The grandaddy of all Treasure Puzzles FORREST FENNS POEM

[SlickNickeL]

Looks like Fenn’s treasure hunt is over.

It ended like I thought it would.

I posted this 5 years ago, and not a single thing has changed.

I told the world who Forrest Fenn was.

It’s about time to smell the roses. Anyone who ever believed there was a treasure from a man who was a “taker” has now learned the hard truth about a man like Forrest Fenn.

This IS how it ends. There will never be an ending. There never could be an ending from the very beginning.

Solve the poem by knowing the man who wrote the poem.

I laid it all out for everyone to see, now open your eyes.

What did you expect? A box full of gold and a treasure poem that leads you straight to it? From a guy who robs Indian graves for a living?

SNL

 

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[Luttleboy]

I think you are trying too hard to parse simple statements. Fenn said the treasure was found in Wyoming because people were asking where the treasure was found. There wasn't a clamor of people demanding to know where it was hidden. Fenn answered the question that was asked.

You seem to be trying hard to parse complex statements and make them simple. If so, WHY did Forrest put in "so today he agreed to reveal...." Is the statement only true for one day only? Normally if something is true for all time, no modifiers are needed. Only complex legal statements need such modifiers to the whole truth. The whole truth requires few words: "The treasure was found where I hid it in Wyoming." But what he really wrote was these long sentences:

"However, the finder understands how important some closure is for many searchers, so today [July 22, 2020] he agreed that we should reveal that the treasure was found in Wyoming. Until he found the treasure, the treasure had not moved in the 10 years since I left it there on the ground, and walked away."

So we know that the chest had not moved until the finder picked it up, and that the finder does not agree with "since I left it there on the ground", questioning that as not a true description of how it was hidden. What about AFTER the finder picked it up? We know it went to Fenn's house and was placed on his desktop. What was it placed on to prevent scratching up the surface? Perhaps a map of Wyoming? Why did Fenn want to come out with a state? How would that help him with the pending lawsuits, knowing that if he reveals the actual state, more lawsuits will pop up?

 

[MiddenMonster]

It’s about time to smell the roses. Anyone who ever believed there was a treasure from a man who was a “taker” has now learned the hard truth about a man like Forrest Fenn.

A lot of people say it was a hoax, but so far no one has put forth one shred of evidence that it was a hoax. 100% of the hoax claims rest on derogatory statements made about Fenn's character, i.e. "He's pond scum, therefore the treasure is a hoax."

You seem to be trying hard to parse complex statements and make them simple. If so, WHY did Forrest put in "so today he agreed to reveal...." Is the statement only true for one day only? Normally if something is true for all time, no modifiers are needed. Only complex legal statements need such modifiers to the whole truth. The whole truth requires few words: "The treasure was found where I hid it in Wyoming."

It sounds like pretty basic grammar, to me. Fenn said, "so today he agreed..." because the decision was made the day that the information was posted. For added drama we could say that phrasing it that way implies that it was the culmination of an involved decision making process, and the information was deemed so important it was published on the same day the decision was reached. BTW, simple statements are simple statements; they don't need to be parsed. I'm not even sure, by definition, if they can be parsed.

But what he really wrote was these long sentences:

"However, the finder understands how important some closure is for many searchers, so today [July 22, 2020] he agreed that we should reveal that the treasure was found in Wyoming. Until he found the treasure, the treasure had not moved in the 10 years since I left it there on the ground, and walked away."

So we know that the chest had not moved until the finder picked it up, and that the finder does not agree with "since I left it there on the ground", questioning that as not a true description of how it was hidden. What about AFTER the finder picked it up? We know it went to Fenn's house and was placed on his desktop. What was it placed on to prevent scratching up the surface? Perhaps a map of Wyoming? Why did Fenn want to come out with a state? How would that help him with the pending lawsuits, knowing that if he reveals the actual state, more lawsuits will pop up?

That statement still seems pretty straightforward to me. Fenn is saying that while the finder has problems with revealing everything, he understands that closure is important and is willing to compromise by letting the state in which the treasure was found be named. The second sentence provides assurance that something similar to the "chain of custody" has remained intact: Fenn set the treasure on the ground. Fenn walked away. 10 years passed. The finder was the next person after Fenn to see/touch/encounter the treasure. Chain of custody intact. What happened after the finder picked it up? Granted, it's speculation but I'd say he did one hell of a happy dance. Do we know it went to Fenn's house? I haven't seen that reported. What I've seen reported it Fenn confirming the find because of photographic evidence sent to him by the finder. And this whole business about a map of Wyoming is rubbish. Fenn said the treasure was found in Wyoming, not on Wyoming. It wouldn't even make sense for him to produce that charade because doing so doesn't provide him any legal cover, and in fact would deepen his culpability should he end up in court--either civilly or criminally.

So to update, we currently have zero evidence that the treasure was a hoax. And not a single lawsuit has resulted in anything that could be considered a smoking gun for any of the claims against Fenn. The Barbara Anderson stuff came the closest, probably because it involved the potential of serious crimes. But no cases claiming a hoax, or even the, "He stole the treasure before I could get to it" nonsense have resulted in anything damaging to Fenn or the guy who found it.

 

[Luttleboy]

"What happened after the finder picked it up? . . . Do we know it went to Fenn's house? I haven't seen that reported. What I've seen reported it Fenn confirming the find because of photographic evidence sent to him by the finder. And this whole business about a map of Wyoming is rubbish. Fenn said the treasure was found in Wyoming, not on Wyoming. It wouldn't even make sense for him to produce that charade because doing so doesn't provide him any legal cover, and in fact would deepen his culpability should he end up in court--either civilly or criminally."

Fenn took possession and made a complete inventory of the chest when the finder brought it to his house. Fenn made an offer to buy the chest back, at a much lower price than the assumed $1 million value. After getting some quotes from auction houses (with the attached 20 to 30% commissions) and finding out that he was going to have to pay 33% "treasure trove" income taxes on the chest no later than Dec 31, 2020 whether he sold it or not, the finder decided to sell it to Fenn for some immediate cash-in-hand. Now the finder is out of the picture, except Fenn talked him into "...today agreeing to reveal that the chest was found in Wyoming." Note that a chest sitting on a large state map that completely surrounds it on all sides could truthfully be said to be "in [the state of] Wyoming". Fenn making a statement on a Facebook page would not be considered anything but gossip or 2nd hand information in a court of law, but apparently carries some weight to the legally uniformed Facebook touts. In order for it to be court evidence, there must be a sworn witnessed and notarized statement submitted to a court, which he has not done yet for the Wyoming claim, but he has done that for the Barbara Anderson court case, detailing the amount of time and the dates that he spent in the state in question for that case.

 

[Luttleboy]

what if the "blaze" was literally the key to the chest? Like it was hanging up on a tree, find the key, look down, and there is the chest. My thought is it was located near Thermopolis Wyoming. Just a theory.

What if the blaze was not visible using Google Maps as Fenn stated in 2013? That is, until 2016 when Google increased the resolution enough that you CAN see the blaze on Google Maps. In 2017 Fenn started saying that "someone may find it this year", I think because he realized that the blaze could now be stumbled upon by accident using Google Maps. You can still see it by opening Google Maps, typing in 36.6355, -106.2105 ,switching to Satellite mode, then zooming in to the highest magnification.

That big black painted "nn" on top of the large white flat rock is the blaze, still there today and for a long time to come. I challenge all to look at this blaze using Google Maps, then tell me why this is not the correct blaze. It confirms to all of Fenn's statements about the blaze:

In a word, it is one object.
It stands out.
It can be found in the day without a flashlight.
It is near a special place that was dear to Fenn, but no else knew about - not a fishing hole or campsite.
Fenn has not been back to this spot since he hid the treasure.
The blaze does not point north, south, east, or west, [but the long handles on the "nn" point toward the northwest].
It is not impossible but not feasible to remove the blaze.
A blaze can mean a flame or a scar on a rock and a host of others.
The blaze is pre-determined by the poem.
Fenn did not say that the blaze is a white streak.
You couldn't find the blaze [until 2016] without finding the first clue.

Here is the one-picture solution that does make all the lines cross in the right spot and uses the poem as a map just as directed: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2tvvd87ec2nad47/Using-Poem-as-Map.pdf?dl=0

 

[MiddenMonster]

Fenn took possession and made a complete inventory of the chest when the finder brought it to his house. Fenn made an offer to buy the chest back, at a much lower price than the assumed $1 million value. After getting some quotes from auction houses (with the attached 20 to 30% commissions) and finding out that he was going to have to pay 33% "treasure trove" income taxes on the chest no later than Dec 31, 2020 whether he sold it or not, the finder decided to sell it to Fenn for some immediate cash-in-hand.

Thanks for posting that. Definitely an update from the information I had. As for the treasure trove tax, I think that the 33% would only be paid on the the top index of the income. But in a ironic way, the finder could benefit from a protracted legal fight. The key phrase when taxing a treasure trove is the phrase "reduced to undisputed possession". The finder could claim that the tax isn't due until the year the chest was undisputedly possessed by someone. And if he lost ownership, he wouldn't owe the tax at all! But this should serve as a warning to all treasure hunters: If you find something of value, you should always at some level believe that you don't legally possess the treasure--until you are ready to make your move to liquefy it. You'll still owe the taxes when you do, but you get to pay them in the year of your choosing. If you keep the treasure as a collector's item, I say you can go to your grave believing you do not yet undisputedly possess it.

Now the finder is out of the picture, except Fenn talked him into "...today agreeing to reveal that the chest was found in Wyoming." Note that a chest sitting on a large state map that completely surrounds it on all sides could truthfully be said to be "in [the state of] Wyoming". Fenn making a statement on a Facebook page would not be considered anything but gossip or 2nd hand information in a court of law, but apparently carries some weight to the legally uniformed Facebook touts. In order for it to be court evidence, there must be a sworn witnessed and notarized statement submitted to a court, which he has not done yet for the Wyoming claim, but he has done that for the Barbara Anderson court case, detailing the amount of time and the dates that he spent in the state in question for that case.

But why go through all that song and dance to cover up a lie and fraud? Just tell the lie and get on with it. There's no reason to waste time buy building an elaborate scenario with a set and props. If Fenn sat the chest on an oversized map of Wyoming and all this other stuff it would only serve to jam him up on so many fronts if it became public. And if it never became public there would be no reason to stage it in the first place. That's like cutting down a giant oak tree to convince your neighbors that you make your own charcoal for grilling, when you are really using bagged briquets from the store.

 

[Luttleboy]

Thanks for posting that. Definitely an update from the information I had. As for the treasure trove tax, I think that the 33% would only be paid on the the top index of the income. But in a ironic way, the finder could benefit from a protracted legal fight. The key phrase when taxing a treasure trove is the phrase "reduced to undisputed possession". The finder could claim that the tax isn't due until the year the chest was undisputedly possessed by someone. And if he lost ownership, he wouldn't owe the tax at all! But this should serve as a warning to all treasure hunters: If you find something of value, you should always at some level believe that you don't legally possess the treasure--until you are ready to make your move to liquefy it. You'll still owe the taxes when you do, but you get to pay them in the year of your choosing. If you keep the treasure as a collector's item, I say you can go to your grave believing you do not yet undisputedly possess it.

But why go through all that song and dance to cover up a lie and fraud? Just tell the lie and get on with it. There's no reason to waste time buy building an elaborate scenario with a set and props. If Fenn sat the chest on an oversized map of Wyoming and all this other stuff it would only serve to jam him up on so many fronts if it became public. And if it never became public there would be no reason to stage it in the first place. That's like cutting down a giant oak tree to convince your neighbors that you make your own charcoal for grilling, when you are really using bagged briquets from the store.

The Internal Revenue Ruling in 1953 on treasure troves will apply, and the IRS would not take lightly being told that the finder does not have possession when the previous owner stated clearly in the poem "I give you title to the gold", and also made the same implied statement by purchasing the chest from the finder. There was no dispute about the possession of the chest, so the treasure trove tax is due and payable immediately and not later than Dec 31, 2020. The tax will be based on the ordinary income tax rate, which will be 32% on the amount above $161,725 if single, and 32% on the amount above $321,450 if married (no deductions). Of course an additional tax amount will be owed on the income amount below those numbers, based on any additional ordinary earned income, capital gains, and tax deductions for that lower income. The finder will be lucky, after state and federal income tax (even city tax if he lives in New York or some other big cities), and lawyer fees, to come away with 60% of the sales price.

As with most found money, the finder will be one-in-a-thousand if he has any of the treasure money in hand and not wasted this time next year. If he is smart he will invest most of the treasure proceeds in stock mutual funds and real estate, so that he can use the capital gains for his own family first, then for charity and good deeds for the rest of his life.

I don't see a big song and dance, only a message from Fenn (we ASSUME) that was not a sworn affidavit to a court, but only a 2nd-hand message posted on a website, so it only holds the status of hearsay, not hard evidence. The reason to do this is obvious. If any additional lawsuits come forward claiming they had the correct solution in Wyoming, Fenn can just ignore those claims, knowing that if any get recognized by a court, all he has to do is have his lawyer file a sworn, signed, and witnessed affidavit stating that the treasure chest was not hidden in Wyoming. With no proof that it was hidden in Wyoming, case closed. Any messages posted on the Internet will not be worth a cup of coffee.

 

[Luttleboy]

Even if someone produced documentation that their solve placed the treasure chest within a millimeter of where it was found, they didn't travel to the site and pick it up off the ground. So they have no suit. That would be like me saying I picked the winning horse that came in at 1000:1, but never placed the bet and then filing a lawsuit claiming I am entitled to the money. And why would Fenn lie about it now, only to then get with the finder to show that the chest was never in Wyoming? All of a sudden you go from a simple lie to conspiracy to commit fraud, which opens both Fenn and the Finder to many more civil actions and some criminal hassle, as well. Unless as some people believe, the whole thing is a hoax, why would Fenn waste his time lying about it? There are really only two logical possibilities here. One is that the whole treasure hunt was a hoax. The other is that the finder really did find the treasure where Fenn hid it, and they both agreed to not reveal the location or identity of the finder for whatever reason they wanted.

You make some assumptions that are not always true. Not traveling to the treasure site would not prevent anyone from filing a lawsuit in today's courts. There are too many struggling lawyers that would be too glad to file a suit, as shown by the Barbara Andersen suit (filed by her, a lawyer).

Dal Neitzel on a website, saying that Fenn made a statement about the finder agreeing to reveal where he found the treasure, would be only hearsay or 2nd hand gossip in a court of law, and not admissible evidence. But look at what happens now: Anyone planning to make a claim for Colorado, Montana, or New Mexico will be discouraged. Anyone making a court case now about having the correct solution in Wyoming can be shot down by simply having Fenn's lawyer file a sworn, signed, and witnessed statement that the treasure was never hidden in Wyoming. Case closed.

 

[Luttleboy]

Hello Paul, Please email me for my complete solve. [email protected]

Evidently you are the only one who can understand this. My Solve... Completed in dec 2019 There is far more to this btw.

By Michael Palma

1 Old Faithful is our WWWH. 2 To begin "it" we draw a [line] from Old Faithful as a tangent line touching the grand canyon in through Fossil Forrest in the NE corner. . . . .
Michael

I think that you assumed that "it" is your treasure search. But "it" only makes sense if IT is what Forrest told you to use: use the poem-as-a-map. If you do that, and cut out the entire poem with scissors, and place IT on Google Maps as instructed in Stanza 2, beginning the top right corner of IT on the CO/NM border where warm waters halt because Colorado does not have a legal fishing regulation definition for warm waters, then taking IT (the poem cut-out as map) in the Rio Grande Canyon down, or southwest toward Santa Fe, then put in IT, the lower left corner of the poem-as-map just below the home of Brown, or Casa Marron in Spanish, then the word blaze#1 in the poem will point to the blaze#3 on the land, at GPS coordinates 36.6355, -106.2105 - - -. The blaze became visible in 2016 when Google increased the resolution. You can still see it today if you switch to Satellite mode and zoom in to the highest magnification. (PS: The 2nd blaze#2 is the name of the town of Angel Fire, NM.)

Please someone, show me another solution that uses the poem as a map, and makes all the lines cross in the right spot, and takes you right straight to it. There is only one real solution that meets all these criteria. If you look around at this special spot, you can find posted photos of Fenn's rainbow that had the chest of gold at the end, and the rock wheel that Fenn mentioned, "Try the wheel", and a photo of some brass bells.

 

[MiddenMonster]

The Internal Revenue Ruling in 1953 on treasure troves will apply, and the IRS would not take lightly being told that the finder does not have possession when the previous owner stated clearly in the poem "I give you title to the gold", and also made the same implied statement by purchasing the chest from the finder. There was no dispute about the possession of the chest, so the treasure trove tax is due and payable immediately and not later than Dec 31, 2020.

Granted, the finder in this case could ultimately lose against the IRS. But as long as there are other people laying claim to the chest, the finder could put it off until all the legal battles are over, then claim that the issue has been "reduced to undisputed possession". What if, by some bizarre turn of events the finder pays the tax, then later loses one of the legal battles and the chest is given to someone with the initials B.A., who really doesn't have a claim but makes for a great example anyway? Does he get to file an amended return and get that money back? Does the IRS get to double dip and collect the same tax from the new undisputed owner by tagging her with the treasure trove tax? Or does B.A. get to skate on the taxes since the finder already...sorry, I could type that last sentence with a straight face. The IRS would collect that same tax six times over if they could get away with it.

I don't see a big song and dance, only a message from Fenn (we ASSUME) that was not a sworn affidavit to a court, but only a 2nd-hand message posted on a website, so it only holds the status of hearsay, not hard evidence. The reason to do this is obvious. If any additional lawsuits come forward claiming they had the correct solution in Wyoming, Fenn can just ignore those claims, knowing that if any get recognized by a court, all he has to do is have his lawyer file a sworn, signed, and witnessed affidavit stating that the treasure chest was not hidden in Wyoming. With no proof that it was hidden in Wyoming, case closed. Any messages posted on the Internet will not be worth a cup of coffee.

The "song and dance" would be the initial lie, then all the other pretzel twisting that supports that lie, i.e. putting the chest on a giant map of Wyoming, just to be technically correct that the treasure was found in Wyoming. Taking a friend to the chest to end the hunt in a way favorable to Fenn. All that stuff is song and dance to cover up a lie that so far has zero evidence to support it, and is not as effective or elegant as it would be as a stand alone lie.

You make some assumptions that are not always true. Not traveling to the treasure site would not prevent anyone from filing a lawsuit in today's courts. There are too many struggling lawyers that would be too glad to file a suit, as shown by the Barbara Andersen suit (filed by her, a lawyer).

Well, that's totally true. Anybody can file a lawsuit against anyone else. If you won the lottery, chances are someone that you don't even know will file a lawsuit against you. But anyone who doesn't respond to even a frivolous lawsuit risks a lot of expense later. But it should also be easy for Fenn to knock down all these lawsuits with relative ease, and only one of them involved additional alleged crimes that would provide some kind of foundation for it to proceed. At most, Fenn might have to give up the name of the finder to the courts so that lawsuit can proceed. But other than that, Fenn is going to remain untouched by all these other legal actions, at least to the point where he is going to have to demonstrate that he hid a chest, the hunt was real and wasn't rigged. But there isn't one single advantage for Fenn to fabricate a complex lie for the whole thing. If he lied, then he could just rest on that like without complicating it. If he feels he has to name the state where the treasure was found he names the correct state. Then he's done. No one has any added information to mount a legal challenge. If he entered into a fraudulent conspiracy with the finder to stage the whole thing, then the finder is the only person who could hang it back on Fenn, which makes him the weak link. And if that's true, Bloodline may get his human sacrifice after all.

 

[SlickNickeL]

A lot of people say it was a hoax, but so far no one has put forth one shred of evidence that it was a hoax. 100% of the hoax claims rest on derogatory statements made about Fenn's character, i.e. "He's pond scum, therefore the treasure is a hoax."

There isn’t one single shred of evidence that Fenn’s treasure box ever left his house. It seems that the evidence gathered here lately, shows a bronze box that hadn’t been weathered at all, let alone 10 years. All that photoshopping? Why?

 

[MiddenMonster]

There isn’t one single shred of evidence that Fenn’s treasure box ever left his house.

Actually, there is evidence that it left his house and was found. We have Fenn's statements, and all of the documentation (books, poem, posts, etc) that he created regarding the treasure hunt and how it ended. You can choose to believe or not believe Fenn, but it's still testimonial evidence. Fenn saying he hid a treasure chest is the claim, all of his statements about said chest are the supporting evidence. Whether someone chooses to believe it or not is irrelevant. They have the evidence before them, and can draw reasoned conclusions from it:

1. Fenn claimed he hid a treasure chest and launched a treasure hunt. Based on the evidence he provided to support that claim, I believe him.
2. Fenn claimed he hid a treasure chest and launched a treasure hunt. Despite the evidence he provided to support that claim, I don't believe him because <insert reason here>.

Both are valid conclusions, based on the evidence provided.

The same can't be said of all the people claiming it was a hoax or a rigged game. Lot's of claiming, zero supporting.

 

[SlickNickeL]

Actually, there is evidence that it left his house and was found. We have Fenn's statements, and all of the documentation (books, poem, posts, etc) that he created regarding the treasure hunt and how it ended. You can choose to believe or not believe Fenn, but it's still testimonial evidence. Fenn saying he hid a treasure chest is the claim, all of his statements about said chest are the supporting evidence. Whether someone chooses to believe it or not is irrelevant. They have the evidence before them, and can draw reasoned conclusions from it:

1. Fenn claimed he hid a treasure chest and launched a treasure hunt. Based on the evidence he provided to support that claim, I believe him.
2. Fenn claimed he hid a treasure chest and launched a treasure hunt. Despite the evidence he provided to support that claim, I don't believe him because <insert reason here>.

Both are valid conclusions, based on the evidence provided.

The same can't be said of all the people claiming it was a hoax or a rigged game. Lot's of claiming, zero supporting.

You’re a smart guy, maybe you know?

If Santa Clause isn’t real but you say he is, then could he catch COVID19?

Enquiring minds want to know.

And while we’re on the subject and you are the all great and knowing OZ,

What was the final solution to Fenn’s puzzle?

 

[MiddenMonster]

If Santa Clause isn’t real but you say he is, then could he catch COVID19?

No.

What was the final solution to Fenn’s puzzle?

Beats me. I had it pegged in New Mexico, fairly close to his house. And clearly, that fantasy went right down the crapper and into the septic tank. But Fenn says that it was found in Wyoming, and I haven't seen any evidence to indicate he is lying. So unless that changes I have no problem taking him at his word. And all it takes for me to change my mind is evidence.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Actually, there is evidence that it left his house and was found. We have Fenn's statements, and all of the documentation (books, poem, posts, etc) that he created regarding the treasure hunt and how it ended. You can choose to believe or not believe Fenn, but it's still testimonial evidence. Fenn saying he hid a treasure chest is the claim, all of his statements about said chest are the supporting evidence. Whether someone chooses to believe it or not is irrelevant. They have the evidence before them, and can draw reasoned conclusions from it:

1. Fenn claimed he hid a treasure chest and launched a treasure hunt. Based on the evidence he provided to support that claim, I believe him.
2. Fenn claimed he hid a treasure chest and launched a treasure hunt. Despite the evidence he provided to support that claim, I don't believe him because <insert reason here>.

Both are valid conclusions, based on the evidence provided.

The same can't be said of all the people claiming it was a hoax or a rigged game. Lot's of claiming, zero supporting.

You are mis-using that term. There is no, and never has been any "evidence" one way or another.

 

[SlickNickeL]

What is going on?

I’ve stayed out of this mess for some time now. It doesn’t matter to me one bit where, why, or when Fenn said he placed his box of farts. I know he was a liar and the end doesn’t surprise me. What gets me is, why does anyone care about my solve or anyone else’s at this point in time?
Who cares? Not me. I figured this crap out years ago, and although I haven’t release every single minuscule detail, it won’t change one single thing. Either you believe my solve or you don’t. I don’t care either way. I have received many emails asking me about book hints and why don’t I go to the press. Forget that! I got way better things to do then to wast my time looking through Fenn’s crap that he calls memories.

I don’t care that 141 miles from Fenn’s house to Folsom’s horse eye and Indian, comes from his book or his address. Who cares? It was in Wyoming says Fenn! Go to Wyoming! None of it matters!!!

 

[MiddenMonster]

What is going on?

The best place to catch up is in the last few pages of the Forrest Fenn's Treasure thread. The quick recap is that the finder of the treasure has revealed himself as Jack Stuef. He didn't start looking for the treasure until 2018. He maintains that it was found in Wyoming, he never heard of Forrest Fenn before 2018 and had no connection to him prior to contacting him after finding the treasure. He won't give away the exact location so people don't flock to the site and mess it up. He revealed his identity because he thought it might come out because of the Barbara Andersen litigation. There is a link to the article where his name is revealed on the last page of that thread. Based on the author's statement, finding the finder was a minor treasure hunt in and of itself. Bottom line is that it is looking more than ever like the treasure hunt was not a hoax.