Burying a million dollar treasure in the mountains for the whole world to find

Specifically, Mr. Forrest Fenn, an 87-year-old millionaire, former Vietnam fighter pilot and art dealer, buried this treasure somewhere in the Rockies, about 1,000 miles between Santa Fe, New Mexico and the Canadian border.

Mr. Fenn estimates that about 350,000 people have gone hunting for the treasure, however, there is no way of knowing whether anyone has come close to finding it.

“The treasure could be found soon or it could take 1,000 years for anyone to find it,” he told CNBC.

Previously, Mr. Fenn shared with NPR news agency in 2016: "No one knows where this treasure is except me, including my wife. If I die tomorrow, the location of the treasure will go with me to the grave."

The main part of the treasure hunt clue that Mr. Fenn gave was a 24-line poem he wrote in his memoir “The Thrill of the Chase.” He also shared the poem on social media site Instagram to help more people join the treasure hunt.

According to Vox, the treasure is said to contain emeralds, rubies, gold, and diamonds, all of which Mr. Fenn, a self-taught archaeologist, discovered during his explorations in the southwest.

Remarkably, after being diagnosed with cancer in 1988, Mr. Fenn planned to take all of his treasures to the mountains to die next to them. However, after miraculously overcoming the disease, he stored them in the basement of his home for many years, where several people confirmed to NPR that they saw the basement filled with valuables.

Then he decided to hide all those treasures so that everyone could have a chance to find and enjoy them.

“A lot of people are unemployed and losing their jobs, there's a lot of despair, and I just want to give some people hope,” he told ABC News.

However, there are some treasure hunters who are so obsessed with this.

Specifically, Ricky Idlett, a steamship worker in Mississippi, told Vox: “Every night I go on Google or look for clues.”

In addition, Mr. Fenn said he receives 100 emails a day, The New York Times reported.

Sometimes he also has to call the police when uninvited guests show up at his house and threaten him.

“There was a man who came to my house and threatened me to tell him where the treasure was or he would kill me,” Mr. Fenn told ABC News.

Additionally, at least four people are believed to have died in accidents while searching for the treasure, prompting some to call on Mr. Fenn to end the dangerous hunt. He has not done so, but has added a few new clues to his blog to try to keep people safe.

He also insisted that his hiding of the treasure was mainly to encourage families to enjoy the outdoors.

“I want to give families and children something fun to do together. I hope parents will take their children camping and hiking in the Rockies. I hope they will fish, look for fossils and look for my treasures,” Mr. Fenn added.