Don't usually jump in on posts with this many replies but will add my 2 cents to this one. I used to be interested in studying the Dominguez/Escalante expedition as it happened to have passed through areas very close to where I lived in western Colorado. The expedition was charged with finding an overland route from the mission at Sante Fe to the west coast missions in California. These two Franciscans are widely accepted as the first white men to venture through the western interior of this country in the year 1776. One of their markers springs to mind. It was a cross carved in an Alamo tree (cottonwood), along the banks of the San Miguel River. Bare in mind that there was no treasure involved here. Just staking out likely spots for future Spanish settlement. This tree was still standing in the 1970's, and the cross could still be seen. As for the tree in the original post, it looks like an aspen. Though it was the largest living single organism on the planet until recently, (it was outdone by a parasitic fungus), aspens only live for 40 years. Of course as someone else posted, these people were planning on coming back ASAP to recover their treasure. I don't think anyone would bury treasure with the thought that someone else should dig it up! Also, aspens are very readable where actual age of markings are concerned. I have some material that discusses how the bark explodes over time around scarring. In order for a marking to be readable, a very fine line must be cut into the bark. A wide or deep cut in the bark turns into an undecipherable blob. The bark literally turns inside out at the cut. Most relevant posting here is by Tigr50. If you were going to depend on a marker, would you do it on a tree amidst a billion other trees that are all waiting for a lightning strike?~CO2
