A Tennessee man believes that he has solved the mystery of the elusive Fenn treasure and plans to journey out to the American southwest soon to see if his suspicions are correct. According to an illuminating local media profile, Cris Dotson became interested in the story of eccentric author Forrest Fenn and his alleged hidden cache of riches about five years ago. This past November, after suffering a heart attack and being stuck at home recovering, he decided to plunge headlong into the hunt and seriously pursue finding the treasure.
While Dotson is undoubtedly one of many individuals who think that they are on the right track when it comes to locating the riches, his willingness to go on the record about the status of his hunt is commendable, since many other treasure hunters keep their proverbial cards close to their vest. To that end, he is understandably unwilling to share precisely where he thinks Fenn hid the treasure, but did provide insight into the unique process which led him to the belief that he has narrowed down the spot to within around a quarter mile.
Dotson explains that beyond merely scouring Fenn's 2010 book Thrill of the Chase, which launched the treasure hunt with a series of clues, he has also devoted a significant amount of time studying the author himself. "I've listened to him," he noted, "that's why I think I'm so close." By that, Dotson means that he has studied numerous interviews with Fenn about the treasure and, in his mind, spotted possible clues surreptitiously revealed by the man behind the epic hunt. Dotson also says that he has kept track of the considerable community of treasure hunters searching for Fenn's riches and made an effort to "learn from their mistakes."
Whether Dotson is correct in his assessment will soon be put to the test as he plans to conduct an on-the-ground expedition in search of the treasure sometime this summer. Remarkably, he had originally planned to go in April and emailed Fenn to 'warn' him that he was close to finding the elusive prize. This resulted in an intriguing response from the author, who is not prone to answering messages from treasure hunters, telling Dotson to "wait until summer." In turn, he interpreted this bit of advice to be an indication that the riches were likely only accessible in the warmer months when snow would not be a factor. Although he expressed confidence that his first attempt at finding the treasure will prove successful, Dotson says that he'll continue searching if it fails to yield any riches.