Seven years ago, Forest Fenn hid approximately $1 million in coins and gems somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
At least that’s what Fenn claims. I take him at his word.
While many have tried, no one has yet found the treasure. Unfortunately, two people have died searching.
The second of those victims, a pastor, was found in New Mexico on Sunday. Now the fun-killers are raising their voices.
The local police chief warned Fenn, “I think he has an obligation to retrieve his treasure, if it does exist. … I would implore that he stop this nonsense.”
What a pathetic message.
First off, Fenn has absolutely no legal or moral “obligation” to retrieve his treasure. He has broken no laws, nor has he personally endangered any lives.
Instead, Fenn has given individuals the choice to look for something special: treasure. That which many of us grew up dreaming of.
But that’s not all he has given. Because amidst the great beauty of the west, Fenn’s hidden treasure has given the searchers something else: adventure. Pure, unrestrained adventure.
Or what the police chief calls “nonsense”.
Let’s be clear, Fenn should totally ignore the health and safety fetishists. He has forced no one to take risks that they do not wish to take. Indeed, he has called on people to exercise caution. And time and time again, the treasure hunters keep coming back.
Breaking from their usual tedium, back in February, Vox.com offered an unusually enjoyable read on the Fenn treasure hunters. Reading their stories, one realizes that the adventure of the hunt is as important as the ambition of the treasure. These are people from every walk of life who are doing what people have always done best: exploring.
Those, like the police chief, who condemn Fenn and his adventurers are losers. Just as the government has a responsibility to look for lost hikers, it has a responsibility to look for treasure hunters. If treasure hunters are imposing specific costs on local governments, then those governments should pursue restitution cases for the search fees. But government should never tell citizens to avoid being bold.
We should be inspired that our vast American wilderness can hide treasure for so many years. And we should applaud those who choose, for whatever reason, to join the hunt.
