UTAH (ABC4) – As the hunt for $10,000 buried somewhere in the Utah wilderness hits the two-week mark, the buriers John Maxim and David Cline, have provided a couple of additional hints via email to those on their early hint email list.
With dozens, and likely hundreds, of local and even non-local, fortune seekers hitting the trails in Utah in search of the cash, buried near a stone bear, Cline tells ABC4.com that the response has been much bigger than he expected.
“It’s been amazing. I’ve gotten over 1,000 people messaging me like saying ‘Hey, this whole thing has kind of rekindled our love of nature and even relationships like families have bonded over trying to solve this. It’s grown into this crazy thing and I just never would have even imagined this,” he says.
In the early hint email, for which Cline and Maxim have provided a signup list on their website, two additional tips were given to guide the treasure seekers.
Hint #1 – It’s closer than you think
“From the time we parked the car to the time we arrived where the chest is hidden, was approximately 1 hour. No need to trek 10 miles into the backcountry. Unless you think John can hike that fast…” the guys explain in the email.
Hint #2 – But it’s not that easy
“None of the words in the poem are the same as trail names or prominent locations. We didn’t want to make it that easy for you,” the email continues.
BONUS HINT
At the bottom of the email, Cline and Maxim included an additional hint, which appears to be a cryptic string of letters. Cline, who describes himself as a “history nerd,” has implemented a cipher based on an ancient Roman technique known as the “Cesar shift,” and other code-making methods.
XGAWOEJEGWGXABCTWXWGXY
Cline confirms however, that many online have broken the code which correctly reads as “Where sailors rest.”
While the treasure is somewhat underground, Cline and Maxim remind seekers that there is no need to dig holes on the side of the trails. They say scraping some dirt and loose rocks away would be sufficient.
