SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) — As treasure hunters in Utah continue searching for a hidden chest with a promised $25,000 bounty, organizers revealed another set of clues to its location.
The original clue, which was crafted in the form of a poem by Utah Treasure Hunt creators Dave Cline and John Maxim, has been puzzling fortune-seekers for well over a month now. Despite new hints every week, fortune-seekers are still carefully picking each line apart to discover its secrets.
The organizers say the treasure hunt is open to everybody and free to participate in. “No rock climbing, mountain goating, crazy bushwacking, or digging is necessary at all,” they say.
You’ll need to follow a trail for some portion of the hunt, but should have cell service at the location.
Cline and Maxim first started the treasure hunt as a passion project during the pandemic in 2020. Since then, they’ve made the hunt annual. The first two treasure hunts were self-funded, they say, though several companies have since joined and contributed to the prize fund.
The original clue for this year’s $25,000 hunt reads as follows:
Begin your search where time was transcendent
Crack open the books they’re interdependent
Lift up your eyes and look for the mark
Hike to the tree that stands without bark
Pass the grain tower that looks out to the west
Not more than an hour you’ll know by its crest
Look down at your map to not wander with thirst
Remember two less than on top of the first
You’ll know you’re close where it’s time to frown
What points towards heaven but is upside down?
Get off the road at the airplane without wings
Search from the shoulder and fortune it will bring
A brand-new set of hints were shared Friday to narrow the hidden location even further for everyone searching.
Hint #1:
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore manga aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.”
Hint No. 1 appears to be placeholder text that is first generated when a font is used. However, it could be on purpose, and mean something for adventurers.
Hint #2:
“A lot of solves believe ‘the tree that stands without bark’ has to do with whether or not dogs are allowed on the trail. That’s a great idea but not correct. The tree without bark is manmade but you don’t have to physically go there. (Research from home)”
Hint #3:
“You never need to leave asphalt roads at any point of the drive. A lot of people have asked if they need a special kind of off-road vehicle. Nope. Any vehicle will do.”
The treasure hunt organizers have compiled all the clues and reminders into one page of current hints — which they say will be updated a couple of days after each clue comes out.