Full Decipher of 'Where Warm Waters Halt'
04 January 2018 | Mri Grout
For many avid treasure hunters this is the first clue to Forrest Fenn’s cryptic poem because when people were trying to solve the clues out of order, he said that we must ‘start at the beginning.’. Now granted, this does not 100% mean that ‘begin it where warm waters halt’ is definitely the first clue because if there’s one thing we know about Forrest Fenn is that he loves playing on words. However, this is the first line that gives an actual direction for one to follow and thus makes perfect sense to be the first of the nine clues in Forrest Fenn’s poem. So where do warm waters halt exactly? Well this is obviously up for fierce debate, but here are my thoughts about WWWH.
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Understanding the Definition of Warm
The word ‘warm’ can be used as three different types of speech: a noun, verb, or adjective. Now given that Forrest Fenn’s poem is in English, one would assume that it’s an adjective because it comes before ‘waters.’ However, poems don’t always follow the correct order of grammar and when millions of dollars are on the line, I think it would be foolish to write anything off so soon, especially since Forrest seems to love tricking people by them making their own assumptions. However, both the noun and verb form of the word ‘warm’ are used to describe something of a hot/rising temperature. Unfortunately though, the adjective options that ‘warm’ could be hinting at here are vast. Does it mean of a comfortable temperature, of a reddish hue, of a jolly and happy nature? I think one can only really know by looking at the rest of the line.Understanding the Definition of Waters
I think most people can agree that ‘waters’ is talking about an actual body of water. However, again with not wanting to make assumptions, it can also be used as a verb either to add water to something or to dilute its quality. What I find interesting, however, is the ‘s’ at the end of it as I normally wouldn’t say a lake is full of ‘waters.’ So I Googled the plural form of water and found the following definitions from dictionary.com:- flowing water, or water moving in waves
- the sea or seas bordering a particular country or continent or located in a particular part of the world”
Understanding the Definition of Halt
The only way halt varies from stop is that it can be of a temperary nature. I don’t think this is a coincedence and so am drawn to the conclusion that the phrase ‘warm waters halt,’ means for it to stop temperarily and then continue on. For me, this eliminates the possibility of geysers or hot springs or anything else that would require the warmth to end permanently.
Finding Where Warm Waters Halt
So now that I know there are so many different ways to read this sentence, I am going to make a list for each possibility and then slowly make my way through them with a map of the Rocky Mountains. For instance, if I see a place called ‘Red River’ I will write it down because red can equal warm and river can equal waters. Yes, it’s tedious work, but if it was simple and easy then Forrest Fenn’s treasure would’ve already been found by now and we’d have no adventure to experience.
My Personal Interpretation
I slaved over this for days, then more so with the decision of whether to share it or not. In the end I decided that I'm happy with my lot in life and though it would be wickedly awesome to find the treasure myself, I would be totally okay with just knowing I helped solve a bit of it simply due to my love of puzzles. I pursue my dreams and honestly, a $1,000,000 wouldn't really change my outlook on life. I might be a tad richer, but I like the experiences more than the cash so, here I am sharing my personal interpretation of 'where warm waters halt.' Warm = sweet Waters = river with two references to water for a double whammy as a river is a flowing water and water + river = waters. The encore for this interpretation is that at this place, the river is 'moving in waves' as it turns into rapids here. Tick, tick, and tick. Halt = what's the most famous phrase with this word? "Halt! Who goes there?" And where do people say this? At gates. And how does something 'warm' halt? If warm = sweet, then it 'halts' by turning evil and then back into something sweet. DUN! DUN! DUUUUUN!
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Warm Waters Halt = Where Sweetwater River runs through Devil's Gate
If this is truly the solution to where warm waters halt, please let me know via email or a personal message through my Facebook if you find the treasure. Would totally make my day.
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