u/irontechy

Be strong, have grit
Sparkle even as you pine
Here lies Joy divined

I think this part of the poem is referring to mineral families that help identify a final hide landmark since it shows up over the x on the book cover.

Corundum is the second hardest mineral outside of diamond. Ruby and sapphire are part of this mineral family. Corundum is used as an abrasive because of its hardness. So this family is the first line. I think this indicates the boxes being hidden by rocks/stones.

Beryl is a mineral family that contains aquamarine and emerald. Aquamarine = sparkle and emerald = pine. I think this indicates we must also have water and a tree by the final location as well. The story of Daphne asking to be turned into a tree by her father, a river god, makes me think we are looking by a river.

So the combination of rocks, trees, river, and a trail is the final solve location. Since most trails by rivers have bridges I would think we may be looking for those in some locations.

Ready, Player One reference. Leads to the Jade key (birthstone). Eventually Wade has to leave his physical home to find the Easter egg from some other physical location. The same location some would say he finds Joy.

Potential search locations (35.4480523, -85.6538273) and (35.4481119, -85.6538370).

Clues that make me think this is a place to look.

The two charizard cards at the beginning = Route 66.

Ash’s Charmander evolves into Charmeleon in episode 40 = I40 which I believe is part of the statesville and Texas loop.

If you head north east on I40 you pass fiery gizzard state park in Tennessee.

Our target general location is Stone Door Tennessee. The door is a callback to the jazz bar story. Stone door is also a 10 foot fissure in rock. This is a callback to Pokemon episode 46 when Charmeleon evolves into Charizard in which ash falls through a fissure into a cave and battles an Areodactyl with charmeleon and it eventually evolves. Also froakie looks like a machop, which like to move large boulders, and froakie indicates the start of our micro solve.

Applying the Greek mythology chapter we know that the nymph Daphne had her father (a river god) transform her into a Laurel tree too stop Apollos advances. Laurel Falls is close to stone door.

North of stone door is Rock Island state park and I believe to be for the golem reference so we need to go North past Laurel Falls.

I think one of the coordinates I posted will remind us of this picture. I am in Utah and won’t realistically be able to check myself.

I post this for anyone to check if they want. I just want to know that the puzzles of the book are teaching a progression and for this box it’s evolution.

Can anyone help me look at a road-trip trail sequence? Needs to be a famous named stone door/gate landmark first, opening up to a nearby water feature with a plant/tree name, located near the I-40 corridor between NC and Texas.

If we find this I think we find Froakie :)

I think it will be revealed to be found between Adams canyon the wilderness trail in Kaysville. It will be close to a bridge inbetween.

I believe the Olympic rings indicating the macro location of each box is true. Although I do I admit I am biased. I have people helping with botg on two boxes so we will see if that confirms anything. I have solves to pretty exact locations for three boxes.

1. Lion Share - California - location can be coded yellow/gold
2. Past and Future - Oregon - location can be coded blue
3. Forrest Fenn - Colorado - location can be coded black

If this is accurate then Pokemon box location should tie to the color green and be in the south east part of the US and the Appalachian Trail should tie to red in the Northeast.

To be clear, Portland, Oregon. I have an interesting solve in Portland. I haven’t pinpointed a search location on the trail yet.

Are these coordinates on private land? (36.2486652, -121.8260545)

Who lives relatively close to the Pine Creek Colorado trail?

View Poll

If you take the overlined letters N and A and use them twice and the underlined letters E,R,L, and T. Then make as many words or phrases with them as you can. You get quite a bit but the most interesting thing I found was “A lantern near an antler. Learn, Alter.” This screams The Chronicle’s of Narnia to me and I think also offers a callback to JCBs favorite pastime of D&D since the two overlap themes.

Note that 5 of the letters are in the dancing months of the Hopi calendar. I think this relates to the “There are dancers on the land” and is another Narnia callback to The Dancing Lawn.

The T is the only one not. The T is in august the 8th month. I think we are looking for a trail about 8 miles long that is in a loop. The T I think is also a transitional marker. Also the word alter in the above phrase makes me think of the stone table Aslan was sacrificed on which also relates to the T being representative of the cross Jesus Christ was hung on. This could indicate the name of a trail that gets you to the next part of the search but I am still thinking this part through.

Let me know if this helps you with your search?!

Anybody else get Narnia vibes from the Joys Serenade Poem?

I am still waiting on the book. I have just read the poem online but does Jon make subtle references to Narnia at all in the book?