Drogo
Jr. Member
- May 5, 2015
- 30
- 44
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
I've just been getting into the hobby of treasure-hunting, and I've been doing some contemplating. I don't claim to be an expert, nor have I uncovered a bona fide lost treasure to qualify for any accolades. I've just been doing some thinking and applying some logic to the task--SO PLEASE DISAGREE AND OFFER YOUR OWN LOGIC IF YOU WISH!
I know some of these qualify as "so obvious it's painful to read," but then again, there are always newbies to the craft so common sense often needs a reminder or two.
So, this thread is a DISCUSSION, and NOT meant to be a tutorial.
THESE ARE JUST NOTES "I WROTE TO ME" and I welcome your input:
1. IF you know the likely size and source of a certain cache, that should give you a clue of how remotely it is likely to be hidden. A small cache hidden by one or two people, for example, would likely be hidden in a place accessible to someone "on foot". It's unlikely for a person hiding a chest full of coins to take elaborate steps like hoisting it into a cave in a vertical cliff face: it's just too much effort for one person to both climb a vertical cliff and hide a treasure in a cave there. It's more likely to be buried or covered up either at ground level or in an area the person can walk to while carrying the goods. On the other hand, if you know the treasure was hidden by an army, then it may be buried an a very inaccessible place. Since armies have access to hoisting, digging, and other types of equipment--not to mention plenty of helpers--a vast treasure might indeed be hidden in a very carefully crafted or inaccessible hiding place. For example: I personally think it very unlikely that Doc Noss recovered treasure from somewhere else and "salted" Victorio Peak: the time, effort, and difficulty for one man to have moved vast amounts of treasure from another location and buried it deep in an almost inaccessible cave seem more trouble than it could possibly be worth.
2. Don't necessarily automatically think that because it's "old" it must be "true." Treasure maps can be understandably faked or otherwise crafted to deliberately send interlopers on a wild goose chase, thereby protecting the "real" hiding place of the "real" treasure. Personally, I take all treasure maps with a grain of salt, especially if the map was supposedly created by the person who hid the treasure in the first place.
3. Except for modern stashes that might be hidden in locations accessible only by aircraft, most stashes are likely to be hidden along traveled routes (even if those routes are no longer used). Think of the process of choosing and utilizing a hiding place: the person doing the hiding had to be able to get to the hiding place just like you do. If you are thinking of exploring an area so remote that there are no trails and no roads into it, then probably there will not be any treasure unless you know up front that the hiding place was chosen in the modern era of aircraft. Could there really be hundreds of 40-lb gold bars in a cave high on a vertical cliff face? It seems unlikely unless there is evidence that elaborate equipment got it there.
4. "Famous" treasures are likely to already be long gone, or the areas where they supposedly reside have been so picked over by past treasure hunters as to render the supposed clues at the sites useless or nonexistent. Exceptions to this might be carvings on virtually unmovable rocks, or natural features that no amount of human intervention is likely to harm. I once read a description of a supposed treasure listing a man-made feature as a "clue." Of course when I got there the man-made feature was long gone.
5. It's not worth risking life and limb pursuing the dream of some buried cache of valuables. You already possess the most valuable treasure you will ever own: your life. Don't do stupid things that may result in your death or permanent injury.
Well, I hope this hasn't caused too many to roll their eyes or have "duh" moments.
I know some of these qualify as "so obvious it's painful to read," but then again, there are always newbies to the craft so common sense often needs a reminder or two.
So, this thread is a DISCUSSION, and NOT meant to be a tutorial.
THESE ARE JUST NOTES "I WROTE TO ME" and I welcome your input:
1. IF you know the likely size and source of a certain cache, that should give you a clue of how remotely it is likely to be hidden. A small cache hidden by one or two people, for example, would likely be hidden in a place accessible to someone "on foot". It's unlikely for a person hiding a chest full of coins to take elaborate steps like hoisting it into a cave in a vertical cliff face: it's just too much effort for one person to both climb a vertical cliff and hide a treasure in a cave there. It's more likely to be buried or covered up either at ground level or in an area the person can walk to while carrying the goods. On the other hand, if you know the treasure was hidden by an army, then it may be buried an a very inaccessible place. Since armies have access to hoisting, digging, and other types of equipment--not to mention plenty of helpers--a vast treasure might indeed be hidden in a very carefully crafted or inaccessible hiding place. For example: I personally think it very unlikely that Doc Noss recovered treasure from somewhere else and "salted" Victorio Peak: the time, effort, and difficulty for one man to have moved vast amounts of treasure from another location and buried it deep in an almost inaccessible cave seem more trouble than it could possibly be worth.
2. Don't necessarily automatically think that because it's "old" it must be "true." Treasure maps can be understandably faked or otherwise crafted to deliberately send interlopers on a wild goose chase, thereby protecting the "real" hiding place of the "real" treasure. Personally, I take all treasure maps with a grain of salt, especially if the map was supposedly created by the person who hid the treasure in the first place.
3. Except for modern stashes that might be hidden in locations accessible only by aircraft, most stashes are likely to be hidden along traveled routes (even if those routes are no longer used). Think of the process of choosing and utilizing a hiding place: the person doing the hiding had to be able to get to the hiding place just like you do. If you are thinking of exploring an area so remote that there are no trails and no roads into it, then probably there will not be any treasure unless you know up front that the hiding place was chosen in the modern era of aircraft. Could there really be hundreds of 40-lb gold bars in a cave high on a vertical cliff face? It seems unlikely unless there is evidence that elaborate equipment got it there.
4. "Famous" treasures are likely to already be long gone, or the areas where they supposedly reside have been so picked over by past treasure hunters as to render the supposed clues at the sites useless or nonexistent. Exceptions to this might be carvings on virtually unmovable rocks, or natural features that no amount of human intervention is likely to harm. I once read a description of a supposed treasure listing a man-made feature as a "clue." Of course when I got there the man-made feature was long gone.
5. It's not worth risking life and limb pursuing the dream of some buried cache of valuables. You already possess the most valuable treasure you will ever own: your life. Don't do stupid things that may result in your death or permanent injury.
Well, I hope this hasn't caused too many to roll their eyes or have "duh" moments.
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