Found Objects

All the posts about where'd you get your gear and what's your oldest piece of gear got me thinking: has anybody ever found a piece of gear on the trail and when nobody claimed it, used it for their own? For example: you find a trekking pole in the woods near The Captain. You put a post up asking if anyone lost it. When nobody claims it, you use it yourself. Does anyone have "Found Gear" in there arsenal?

The second part will require more fessing up. Has anybody eaten a piece of food that they found on the trail? Have you ever found a snickers bar, power bar, cookie, and eaten it? Even though you don't know if someone put their lips on it already or maybe a dog stepped on it. I know of at least one person (no naming) who bragged in a trip report that he/she found candy on the dirty, drug-infested street and ate it. I imagine that if I found a pop tart still in the wrapper (and I liked the flavor) I might eat it. But if I found one lying on the soggy ground, unwrapped and with bugs on it, I might not. Conversely, I would not wear someone's dirty undiewears that I found in a tree (though I might carefully pack it out) but I might use a pair of crampons, assuming nobody claimed it when I listed it in lost&found.

Anyone?

-Dr. Wu

No and no (assuming that the statute of limitations on question two would preclude any childhood indiscretions...). But ten years ago, while hiking with my sister, she found a camera on the trail. We put up a sign at the trailhead kiosk, but got no phone calls, so she kept it.

bruno said:

dude. i found what my lady calls a "gravity knife" and what i call a "switchblade" on the mt kinsman trail right at the bottom where the old sugar shack is.

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for the record....I found the knife.

First, I found a Field & Stream tin cup on a trail and used it for several years until I left it at Gray Knob this past winter. Damn, I liked that cup. I would feel cheesy asking for it back the next time I visit given it has no distinguishing markings and I did originally find it. Second, food on the trail is way past the 5 second rule.

I found an Opinel knife among some rocks on the side of the trail while hiking in Switzerland. I tried to find the owner, but in the end kept the knife and still use it. I've packed out found bandanas that I've washed and later used.

That's bandana not banana.

-dave-

I don't find things, I lose things.

Eat found food? NO.

I found a 32 oz Nalgene bottle w/EMS logo and a 32 oz Tupperware drink jug thingie many years ago in the Pharaooh Lake wilderness. I packed them both out, threw out the tupperware because it was pretty nasty, soaked the Nalgene in bleach solution for a few days and cleaned it up. I still use it, but mostly for water for my dog. I have a hard time getting past having found it on the trail.

Eat found food? No. Unless it was still alive when I found it and it cooked up nicely.

I lost my nearly brand new, never used on real rock (only in the gym) 5.10 Spire climbing shoes along with chalkbag and mesh bag when bushwacking.
Very bad day.

Dave, good to hear you found my knife, I'll pm you my address so you can send it to me. (I always wanted an Opinel knife.)

Back in the '70s I found a stick at a trailhead. Someone had obviously cut a piece of Moosewood, peeled it, carved a little face at crotch of the 'V' at the top, used it one day, and left it.

So I used it that day, then took it home. Then I used it on my next hike, and the next one, and the next one after that. Used it for well over 20 years, in fact, including on my Hundred hike in 1998. Cool thing was you could jam a camera body in the 'V' and use it as a monopod!

My kids gave me a pair of Lekis a few years ago, so I retired my stick. Still have it, though, and one of the kids will use it on occasion.

No sense wasting a good stick.

True story:

I once found a stuff sack on the Davis Path containing an Altoid Tin full of pot, a glass bong (glass!?!) and a nice lighter. While I don't smoke the stuff (also true), my landlords at the time did. So I let them inspect the goods and I traded the stuff sack and all its contents for a month of rent.

As for food, several times I have found food still in the wrapper and eaten it without thinking twice. I have never eaten "open" food that I have seen on the trail, however.

chomp said:

As for food, several times I have found food still in the wrapper and eaten it without thinking twice.

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Spoken like a true thru-hiker.

-dave-

David Metsky said:

Spoken like a true thru-hiker.

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You know how to tell the different between a day hiker, a section hiker and a thru-hiker?

A day hiker sees a couple of M&Ms on the trail, kicks them into the woods and keeps hiking.

A section hiker sees a couple of M&Ms on the trail, picks them up, brushes them off, and eats them.

A thru-hiker sees a couple of M&Ms on the trail, grabs the candy, eats them, then starts digging in the trail looking for more.

Liner gloves seem to love me for some reason... I have two separate sets that I've found on the trail (and have used on occaision) along with a few single linger gloves that I'm sure I'll end up with a match someday.

My one and only Nalgene was also a find on the trail.

My best "found object" was not really gear but a lighter in the middle of the 100 Mile Wilderness. After several days hiking in the rain, I had run out of dry matches and had been eating cold food. I drank like three days of hot chocolate in one sitting after finding that lighter, which I still have.

I never found any interesting piece of gear (I don't get that kind of luck), but about the food, I would defilnitly drink the water from a lost Nalgene. I mean, if I'm out of water. Licking the bottle itself would be more questionable, though.

What could be on the hands that was previously holding that bottle ?

Yes to both questions.

Found and kept (to name a few): camera, pullover fleece, zip front fleece, snowshoes (yes, a pair), gloves (a couple pairs), shirt, sweatshirt, hats, fleece neck gaitor, socks, sunglasses, blanket, knife, whistle, lighter, nalgene bottle…


Found and ate: a Balance Bar – three of us split it while lingering at Nancy Pond

Most stuff gets carted out as trash - but sometimes not.

hello folks, I'm a newbie.

found, yes. a #1 tricam (climbing protection) at the top of eagles bluff in clifton maine. Used many times (way back when). one of my favorite pieces of pro. I believe it came with good karma from its previous owner.

eaten food, nope.

lost, a great norwegian camping knife given to me as a gift, lost in the backcountry of the tetons. I hope its new owner has put it to good and well-deserved use.

On the way up Dorset I found a Timex watch, in the snow, with a broken band. It was still ticking so I ate it.

I found a Nalgene bottle (old poly one) while bushwhacking on Mount Margaret in Denali Natl Park. Used it for a while, but then I lost it.

chomp said:

A thru-hiker sees a couple of M&Ms on the trail, grabs the candy, eats them, then starts digging in the trail looking for more.

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I'll second that. So, I guess my answers are "Yes" and "Of course."

This could be embarassing but what the hey. Due to a genetic mutation I am able to ingest and utilize plastic, rubber and teflon. No kidding. So anyway, there I was hiking away to my hearts content not far from Moosilauke last summer and what did I find but a ton, and I mean a TON of old red balloons ( 2 ells, 2 ohs).

I ate them.

I'm a stranger in these parts so does anybody know where they might have come from?

I have eaten a lot of other stuff that I found under rotting stumps and suchlike but I'd rather not share. You see my mother lurks here...

We just recently found a baby teething ring, hanging from a small branch near the summit of Balsam Lake Mt. in the Catskills. We left it there, but now I'm thinking I should have saved it for a snack for Neil.

Found an old old old wired hex... at the base of a cliff in cochise stronghold... It was so old it was threaded with one wire only through the nut.. and somewhat rusted. We think it was from the late sixties when only a handful of guys had something like this on their climbing rack. The fact that the initials were imprinted in the metal on the side is another good indication.

Dont think I will be using that anytime soon for gear anytime soon, but it is on my artifact shelf.

Found a nice pair of Julbos the same day about 50 feet away. They look a little crazy on me though.

I have picked up mulitple locking biners. I just mark them and put them aside for hiking use.

Found a wired nut once, that I know was fallen on based on the fact that it took the rock contracting as it cooled to remove it and the bend in the wire.
Its not my intention to use this anytime soon.

For some reason I have found lots of shoes on the trail... not my size or style and usually missing the second half.

on one particular trip I found the remains of several cars that people either pushed or drove off the edge of this cliff. Dashboards lying 50-100 feet from the same car... finding engine blocks even further down the mountains side.... HEADS UP!!!

Found a bent trekking pole once,... a lot of people's trash.

Found food on the trail before, that I ate... berries. Everything else is untouchable to me if I didnt bring it. Unless, my hiking partner brought it and is cooking it... fair game.

Knives seem to have the highest turnover... never found one but lost a nice one about 3 months ago at a trailhead. Good karma to whoever finds it.

Found a water purifyer on one trip, someone else in the group kept it.

Lost my marbles somewhere along the way... if you see them please return.