One hundred and eighteen years ago today Mathew Roderick died in a botched attempt to follow him to the hidden gold bars stolen the previous August. As an amateur treasure hunter, I feel I am close to solving this mystery. But how many trips began with that exact thought foremost in my mind?

Detailed historical records offered the clues that put me on the right path. My discovery of the original wagon road and robbery site led me to uncover a variety of unanticipated hardware with the use of White’s TDI Pro metal detector. The bars couldn’t be too far away.

I enjoyed the TV series “The Sea Hunters” a few years back. The host taught me all great finds began in the library with research from accurate sources. At the end of each episode he encouraged me to get off the couch and start looking. And what an adventure it’s been.

Six weeks ago a small butterfly rested briefly on my journal as I sat in the forest and wrote about the most likely area to yield what I’d searched so long for. And the electronic technology seemed to agree. If winter delays the colder weather for a few weeks, there just might be time to make this work before another year passes by.