Woodland Treasure Hunters Blog

There’s something both exhilarating and humbling about stepping off the beaten path—literally. Our latest treasure-hunting adventure took us deep into the Buffalo National River area, where the trails are stunning, the cell service is non-existent, and the line between “adventure” and “reckless climbing” is thinner than I’d like to admit.

Off-Trail Discoveries (and Misadventures)

We started our trip with a mix of structured hikes and spontaneous off-trail explorations. With a few known waypoints in mind and a list of possible treasure clues, my husband and I scouted different sections of the area. But even with a general plan, once you step off-trail, things get unpredictable fast.

There’s something thrilling about following a hunch. Maybe a certain rock formation looks just a little too perfect, or a shadowy alcove calls out to be investigated. The downside? Some of these “promising” spots involve climbing just steep enough hillsides that you start wondering if you’re pushing “adventure” into “this might be a bad idea” territory. We found ourselves scrambling up rocky inclines, balancing against trees, and occasionally sliding down loose dirt when gravity decided to take over. Every now and then, we’d look at each other and ask, Would JCB call this dangerous? (Spoiler: probably.)

Balancing Family Adventures with Serious Searching

Treasure hunting as a family trip sounds amazing in theory. In practice? Let’s just say it’s a work in progress. While we want our kids to love the adventure and experience the joy of exploring, we also want to have time to actually focus on the search. When you’re 2 miles up the trail and your 5 year old insists on being carried, you’re probably not going to find any treasure.

Kids are distractions in the best way. One moment, we’re talking about navigation, and the next, someone’s shoes are full of sand, or a very urgent question about Pokémon requires an immediate answer. We try to balance trips with the kids (where we embrace the fun of discovery) with separate, more serious scouting trips—but even those get tricky to plan.

Losing Each Other in the Wilderness (and Solving That Problem)

At one point, my husband and I both wandered off in different directions following separate hunches. We didn’t mean to lose track of each other, but without cell service, even a short distance apart turns into a long, frustrating game of Marco Polo. After some backtracking, a lot of yelling, and some lucky guessing, we eventually reconnected.

Lesson learned: walkie talkies are now a non-negotiable for our treasure hunts. They’re ordered and on the way, because while adventure is fun, I’d rather not have my next blog post be about spending an unplanned night in the woods.

The Ultimate Treasure Hunting Reminder

One thing that keeps us coming back to these wild places is the simple truth that treasure doesn’t come to you—you have to go find it. As the book itself reminds us:

“Finally, know the points I’ve left for you in this book will only bring you so close to any hidden treasure box. If you want to find these treasure boxes, you will have to travel out your door and go outside and search for them. Some people refer to this as ‘boots on the ground’.” (Page 17)

We’ve got boots on the ground, a growing list of places to check, and enough determination (or stubbornness) to keep going. The next step? Putting all the puzzle pieces together and maybe staying a little closer to each other on the next search.

The treasure’s out there. And we’ll keep looking.

Until next time—happy hunting!