Thousands of people have headed to an area in the western United States to search for a hidden treasure. A wealthy art collector and businessman from the area named Forrest Fenn says he hid the treasure. The searchers follow nine clues(线索) from a poem that Fenn wrote. They consider the poem their "treasure map".
The treasure hunters believe the prize could be hidden in an area that starts in New Mexico and stretches all the way to the northern state of Montana. Many believe the treasure is real. Others, however, think it does not exist.
An estimated 350, 000 hunters from around the world have come to the area seeking the treasure. One of them is Sacha Johnston. She is a single mother. "I have been hunting for the treasure for five years and I'm not regretful about my choice." Johnston said. She thinks she has made good progress on guessing some of the clues. So, she's happy and has kept her search going.
Forrest Fenn spoke to VOA from his home in Santa Fe. The house is filled with priceless art pieces collected over his lifetime. He talked about volunteering to fight in the Vietnam War in 1968 and narrowly escaping death several times during his service.
Fenn said doctors found cancer in his body in 1988 and told him he only had about six months to live. So he decided to put pieces of gold, jewels and other valuables in a bronze box and leave it for others to enjoy after he was gone. But Fenn ended up beating cancer. Years later, in 2010, he decided to hide the box. "I wanted to give people something to look forward to and everyone is hopeful." he said.
When asked whether he thinks people are close to finding the treasure, Fenn said he really has no idea. "It is possible my treasure box could be found this afternoon, or it could be 100 years or 500 years. Who knows?" he said.
