People continue to seek reported hidden treasure in the Rocky Mountains despite fatal attempts
Forrest Fenn
Many people have gone in search of a treasure allegedly hidden by New Mexico author and antiques dealer  Forrest Fenn   but for some  the chase after an elusive prize has come at a dangerous price.
 Fenn   87  claims  he  hid a treasure â estimated by some to be worth $2 million -- somewhere in the Rocky Mountains in 2010. The only way to find it   he  says  is by reading a cryptic poem containing nine clues from  his  self-published 2011 memoir  "The Thrill of the Chase." Part of the poem reads  "Begin it where warm waters halt / and take it in the canyon down / not far  but too far to walk / put in below the home of Brown."
A former military pilot turned wealthy antiques dealer   Fenn  told ABC News the main reason for creating this massive treasure hunt was to give people hope.
"In 1988  I was diagnosed with what everybody thought was terminal cancer  " Fenn  said. "But besides that  we were going into a recession  and lots of people losing their job  despair was written all over the headlines  and I just wanted to give some people hope."
 Fenn  claims  he  hid a bronze chest filled with gold coins and rare artifacts.
Because of the fluctuating price of gold   Fenn  said  he  isnât sure of the exact value  "I don't even want to think in those terms. Writers about this treasure hunt have appraised it between $1 million and $5 million."
 Fenn  told ABC News  he  estimates that nearly 350 000 people have gone out searching. The treasure could be hidden anywhere in tens of thousands of square miles of territory out West  from New Mexico to Montana. Aside from the poem   Fenn  has given few clues as to the treasureâs whereabouts  but he says the treasure isnât anywhere dangerous.
Some skeptics think it's all a hoax  but  Fenn  is quick to defend its authenticity.
"The treasure is real "  he  said. "The treasure is hidden where I put it."
 Fenn  said thousands of online forums  videos and documentaries have fueled speculation  with people obsessively pouring over  Fenn 's prose-prompted clues to the point where  he  said  he  has received the occasional death threat.
" This one guy  called me...  he  said  'Tell me where the treasure is right now. I'm going to kill you.'"
So far  no one has been able to find it  including Washington state resident Dal Nietzel  who has made more than 65 search trip since  he  started looking in 2011.
Neitzel runs  Thrill of the Chase  a popular blog documenting  his  own quests and the quests of others. It also serves as a fan page for other  Fenn  afficiandos.
Cynthia Meacham  also among those looking for  Fenn 's treasure  said she first found out about the treasure in 2013 and has made more than 100 trips near her New Mexico home.
The quest for  Fenn âs hidden treasure comes with multiple dangers  including bears and rough terrain. Several people have gone missing or died trying to find it.
In 2016  authorities found the remains of Randy Bilyeu  whose family said he too went missing while searching for  Fenn 's treasure. Bilyeuâs body was found north of the Cochiti Lake along the Rio Grande River.
Many people have gone in search of a treasure allegedly hidden by New Mexico author and antiques dealer   [TGT]    but for some  the chase after an elusive prize has come at a dangerous price.
 Fenn   87  claims  he  hid a treasure â estimated by some to be worth $2 million -- somewhere in the Rocky Mountains in 2010. The only way to find it   he  says  is by reading a cryptic poem containing nine clues from  his  self-published 2011 memoir  "The Thrill of the Chase." Part of the poem reads  "Begin it where warm waters halt / and take it in the canyon down / not far  but too far to walk / put in below the home of Brown."
A former military pilot turned wealthy antiques dealer   Fenn  told ABC News the main reason for creating this massive treasure hunt was to give people hope.
"In 1988  I was diagnosed with what everybody thought was terminal cancer  " Fenn  said. "But besides that  we were going into a recession  and lots of people losing their job  despair was written all over the headlines  and I just wanted to give some people hope."
 Fenn  claims  he  hid a bronze chest filled with gold coins and rare artifacts.
Because of the fluctuating price of gold   Fenn  said  he  isnât sure of the exact value  "I don't even want to think in those terms. Writers about this treasure hunt have appraised it between $1 million and $5 million."
 Fenn  told ABC News  he  estimates that nearly 350 000 people have gone out searching. The treasure could be hidden anywhere in tens of thousands of square miles of territory out West  from New Mexico to Montana. Aside from the poem   Fenn  has given few clues as to the treasureâs whereabouts  but he says the treasure isnât anywhere dangerous.
Some skeptics think it's all a hoax  but  Fenn  is quick to defend its authenticity.
"The treasure is real "  he  said. "The treasure is hidden where I put it."
 Fenn  said thousands of online forums  videos and documentaries have fueled speculation  with people obsessively pouring over  Fenn 's prose-prompted clues to the point where  he  said  he  has received the occasional death threat.
" This one guy  called me...  he  said  'Tell me where the treasure is right now. I'm going to kill you.'"
So far  no one has been able to find it  including Washington state resident Dal Nietzel  who has made more than 65 search trip since  he  started looking in 2011.
Neitzel runs  Thrill of the Chase  a popular blog documenting  his  own quests and the quests of others. It also serves as a fan page for other  Fenn  afficiandos.
Cynthia Meacham  also among those looking for  Fenn 's treasure  said she first found out about the treasure in 2013 and has made more than 100 trips near her New Mexico home.
The quest for  Fenn âs hidden treasure comes with multiple dangers  including bears and rough terrain. Several people have gone missing or died trying to find it.
In 2016  authorities found the remains of Randy Bilyeu  whose family said he too went missing while searching for  Fenn 's treasure. Bilyeuâs body was found north of the Cochiti Lake along the Rio Grande River.