kinguq wrote:
Most intriguing found: Full-sized inflatable female sex doll, on Cross Lake, Temagami.
Not mine, she stays behind in the bed of the tripping truck; it takes too long to inflate her in camp.
PA272345 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Seems other paddlers have found a lot of useful stuff, and lost some as well.
Found – Weirdest things, on a river trip in South Carolina, an empty fire extinguisher (?) and, at the same site, a nice office chair. I carried both out; the canoe was gear full, so the chair was perched atop the dry bags like Granny’s rocker on the Clampetts ’46 Olds Roadster (George Barris was a genius). A friend still uses that office chair at his desk.
Mostly though, cheap bent wire tent stakes, often excessively bent from misuse. And rope or line, usually crappy stuff or parachute cord. And rusty fire grates, more than I could count; I have a Purcell Trench grill, so always left those where found in case they were future useful to someone. I’ll garbage haul bent stakes or shitty rope, not an accumulation of shitty grills.
A few years ago not one but two of those folding wire fish grills, both hung on a stubby branch, both seemingly new/unused, both still there when I left. Paddles folks left behind at the take out several times. Also left in hopes the owners realized their mistake and came back. Eh, if there had been a nice carbon bent shaft I might have struggled with my ethos.
Only one usable paddle (lots of busted ones) while on the water, found at the run out eddy below the last drop on a WW run. We asked a group of passing paddlers if they had lost a paddle, one said he had. I held up the paddle and the guy said “Thanks” and took it. He paddled 50 yards downstream in the flats, turned around and paddled back and said “I did lose a paddle, but have to be honest, this isn’t it”. Cheap Mohawk, I told him to keep it.
Lost – Not much either. A few tent pegs, good ones, before I became more anal strategic about keeping them together while setting up/taking down. One high quality length of line, remembered only when we made the next camp.
Most dearly missed, found and lost, a gold rimmed pilsner glass and monogrammed sterling silver fork. Debris found after a hurricane took out a palatial hunting lodge last used in the ‘40’s or ‘50’s. I hid them at a nearby campsite, a place I often return to, and looked forward to a tradition of elegance, recovering and using them. Even though I drink ales, not Plisners.
They stayed hidden for a couple years, well off trail, tucked in the enfolding roots of a Loblolly pine and covered unseen with needle duff. Damned if someone didn’t find them. I was so bummed, and had to drink my IPA’s from the can, like a heathen.
Wayyy off topic, but the history of those hunting lodges is fascinating stuff. Think high roller Carnegie and Rockefeller progeny and white gloved wait staff.
https://www.assateaguephotos.com/Other/ ... /i-nW3mv9WLongish read, but the photos are cool. The octagonal multi-windowed club room at the High Winds Lodge is awesome.
https://www.assateaguephotos.com/Other/ ... /i-PbB9SF4https://www.assateaguephotos.com/Other/ ... -Lcd6Wps/ANot that I myself would ever ignore the posted signs and slip inside for a look.