Justin Posey Follows in Forrest Fenn's Treasure Hunting Footsteps

There is a tantalizing notion that any of us, as everyday people, could unearth buried treasure set forth by an eccentric millionaire. Whether in the form of millions of dollars, gold doubloons, or hundreds of billions of dollars worth of metal, we are a people captivated by the idea of instant fortune upon the discovery of buried treasure.

In modern times, the fascinating millionaire Forrest Fenn left buried treasure to inject hope into a society desperately in need of it.

Some things, it turns out, never change. About five years since the discovery of Fenn's treasure, an inspired follower seeks to do the same. Here is the story of who found Forrest Fenn's famous treasure, which spawned a Netflix documentary and more, as well as who aspires to follow in Fenn's footsteps and unleash another treasure hunt for those in need.

Per Outside Magazine, eccentric millionaire adventurist Forrest Fenn set the world on a treasure hunt for riches he buried in 2010.

After roughly 10 years, at least five treasure hunters dying amid the search, and an ever-growing mythology about the treasure, it was confirmed to be discovered by a then-32-year-old medical student named Jack Stuef on June 6, 2020, in Wyoming.

Initially, Stuef sought to remain anonymous and preserve the secrecy of his identity. Speculation of ill intent ensued, however, and after a while, Stuef's identity was disclosed.

Fenn passed away that year. Stuef, grief stricken and processing a host of emotions amid backlash from fellow treasure hunters, authored a series of articles on the Medium platform.

“I am the person who found Forrest’s famed treasure,” Stuef wrote in his first article. “The moment it happened was not the triumphant Hollywood ending some surely envisioned; it just felt like I had just survived something and was fortunate to come out the other end.

"This treasure hunt was the most frustrating experience of my life," Stuef continued. "There were a few times when I, exhausted, covered in scratches and bites and sweat and pine pitch, and nearing the end of my day’s water supply, sat down on a downed tree and just cried alone in the woods in sheer frustration."

A Netflix docuseries entitled Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn's Treasure was made to share the story of Fenn's treasure hunt. Although one of the treasure hunters featured prominently in the docuseries, Justin Posey, was unsuccessful in his pursuit of Fenn's treasure, he was left inspired by the adventure.

“It’s just a way of paying it forward, what Fenn created for thousands of us,” Posey said on TODAY, while discussing that he is launching a treasure hunt of his own.

Posey revealed that clues to his own treasure hunt were laid out in his interviews for the Netflix docuseries. Posey, per TODAY, is a software engineer from Texas who consider treasure hunting a major identity in his life.

“I became the family’s resident treasure hunter,” Posey said in the documentary, as relayed by TODAY.