, the “double arcs” in the second stanza could be in reference to Corona and Bowtie Arch just west of Moab.
Now, if you look closely at all the screen wallpapers behind him, the rightmost one on a laptop is Lake Louise in Banff National Park in Canada. The ones at the center look like they are either from Colorado or Wyoming. But check out the wallpaper on his laptop that is leftmost. That looks like the Colorado River, and the landscape suggests it is Utah. Below is a Google Earth screenshot of the Colorado River in Utah that appears to be very similar to Justin Posey’s wallpaper.
While the physical markers seem to say a lot, there is also an additional series of clues that can be gleaned from another stanza within the poem – the lines “In ursa east his realm awaits; His bride stands guard at ancient gates.” These feel intentionally evocative of the Ursa Major constellation, which is primarily known for its most famous star collection – the Big Dipper. If you roughly extend out the handle of the Big Dipper, it eventually arcs onto Arcturus, the brightest star in the Boötes constellation. A little further out, you land on Spica, which emblazons the night sky from the Virgo constellation. The latter is also known as a companion to Arcturus, which may be referring to the “bride” in the text. These stars could serve as visual markers for where the treasure is hidden, like the directions one must follow or the places from which these celestial objects align in a specific manner. The way the whole group of constellations align with each other, as you can see in the image below, could also be indicative of the shape of the bend of the Colorado River itself.
Justin Posey’s Clock and the Allusions to Time
Another significant clue that we can unravel while watching the series is the giant clock behind Justin Posey. Its specific placement in the scene makes it feel like an ideal place to hide some hints throughout the series. In fact, when the treasure hunter is introduced on camera, he gets up to manipulate the hands of the clock, which feels deliberate and draws one’s attention to the device itself. While there may be no seeming patterns to the time displayed on that analog clock, we see some repeated occasionally, which may or may not mean something. The whole thing could be a cryptic way to draw the audience’s eyes to something important, or it could be a red herring in the grand scheme. Still, the possibility of it having some connection to the treasure seems plausible, mainly because of the references to time within the poem.
In the opening stanza of the poem, the lines are “Can you find what lives in time; Flowing through each measured rhyme; Wisdom waits in shadowed sight—; For those who read these words just right.” The meaning behind these lines could be endless. However, one of the more valid theories could be that either the poem or the direction of time itself is being played within the text. The use of the phrase “read these words just right” suggests that something is amiss within the text or requires a more profound understanding than what is presented on the surface. For enthusiastic hunters, this could mean all the difference as the matter of interpretation could change the way the clues work in the context of the hunt.
It is also worth noting that the hands of the clock could also signify the parallels between direction and time – a relationship seeded in ancient practices. This system of using time, or positions of the hands in the clock, to point out directions is called the “clock face” or “clock position” method of indicating direction. It’s a simple way to describe relative direction using the face of a clock as a reference point, where: 12 o’clock is directly in front of you, 6 o’clock is directly behind you, 3 o’clock is directly to your right, 9 o’clock is directly to your left, and the other hours fill in the angles in between.
Both star gazers and video gamers use the reference of the clock as a way to point out the direction. Intriguingly, the line “Her foot of three at twenty degree” from the poem could be another potential clue to connecting the time and the position of stars to find the direction of the treasure. This clue could be vital, adding another layer of importance to the clock hanging above Posey’s head if we believe it is not a red herring in the first place.
Read More: Where is Justin Posey Now?
Disclaimer: The theories presented in this article are speculative. We do not have any insider knowledge of the location of Justin Posey's treasure.
