You need to use the background, you don't believe in signs and symbols, that is why you haven't found anything. When you come off your righteous high horse someday, then maybe I will show you something
John,
Perhaps you are right.
I know or knew many of the people who searched the area of the Fish Map. A good number of them are dead now.
When you say "signs and symbols", who's interpretations are you using? Did you develop your own meanings? Did you go into the area with foreknowledge of the signs/symbols you were looking for, or did you figure them out as you went along? Can you tell me what symbol is on the Fish Map that you find important? Did you find a mine or a cache of gold ore? Are gold bars part of your find?
Lake Erie Schaffer was a good friend of Frank Fish and is the source for the Fish Map. She was also a good friend and partner of my Uncle, Chuck Ribaudo. If anyone had an inside track on that map it was Schaffer. I knew Manuel Peralta, who was also part of her team. They settled on Black Top Mountain, which happened to be where Chuck Ribaudo had his claim many years before he met Schaffer.
Chuck in front of his claim:
For a number of years now, I have freely given my time and research/documents to many Dutch Hunters. If you consider that to be someone on a "righteous high horse", I suppose that's me. Carolyn and I have spent thousands of dollars providing food and a shady, comfortable campsite at the Dutch Hunter's Rendezvous for many people, and a lot of those were complete strangers to us.
I would never assume that someone who has spent years in those mountains never found "anything". That seems to me to be something that someone riding a pretty "high horse" of their own might say.
As I said, "Glad to see you are finding some new stuff."
Good luck,
Joe Ribaudo
