Treasure Hunters still suffering from Gold Fever

The death toll of the Fenn treasure hunt has skyrocketed. Officially there have been only two deaths, but over this past two months there are possibly as many as 4 more deaths. There were two rumoured searchers in Yellowstone in June and another person who died in a Colorado desert who previously was rescued in the same desert 5 months earlier.

Now another has gone missing: and he is confirmed to be a Fenn treasure hunter, Eric Ashby, 31, remains missing after his Walmart "toy" raft reportedly flipped on a challenging part of the Arkansas River on June 28, ironically a day before Mr. Fenn said the treasure chest in not under water. Read more about SAR update on Eric Ashby here.

The problem with Mr. Fenn's safety message is that it doesn't eliminate a water crossing or part of a route to the treasure. Common sense dictates that an 80 year old man is not going to ride a raft down a set of rapids. Unfortunately the poem is set up to make the searcher believe their is a nautical route with the term "take it in the canyon down" and "put in". Both of these are rafting,boating, kayaking terms.

I have written of this possibility in my book and I feel it necessary to speak up and rule the water route out. The poem is set up as a guise, thus the reader at first will instantly think rafting down a river, but this is a well planned treasure hunt and sleight of hand and riddles are in play. Thus I am confident that the water route is out. However, I admit this is almost impossible to convince new searchers to believe.

Thus all I can say, is use common sense and think big picture, Mr. Fenn would not take a treacherous route to the treasure. Remember, everything looks so tame on Google Earth, but on scene this terrain is unforgiving.

Use common sense when searching and follow my safety suggestions. Or visit my safety thread.

Search safe!

Update to this thread it appears body has been found presumed to be that of Eric Ashby: http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/news/florence/ci_31177505/human-remains-found-near-florence

#raft #safety