Where this key is not, including confirmers from the authors

[ILLUMINATINPS]

I began this hunt in July 2018. Like many others new to the hunt, I noticed it was stale on forums and didnt know if it was even live anymore. I reached out to followthefox.com several times to get a response but to no avail. Finally, after finding the authors regular email, I was able to get a response stating the hunt was still live. Since then i have sent several solutions to the author. Some were answered, some not. All were incorrect. However after speaking with some other hunters, I have learned that some have never gotten a response from the author, some have even spent money to go all the way there. Let me be clear when I say that I am not a fan of one person getting privilege to info over another. Its just simply not fair. Knowing whats incorrect over another allows one to narrow things down.  So in light of that, I am releasing all my locations that were conducted BOTG or confirmed incorrect by Mr. Stockwell himself. I feel this is the only way to perhaps lead by example and at the same time level the playing field. Of course I cannot speak for others that have been lucky to receive a response, but perhaps me flicking the first domino will bring others out of the shadows and create a map of where this key is not. I felt by including BOTG attempts that had NO confirmation by either of the authors will perhaps narrow things down as well.  To put it simply, I don't feel this hunt was managed very well so the least anyone can do who recieved a response is to share it here. Off we go:

The key is not:

1) Inside the crevices of Deer Brook Bridge

2) Under the trail sign at Deer Brook Bridge

3) 100ft up the stream that runs out of North Jordan Pond

4) At any of the 4 trail markers of the Bubble Divide Trail

5) 100ft into the Bubble Divide Trail from the trailhead

6) 100ft south of the Jordan Pond House crosswalk under a rock

7) 100ft south of the Jordan Pond Carraige Road Trailhead under a rock

8) Inside a knothole of the leaning tree of North Jordan Pond

9) Inside both fireplaces on Bar Island

10)At the summit marker of St Saveur Mtn

11) Summit marker of Acadia Mountain

12 )Under a rock across the first overlook, halfway up Cadillac Mtn

13) At the 1530 benchmark of Cadillac Mtn

14) In the cemetery next to St Svaeur church, using the cross as a shadow at 4:05pm Aug 15th

15) at the 40mph sign southbound Otter Creek rd

16)At Bass harbor light house, using the flagpole with a full moon shadow at 4:05am Aug 15th

17) At the POI by Jordan Pond in the book

There ya guys go. I hope this helps somewhat.. 

[goldenchild]

I gotta ask. Why the 100ft increments and so many trail markers ?

[ILLUMINATINPS]

Nov 6, 2019 9:15:05 GMT -5 goldenchild said:

I gotta ask. Why the 100ft increments and so many trail markers ?

Sure. Any time 100ft was used in those solutions, it had everything to do with 40 paces, except for Otter Creek Rd, which I used Pace Forty South as a 40mph sign visible driving south bound. figured perhaps that would be the answer because we have these road signs on the Cadillac page. It wasn't.

As far as Trail markers, thats an easy one. You learn very quickly that if you have a solution that brings you into Acadia, there needs to be some sort of marker, otherwise you are going to be wandering in the woods.

But this thread was more about putting out where we have been and what Pel has answered to, not so much going into details of each individual one, as there is no telling what parts connected to those solution are correct or not. Understand?

I can with confidence say that the key was not in the locations checked above, or they were confirmed incorrect by the author. 

[Deleted]

I know that it's not at the middle of the Day Mtn. roundabout. This was confirmed via email from Pel.

[astree]

.
Thank you for the information in this thread. I received no such emails from the authors, so have nothing to add.

There were some general comments, though. One relates to the hiding spot being accessible year round; I think this information may be in the back of the book? In a reasonable sense, would this put it not too far into park road only access, the ones which would be closed in the off season?

Also, in an interview, it was said that it was something like “on Mount Desert (Island?)” or Acadia Park. I dont recall the specifics.

[susb8383]

I've heard the 'year round but may be hard in the snow' too, as well as 'might be hard for someone in a wheelchair.' But I've never read or seen these comments for myself (they're not from the book). So they might just be legend. The only thing I've witnessed directly is his podcast interview.

[stiparest]

Nov 10, 2019 18:35:04 GMT -5 susb8383 said:

I've heard the 'year round but may be hard in the snow' too, as well as 'might be hard for someone in a wheelchair.' But I've never read or seen these comments for myself (they're not from the book). So they might just be legend. The only thing I've witnessed directly is his podcast interview.

I think these statements have become Fandango 'urban legends' and nobody really knows exactly where they came from anymore. You'd probably have to go back to some of the early Tweleve posts to find where this came from.

I also have had no responses to any of my messages sent to the email address on the Fandango website. Apparently the only people who get answers are those who cyber stalk them and contact them through personal emails.

[susb8383]

Agreed. I think some were from 12 posts of people who claimed to have gotten emails. But they never posted a screen shot so even those are just word of mouth.

[Deleted]

Maybe this will help those who are questioning contact from Pel. Here are the screenshots of Pel's responses to my submission. The first is his response to my asking if I could send him a submission via the email shown and the second is his response that my solution was incorrect. 

[stiparest]

Nov 11, 2019 12:15:39 GMT -5 @cheshireland said:

Maybe this will help those who are questioning contact from Pel. Here are the screenshots of Pel's responses to my submission. The first is his response to my asking if I could send him a submission via the email shown and the second is his response that my solution was incorrect. 

urasolve - thanks for sharing these. I still think it is strange that he would accept a solution via any method other than the official site email, and that he doesn't respond to legitimate emails sent via that site. He says he won't give additional hints because some people don't have internet, yet he basically does give hints to people who track him down at work and at home. He has never told me an idea I've submitted via the Fandango website is wrong - I've heard nothing back at all. Yet others who have contacted him via unconventional methods - work or personal emails, phone calls, etc., do get answers. I'm not sure what this says about this hunt or the authors, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and makes me suspicious of the whole process. If he really wanted to be fair to all participants, he would ignore and block any messages that came from anyplace other than the official website.

Already I find myself feeling suspicious of anybody who might win this. Did they have some contact with Pel that the rest of us don't know about? Were they told that locations X, Y & Z were incorrect, while others "not in the know" were still looking at them as possible sites? He shouldn't be verifying or ruling out any location for anybody. A win is presenting the key to them, meaning you found the key without any hints from them. He said that when you have the answer you will know it. The book also states that you have to go to MDI to recover the golden key. It doesn't say anything about submitting guesses for verification. They are not following their own rules.

I want this solved as much as the next guy, and I hope it is solved before the end date, but it has soured over the years by these intermittent responses to a handful of players, because it does seem he has responded to some people multiple times and to others not at all, giving the impression of favoritism. So I don't know...it just seems screwed up and not fair at all.

[Deleted]

I agree that it's run inconsistently. I ultimately went this route because I wasn’t getting any response via the website. It is unfortunate that his interest in his own hint has waned over the years - who knows why. And truthfully, if he had reached out via the website, I would have seen no reason to explore other options. His inconsistency and general lack of interest is why I’m not holding out for a solution after the supposed end date. Also, I can see how back in 2007 it would be unfair for an internet hint but we’re nearing 2020 and technology has advanced enough where that no longer seems like a good reason not to put something out there, you know?

[ILLUMINATINPS]

Nov 11, 2019 14:53:29 GMT -5 stiparest said:

Nov 11, 2019 12:15:39 GMT -5 @cheshireland said:

Maybe this will help those who are questioning contact from Pel. Here are the screenshots of Pel's responses to my submission. The first is his response to my asking if I could send him a submission via the email shown and the second is his response that my solution was incorrect. 

urasolve - thanks for sharing these. I still think it is strange that he would accept a solution via any method other than the official site email, and that he doesn't respond to legitimate emails sent via that site. He says he won't give additional hints because some people don't have internet, yet he basically does give hints to people who track him down at work and at home. He has never told me an idea I've submitted via the Fandango website is wrong - I've heard nothing back at all. Yet others who have contacted him via unconventional methods - work or personal emails, phone calls, etc., do get answers. I'm not sure what this says about this hunt or the authors, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and makes me suspicious of the whole process. If he really wanted to be fair to all participants, he would ignore and block any messages that came from anyplace other than the official website.

Already I find myself feeling suspicious of anybody who might win this. Did they have some contact with Pel that the rest of us don't know about? Were they told that locations X, Y & Z were incorrect, while others "not in the know" were still looking at them as possible sites? He shouldn't be verifying or ruling out any location for anybody. A win is presenting the key to them, meaning you found the key without any hints from them. He said that when you have the answer you will know it. The book also states that you have to go to MDI to recover the golden key. It doesn't say anything about submitting guesses for verification. They are not following their own rules.

I want this solved as much as the next guy, and I hope it is solved before the end date, but it has soured over the years by these intermittent responses to a handful of players, because it does seem he has responded to some people multiple times and to others not at all, giving the impression of favoritism. So I don't know...it just seems screwed up and not fair at all.

What you are saying is exactly why I created this thread, as it’s the only way I can clear my own head once I learned that not everybody was getting a response. I listed everything and chose to walk away because of the very reasons you express.
In response to the authors not wanting to give hints because “not fair to people who don’t have the internet”, I would easily rebut that 99% of people who purchased the book needed the internet to do so. So, if its not fair because not everyone has the internet, then its not fair to sell the book on the internet.  

Alot of people put time into this, so there are feelings attached. But, when you place the way it was managed, the excuses for no hints, the lack of communication, low sales, I think it’s abundantly clear that this isn’t the financial success it was intended to be, which is why we have complete radio silence. There are people in this game much longer than me who feel the same way. 

[stiparest]

Nov 11, 2019 15:57:48 GMT -5 @cheshireland said:

I agree that it's run inconsistently. I ultimately went this route because I wasn’t getting any response via the website. It is unfortunate that his interest in his own hint has waned over the years - who knows why. And truthfully, if he had reached out via the website, I would have seen no reason to explore other options. His inconsistency and general lack of interest is why I’m not holding out for a solution after the supposed end date. Also, I can see how back in 2007 it would be unfair for an internet hint but we’re nearing 2020 and technology has advanced enough where that no longer seems like a good reason not to put something out there, you know?

I agree - a lot has changed in 13 years and very few people don't have a computer or a cell phone. Put a hint up on their own website so it's not limited to just the people on any one treasure hunting blog. Considering the other things they are doing that make an uneven playing field, posting a hint on the website that they list in the book doesn't seem particularly unfair.