Part Five: Yellowstone Theory Number Two
We really can’t take all the credit for theory number two. In a morning of desperation, when we realized our first theory had unraveled, we used THIS theory (see "near Mammoth Springs" section) from a blogger as an outline and adapted it to what we already knew about Yellowstone and what we believed about the poem.
If you didn’t read the background on theory number one, I would highly recommend it, as we won’t repeat it all here.
As I have gone alone in there — “in there,” in the grotto/crevice/etc, in order to die
And with my treasures bold, — It takes guts to go somewhere with the intention of dying.
I can keep my secret where, — He has said he wasn’t going to tell anyone he was going off to die, it was going to be his “secret”…in this case, his final secret.
And hint of riches new and old. — Reference to the treasure, the riches of nature, etc.
Begin it where warm waters halt — Mammoth Hot Springs. Have you been here? If not, it’s super cool all by itself. But what made Mammoth so special to us in regards to Forrest’s treasure is that the hot, boiling mineral water that continually shapes this amazing natural wonder really, truly does halt. Like seriously, it primarily just evaporates, leaving the minerals that keep making Mammoth Hot Springs taller and taller. There is some hot water runoff into the Gibbon River, but mostly it’s just gone.
And take it in the canyon down, — Take the road that runs down into the canyon (towards the Tower-Roosevelt area).
Not far, but too far to walk. — This is the part where the original blogger’s plan begins to unravel. He also agrees that “too far to walk” is likely a distance of about 10-15 miles. However, when he said it was 10-15 miles between Mammoth Hot Springs and the Lamar Ranger Station (“home of Brown”, see below), he was dead wrong. It’s actually just over 20 miles from Mammoth Hot Springs to the Lamar Ranger Station. Too far? I don’t know, but we didn’t proceed as confidently as we did before. I will say, this part of the park looks more promising in regards to those rocks we were looking for.
Put in below the home of Brown. — Gary Brown was a famous park ranger who would have been a contemporary of Forrest Fenn. Google “park rangers of Yellowstone National Park,” and this is probably the first guy who will appear in the search results. His old home in the park has now been converted to an educational center and ranger station (by the way, if you are looking for this on a map of Yellowstone, it’s known as the “Institute” or “Buffalo Ranch”, not so much the “Lamar Ranger Station”). Though we met a ranger named Harold Brown, who lent us an extra can of bear spray, I’m just not so sure this is actually the home of Brown. But for now, let’s say it makes sense for our theory. There is a creek that runs literally just below the ranger station, meaning the ranger station is set on a bit of a hill and the small stream is about 6 feet down the side of the porch. You definitely can’t paddle up it because it’s so shallow. Looked promising.
From there it’s no place for the meek, — The journey gets harder from here, as you have now “put in” and are traveling in the water.
The end is ever drawing nigh; — We travelled up the creek towards where it “ends” at its source.
There’ll be no paddle up your creek, — Once again, we walked up this shallow stream.
Just heavy loads and water high. — Once again we were looking for a small waterfall, likely unnamed. However, we quickly ran into trouble. For one, the stream split into two almost immediately. We liked the idea that “ever drawing nigh” used the old archaic meaning of “nigh” or “left” to mean “always take the left”. But when we realized we, at 24 and 25 years old, could barely ford the stream for the fallen logs and undergrowth, we thought perhaps Forrest would have the same problem at 80. We turned back and took the right fork of the stream. We hiked and hiked for what felt like forever, but ultimately we realized we had long since exceeded the “few miles total” Forrest said he hiked making four trips in an afternoon (meaning four legs of the two trips, there, back, there, back, since we were just working on the first “there”).
If you’ve been wise and found the blaze, — Same as theory one. This is something we believe you won’t know until you see it, but once you see it, you will know it. We personally believe it might be a bronze horseshoe, but more on that HERE. (We didn’t find the blaze.)
Look quickly down, your quest to cease, — Same as theory one. Look quickly down, perhaps even underneath.
But tarry scant with marvel gaze, — Same as theory one.
Just take the chest and go in peace. — Same as theory one.
So why is it that I must go
And leave my trove for all to seek? — Literal meaning.
The answers I already know.
I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak. — Same as theory one. Again, back to the reference where Forrest meant to take his treasure and die. We believe this is a line left over from the original intent of the poem. Forrest is speaking as though inside the crevice/grotto/whatever, saying he has “done it tired” [the journey, the hiding, the path towards death] and now he is quite literally weak.
So hear me all and listen good, — Same as theory one, needed something to rhyme with wood.
Your effort will be worth the cold. — Same as theory one, the only way to guarantee being cold is being wet.
If you are brave and in the wood — Same as theory one. We feel these are “hints” to the location of the treasure. Not clues, mind you. Remember we said “clues” were the 9 distinct steps for how to get to the treasure, and “hints” were things that helped you find the clues but aren’t necessarily a path to find the gold. “Brave” emphasizes the need to wade/hike up a creek, being outside (with the freaking Grizzlies, etc.). “In the wood” means amongst the trees. Seriously, read his book. As great of a writer as Forrest is, he doesn’t seem to mince words. Perhaps we sometimes overthink the obvious.
I give you title to the gold. — Same as always. In other words, you find it, it’s yours. :)
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