Project Skydrop treasure found in Wendell State Forest
Published: 10-02-2024 4:35 PM
Modified: 10-02-2024 6:55 PM |
WENDELL — The treasure has been found.
Eleven days after the hunt began for a 4-inch-tall, 24-karat gold statue, an anonymous treasure hunter has claimed the Project Skydrop prize hidden deep in the Wendell State Forest.
Those watching the live treasure cam at projectskydrop.com at 5:19 p.m. on Tuesday would have seen a pair of gray and green Adidas sneakers approach the statue, created by New Hampshire game developer Jason Rohrer.
Rohrer said he and his creative partner Tom Bailey created Project Skydrop in hopes of making the “world’s best treasure hunt.” The small gold statue, designed by Bailey and forged by Rohrer, was left in the woods, with the only hints to its location coming in the form of a shrinking circle on a map and daily aerial photos.
There were a number of close calls, according to Jon Flis, co-owner of Flis Market in Erving, which is located near the state forest. As the circle on the map depicted on the Project Skydrop website closed in on Franklin County as the location of the hidden treasure, Jon and his wife Liz saw more and more hikers and treasure hunters — so much so that the Erving Police Benevolent Association issued a safety advisory on social media on Tuesday warning treasure hunters to “be sure to take the necessary supplies” and familiarize themselves with the area.
On Tuesday evening, after hearing numerous hopeful hunters say the treasure must be nearby, Jon and Liz decided to wander up to the state forest trailhead and encountered a man holding the treasure.
“He came out of the woods and we just started clapping for him,” Liz recalled.
The treasure hunter told the couple that he grew up in the area and now lives in Boston, working as a meteorologist. He found the treasure using weather tracking tools, tree maps and a bit of luck. Recognizing the variety of tree shown on the trail camera and in the aerial photos as beech trees, he then used maps of beech tree groves on public land to narrow his search.
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“He said that he almost gave up. He went out searching yesterday around 3 p.m. and almost gave up until he saw this big cloud,” Liz said during an interview at Flis Market on Wednesday morning. “He was watching the clouds and the live camera, and he was able to narrow down which patch of trees it was in and that was how he found it.”
The treasure hunter told the couple that he found the spot but did not immediately see the treasure. At this time of year, beech trees look golden, making spotting the small statue difficult. But he eventually saw it after nearly stepping on it, and the hunt was over, according to the Flis.
“It’s a huge area,” Jon said. “The Wendell State Forest is 7,500 acres.”
The hunter showed them the 10-ounce gold statue, reportedly valued at $26,725, which broke when he slipped on some mud while hiking out of the forest.
The couple said the treasure hunter did not give them his name. Rohrer, when reached by phone on Wednesday, said that the treasure hunter has not reached out and did not post a video of himself finding the prize on YouTube, as outlined in the rules of the Project Skydrop game. As such, he will not be receiving the cash prize of $87,000, which was to be paid via Bitcoin, he said.
Jon and Liz Fils said the hunter “could not have been more genuine” and they believe he was telling the truth when he told them he did not care about the prize money; rather, he was just excited about the hunt and getting to spend some time outside. The man told them he had no intention of coming forward and would remain anonymous.
“It wasn’t about the prize,” Liz said. “It was cool to feel like we knew the woods it was maybe hidden in and to explore.”
“It was about getting people out of the computer seats and putting boots on and getting into the mud and the woods,” Jon added.
Rohrer said he had a feeling the treasure would be found in the second or third week of the hunt, which began Thursday, Sept. 19, but he is still impressed by the hunter. The map started by covering a 500-mile diameter.
“He used all the available data and was a few days ahead of everyone else,” Rohrer said of the treasure hunter.
Rohrer said he does not plan on announcing the exact location in the Wendell State Forest where the treasure was hidden — at least not yet. He still has to go out to the trail and pick up his cameras, and he was considering putting out a guest book and some other souvenirs and prizes so that other treasure hunters could continue to search the area until Oct. 10, when the game was scheduled to end.
A second-place prize is up for grabs. The circle on the map will continue to shrink, and aerial images will be released for the next few days. Treasure hunters who believe they know the location where the treasure was hidden can submit their guess on the Project Skydrop website. The closest 20 guesses will receive a $100 prize.
Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.