Multiple Steps to Solve the Map - For the Appalachian Footpath Box

Three Distinct Ways and a Couple of Steps

In an effort to help broaden my thinking about the map, I’ve recently been thinking about how I might design a puzzle myself. Having never designed a treasure hunt or puzzle before, I could be making some rookie mistakes. Regardless, there was a consistent thought that kept creeping in, that is, there should be multiple steps to my puzzle, or I run the risk of it being solved too quickly. For instance, maybe there is a cryptogram that returns a message containing a Caesar cipher. This, then, needs to be deciphered to solve the puzzle. I would imagine if I were writing an entire book, promoting it on talk shows, and actually hiding a couple of million dollars in treasure, the thought of it being found too early would be even more prevalent and haunting. Both my own thought experiment and the mention of the combination lock in the box description lead me to believe that at least one of the three distinct ways to find this box may be this type of solve. This week, I’m going to make a list of symbols from the map that I think could be used this way.

Pictograms

As I have written about in the past, I’m beginning to lean towards the idea that the pictograms on the map aren’t related to landmarks, at least not all of them. Some of the pictograms may be landmarks; others, more general clues, rebus puzzles, or boots-on-the-ground clues. I think it will be a mix of all these clue types, which are revealed to be hidden in the pictograms. As an example, maybe you think the “CAR NORTH” and the footprints are a nod to North Carolina, then the bald man and the upward arrow read as “head up”, a rebus, and finally the arrow points toward the smoke, so North Carolina, head up to the Smoky Mountains. This isn’t meant to be a solve, but instead to illustrate a point. I just wanted to convey how multiple clue types could be used together, while all being hidden in the pictograms. This is how I’m starting to think these symbols may play out.

Numbers

The numbers are a great candidate for a two-layered solve. First, you have to determine where all the numbers on the map are located. What looks like a number, but may be AI noise instead? What exactly counts as a number? Do the dots on the map count as a number? Do the letters that look like they could be numbers count as numbers? Then, once you determine that, you need a way to put them together to come up with, most likely, coordinates. I like the idea of finding coordinates hidden in the map, but I’ve had no luck finding them. One last thought on the numbers on the map. I like them for altitude, and even time (meaning a certain year). What I don’t like the numbers for is distance, that’s because the Appalachian Trail is always being rerouted. For this reason, distances on the Appalachian Trail should be considered temporary. I especially like altitude because I think it becomes a great filter for a search area.

The Dashed Line

The dashed line remains the best and, also, my favorite candidate for this type of solve. My reasoning revolves around the faint dashes on the map. I think there’s an initial match at Little Rock Pond and then another match using the faint dashes that leads to a more specific area. As you can see from the two images below, I’ve come up with two alternate trail shapes.

The first new trail shape

The second new trail shape

These two new trail shapes are my “distinct way” that I’ve come up with, and the one that I’m using for my solve when I go boots on the ground soon. Since it’s known that there are three distinct paths to this treasure, I don’t think every piece of the map will be used in every solve. So, I’m not worried if I can’t explain every single part of the map. I can explain the dashed line, the faint dashes, a few of the symbols, and possibly the 1727 NE. Everything I just mentioned, mixed with all the talk of Little Rock Pond, is more than enough for me to hop in the car and drive to Vermont. I finally get to see this and the surrounding area, to search for treasure.

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