Written by Transcript Of Justin’s comments in Episode 2
Intro: Justin: I have to wonder, if Forrest knew everything that would come to pass, would he have hidden the treasure again, and would he have done thigs differently?
About 16:30
Justin: It’s amazing how quickly the narrative for something truly amazing can shift so dramatically. Forrest was getting pressure at that time to just call this off. (LOCK APPEARS, One Mug, Clock Time Approx. 1:33) I wrote a letter to Forrest, and I told him that, while we are in the wake of a true tragedy, don’t forget the vision that you had. I know that you didn’t want to imperil anyone’s life, but it felt like we had a very fleeting window of time in order to find the treasure. After I had created that facial recognition software, I had a strong belief that the treasure was located in Yellowstone National Park. (Lock is gone, one mug, Clock Time is 4:18) I knew it was there somewhere. All the data had lined up. Now, there’s a story in… in the book where he talks about going to fish with his father on the Firehole, the Madison, and the Gibbon River. All of which are relatively warm bodies of water. Firehole and the Gibbon end abruptly, and the Madison begins. And so, when you talk about “where warm eaters halt,” waters is plural. waters is plural. You’ve got three major bodies of water on the map. So that’s a very compelling starting location. The second clue is “And take it in the canyon down.” (Lock appears, one mug, Clock Time Approx. 1:33) Well, he’s a fisherman. What does down mean? Down means downstream. That’s Madison Canyon. From there, it’s “Put in below the home of Brown.” I think immediately about fishing holes. Great places to fish for brown trout. Furthermore, he’s got his father standing in front of this large rock. That’s Nine Mile Hole. I was so excited, I immediately called my brother Brandon.
Video from Justin’s youth
Man: Okay, let’s start over here.
young justin: You go first, Brandon,
young brandon: Um, I’m Brandon from Tucson, Arizona
young Justin: And I’m Justin from Tucson, Arizona, and I’m his brother.
Current Justin: Brandon was three years younger that I was. He followed me everywhere, and we were always on the verge of the next great discovery. When I started this treasure hunt, I had probably shared hundreds of solves with Brandon, and, up until that time, he hadn’t really been all that invested. But, that time, his response was, “Huh. That actually might make some sense.” After I told him about the solution, he wanted to come out and search together. It was more than just a treasure hunt to him. It was a way for us to spend time together. We slowly worked our way down the canyon, and I could see, as I walked through it, his excitement continued to grow to the point where he was invested. Well, when we made it to the other side of the river, it was all new growth. Uh, a lot of them are chest height to head height on me, and you’re just wading through them. You’re covered in sap, torn up from head to toe. That was probably weeks of work.
Possibly Brandons voice in a video: Anything?
Justin in video: The hunt continues. Still no luck.
Current Justin: However, I didn’t have the confidence that I could safely eliminate this. Tucker would sniff out bronze anywhere. The problem was the law. Yellowstone does not allow dogs on trails.
Justin in video: Jump Up. There ya go.
Current Justin: And without Tucker there, it was, uh… …I (or “it”) felt like you were searching blind. (Camera goes to wide screen shows Lock appears, unclear if the dialogue is continued from when lock is there , One mug, Clock Time is Approx. 3:05) Speak of the devil.
Skip ahead to about 22:50 –
Justin: Cynthia was ubiquitous in the chase. She was very well-known. And so by virtue of just getting to know Forrest, uh, you’d have to get to know Cynthia ’cause she was there a lot of the time.
Skip ahead to about 31:44 – So many people believed it was them. “I must be this close.” “What if this is me?” And, yeah, I thought about that too because I would send Forrest emails, and so he knew the areas that I was searching in. So when he would come out and say, “Oh,” you know, “there’s somebody who’s within 200 feet,” or something, you know, everybody wonders, “Is that… is that me?” The search season for me would depend on snow melt, (Lock appears, one mug, Clock time Approx. 1:33) So February, March, started getting itchy. So you’d be on the computer checking the snow-depth reports at different areas, trying to figure out when it’s gonna clear. Thant’s when the search season would begin. In early January, I was preparing for the next season. I was headed toward Yellowstone to search the Nine Mile Hole area again when I got a call from my mother. She was very upset. My brother Brandon was missing. So I hopped on the first plane out and went… and went to Tucson. I was just kinda frantic to find him. He had left a note. It had a symbol on it, and i figured out it was basically a mile-marker post just east of Tucson, so that’s where I went. I pretty quickly found his pack and towel up on a mountainside. I was pretty concerned at that point, and so I called search and rescue. He had left some messages in the area that I knew came from him, and the last one that I found was the name Forrest Fenn with a X marks the spot. But I, um, I couldn’t find him. Eventually, he was found up on the mountainside. He, uh… …he… …he, uh, he shot himself. The autopsy report showed that if I had figured out that message sooner, it would’ve probably been a different ending. um… He was my responsibility. Um… I was disappointed in myself, but I made a pact with myself at that time that I would keep searching. I felt that I owed it to him to find what we had started to hunt for. I went back to Wyoming… and I tore that place up. I searched an area I probably shouldn’t have in weather that I know I shouldn’t have. I really did throw personal safety to the wind. I didn’t have any other thought than finding that.
Skip ahead to around 43:50 –
Justin: There was a belief that Forrest’s family held a… they called it an intervention and had asked him to stop the treasure hunt for their own safety. I certainly would not have faulted them if they had done that. He probably thought that, by continuing with this treasure hunt, “I risked my own personal safety,” and probably more importantly to him, his… his family.
Skip ahead to around 47:00 –
Justin: All of a sudden, it was clear I was running out of time to find the treasure.
Skip ahead to around 48:18 –
Justin: I felt very confident taht there was a shortlist of places where this could be. And as I walked around Yellowstone, I just felt myself getting closer and closer and closer.
Skip ahead to around 53:41 –
Justin: There’s just no way. There’s no way!