Here we go again. We're sick like animals, we play pretend.
We all know The Secret is about baseball, The Wizard of Oz, and trees! I mean the book says Freedom but f*ck the book, it's only good for columns. Sorry, I tend to use extreme sarcasm when I'm beyond exhausted from disappointment in the current state of events.
I'm not looking to pick a fight on whether every casque is buried within a distance of a tree. They are after all, quite common and easy to back into using. If we clear our minds, breathe, and think about what JJP has told people in interviews, it feels as if Byron put effort into choosing things which would stand at least some test of time. So why are we focused on trees being a critical component of this hunt? Is it the scavenger hunt aspect hunters gravitate to? The need to take the verse literally and direct...or did something set a precedent?
It feels a bit of a chicken or egg question but the emerald puzzle in Chicago does appear to have contributed heavily. Let me raise my hand on this one. It seems slightly ridiculous the end of ten by thirteen was the trees. I hear you all thinking it, "Byron made a bad puzzle and we are all so smart". Maybe more people need to read a little Leary and Ram Dass. Let's really think on this one. This set of trees yields a specific spot in Grant Park. Not the spot where the casque is buried. Not a spot which is a foot or so off of where the casque was buried. In addition, nobody has been able to determine the next logical step needed to move from this specific point to the actual burial spot. Yet, the concrete portions of the verse are very thematic. I hate using theme etc. now. It seems to have led to this whole Oz, baseball stuff which I love to joke about but...but! Please look at the verse. M - Mozart, B - Beethoven, R - Roosevelt, L - Lincoln. These are undeniable, correct? Ten - J, Thirteen - M. It's one hell of a coincidence Jackson and Michigan is the intersection of the corner of Grant Park the casque was found. It's possible The end of ten by thirteen is just a clue.
Full disclosure, I do not have the answer to why the dig spot is where it is but why are we not speaking about these streets? I recently listened to a livestream on the gift giver clue. The discussion reinvigorated me a bit. It made me want to get back on the mic. Some excellent points on the structure of the puzzles and how they may be organized. Yet, a few things were puzzling. It was stated the group doesn't believe the gift giver clues apply to or are for them. Implying they likely know the answers because they have been working on the puzzles for over three years. In addition after great discussion on how the puzzle may be organized and components which make sense to utilize, it was stated, "the only way we will solve these is by finding old period photos of the area". Why have people created these rules? The rules of the hunt are clear and people even attempt to manipulate them. What if the pieces we are missing lend themselves to a extremely intelligent individual with a strong grasp of the English language? Imagine riddles, riddles which may fall a bit flat because we are looking for direct answers to specific things on site. Does this make the puzzles bad or would it make us bad at the puzzles because we defined the rules which do not exist based on assumptions on how things work?
I want to run and hide. I do it every time. You're killing me now.