Bluejohn Canyon.
Martin's directorial debut would be filmed here.
This was also the very place where Aron Ralston—the protagonist of the autobiographical Between a Rock and a Hard Place—became trapped and ultimately amputated his own arm to escape.
A plane slowly decelerated and landed at Moab Airport in Utah.
Martin and his team disembarked and immediately boarded six off-road vehicles that had been waiting outside the airport. They drove along Highway 78 until they reached a small town called Abes.
There, they met up with Aron Ralston.
Despite losing an arm, the young man showed no signs of being worn down by his disability. He appeared energetic and full of vitality.
The moment Martin saw him, he understood how someone like Aron could survive such a desperate situation—positive, optimistic, and always hopeful about life.
Abes wasn't their final destination.
Their goal lay west of the town: Canyonlands National Park.
Bluejohn Canyon, where Aron had been trapped, was located within this very park.
Guided by Aron, the convoy entered Canyonlands.
After passing through a narrow gorge, the landscape opened up into a vast expanse of wild terrain.
Under the sunlight, the reddish-brown sandstone ground shimmered with a strange, mystical glow. Scattered shrubs dotted the scene like flecks of light in a halo—it felt like stepping into another world.
At this point, vehicles were no longer permitted, for several reasons: to preserve the natural terrain, due to the impassable canyons and lack of roads, and because of the area's hazardous topography, riddled with pits and crevices.
The group left their vehicles in the park's designated parking area, shouldered their backpacks, and followed Aron into the park on foot.
As they hiked, Aron explained the route he'd taken during his ill-fated solo trek. As he spoke, he became reflective, and turned to Martin with a hint of nostalgia.
"Coming back here is such a strange feeling. You know, Martin, I didn't come here just for the landscape—I was also following a treasure map."
A treasure map?
That caught not only Martin's attention, but also piqued the curiosity of the bodyguards and film crew walking with them.
"Have you ever heard of Fenn's Treasure?"
Martin shook his head.
So Aron began to explain.
Fenn's Treasure was the brainchild of a man named Forrest Fenn.
And no, he wasn't some ancient figure—he was a modern man.
A former U.S. Air Force pilot, Fenn retired in the 1970s with a military pension. He used the money to open an art gallery with a partner, which unexpectedly became a massive success.
Later, he and his wife opened another gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, specializing in Native American artifacts, paintings, and sculptures. This business brought in around six million dollars annually. By the 1980s, Forrest Fenn had become a multimillionaire.
But good times didn't last forever. In 1988, he was diagnosed with cancer, and it looked like it might be terminal.
After a period of despair, Fenn came up with a wild idea—rather than quietly fade away, why not create a real-life "Indiana Jones" treasure hunt?
He gathered the best of his personal collection—gold bars, rare coins, antique jewelry, and gemstones—and placed them in bronze chests. Then he buried them across the United States, hoping someone would discover them one day.
There were six chests in total, each filled with treasures. At the time, each chest was valued between $400,000 and $1.8 million.
Now, with the dollar's inflation, the value had risen to over $3 million per chest.
His friends and family thought he was joking.
But he wasn't.
He took the six chests, boarded his private plane, flew across the U.S., and personally buried each one.
Only he knew the locations.
But just hiding the treasure wouldn't make for a very exciting game—it would be far too difficult, and not much fun.
So Forrest Fenn decided to open the game up to the public.
He commissioned a writer to help him pen a memoir titled The Thrill of the Chase, recounting his life stories of war, treasure hunting, and collecting.
One chapter, titled "Gold and More," included a 24-line poem with nine clues. By following those clues, one might be able to locate the hidden chests.
To dispel suspicion that he was just trying to sell books, Fenn pledged to donate all royalties to charity…
He also published the list of items inside the chests, along with photos. Once the media got hold of the story, public interest exploded.
This wasn't like buying a lottery ticket—it didn't rely on luck. Anyone who could crack the clues had a shot at the treasure.
Professional and amateur treasure hunters alike, along with opportunists dreaming of a windfall, began scouring the U.S. using clues from the book.
They even built a dedicated website to share updates and discuss interpretations of the clues.
Aron Ralston was one of those treasure hunters.
"So you found a clue? The treasure's supposed to be in Canyonlands National Park?" asked Gordon, intrigued.
Aron nodded. "Yes. I cracked two clues and found a box in the Rockies containing a treasure map. I followed that map here, and then—"
He held up his amputated arm.
"Then, I lost an arm instead of finding the treasure," he said with a calm, almost humorous resignation.
Martin had been quietly observing him all along. He was clearly an optimistic, resilient man with a true spirit of adventure.
"Is this Forrest Fenn still alive?" asked one of the crew.
"Yes, he's still alive."
Aron's response surprised many.
"Didn't any of the treasure hunters try to track him down and ask where the treasure is?" another crew member asked.
"Of course they did. Some even went to his house and threatened him to reveal the locations," Aron said, shaking his head. "I don't get it—where's the fun in that? Forrest Fenn even had to move because of it. The FBI suspected him of fraud at one point and raided his home, but they didn't find any of the chests or the supposed treasures. That only convinced more people he was telling the truth and had really hidden them."
(Editor Note: This is a true story. The author simply shifted the timeline of the treasure hunt slightly.)
"Later on, Fenn gave an interview where he explained why he created the treasure hunt: because there are too many people in this world who live in poverty and despair. It reminded him of the helplessness he felt when he was diagnosed with cancer. He hoped this treasure hunt would give people a reason to hope—especially those who'd lost faith in life."