Crap/junk you have found in the back country?

[oldranger]

Russ,

40 years ago there used to be 2 or 3 grates at every campsite where there was wood. Now they are relatively rare. I actually kind of like them as it is easier to cook my fish. But then I've never been a purist when it comes to the Wilderness Act.

Mike

[Hetchy]

In the Lake Vernon region of HetchHetchy there are numerous old glass bottles and sardine cans to be found. Left over from not only the more recent fishermen but the original dam builders as well(some bottles are from 1930's)
I personally have drug out D cell batteries from old camofire rings, the typical can and bottle from roadside CG's.
At Guffy camp in So Cal a bunch of hikers banded together to clean up the Hiker/Car Campground. Actuallly the problem there was(unbelieveably!) NON-bearproof garbage cans in a backcountry trailhead.
Everyone began to point fingers but we all knew.. Leaving garbage out for critters=dumb humans.
The really cool thing was just as we began to pick up the trash a forest service truck pulled up.. we just loaded the litter bags into the truck and he bailed!
THE TRAIL PROVIDES!

Lake Vernon Region Northern Yosemite wilderness

[calipidder]

About halfway up Piute Canyon between the bridge and Golden Trout Lakes. In other words, about the farthest point you can get from any trailhead within Piute Canyon.

It was full, unopened, and had 'FREE' written on the top, along with the date and 'enjoy!'. The date was 8/11/07, I think I walked by on 8/13 at about 9 am. Sure, I'll just sit and have a refreshing glass of warm crappy cabernet, thanks.

Next time I don't feel like carrying out my trash maybe I'll just label it 'free!' and leave it on the side of the trail. Sigh.

If I'd been thinking I would have drained it and carried out the trash, but I just kind of shook my head and hoped a horse packer would pick it up. After all, free wine!

[Take-a-Hike]

MK: We saw those skis as well....just makes u wonder.... Thought about trying to cut em up and carry out....probably would have fit right in w/all the crazies we met on the JMT...but then logic set in. I've carried out excess/others trash, etc., but the skis were above and beyond, IMO, w/2 far 2 go.
W/us it's been the usual balloons and left over campfire/cooking grill tops. We did find a couple of bags full of junk next to?a few yards off the trail coming out of the Mono Creek area about a quarter of a mile before/past the JMT junction. Again, too much to carry. We told a couple of ranger guys who were checking permits at the camp area at the Edison Lake turnoff. They indicated that they knew where it was...so obvious to me they'd seen it but were not equipped to carry it out either.
T-a-H

[mokelumnekid]

yeah, I found those skis and put at that campsite (that's where we camped on our first night coming in from Taboose TH).

[Cross Country]

At Edyth (Edith) lake I found a Boat and Oars. What a fun trip that was. They were hidden in a difficult to reach fishing spot (why I was there). I figured someone was coming back for them. By the time I got home it seemed not to be the case. I came back later that summer with two teenage boys and the stuff was still there. What luck for us.

[oldranger]

jt

Off topic, but didn't you just love the simplicity of the Moss Solus II Tent! 6 stakes and one pole! Mine finally wore out after 20 years of hard use. I was going to have a new one custom made but then my wife and I became addicted to the comfort of large Downmat sleeping pads and the Solus II just won't fit them. Of course neither will any other 2 person lightweight tent. So we use a Big Agnes Seedhouse 3SL. nice tent but way to complex and requires more than the 6 tie out points or stakes that the Solus II needed.

Mike

[LarBear]

Found. Lots of trashed and shredded bear bags hanging from trees. A beautiful half open round rock with crystals inside on a 7 day trip. It weighted a ton so we left it. Indian arrow trading camps at the to of passes with a lot of "rejects" on the ground. Lots of hand made nails on the ground around deserted mines. One time, condoms-three at one spot one time. What a trip that must have been.
Left. Poop. If a bear can do it can I. My wooden hiking staff at Rocky Lakes Basin. I just plaint forgot to pick it up. A pair of hiking boots at Manter Meadow trailhead. Carefully put them on the ground , changed shoes and drove off. We had mules take wood and beer to Thousand Island Lake and didn’t want to drag it down ourselves so at a popular campsite we left both (11 cans) with a note saying if you used the booze you had to take it out.
Last. I tried that Kevlar Ursack bear bag when it first came out. A bear easily got into it at Young Lake in Yosemite. We cleaned up the mess but couldn’t untie it or cut it from the tree the cord was wrapped around. We took a picture of the torm bag and the mess and sent it to the bear ranger. They told me that the trail ranger went up with a wire cutter and cut it off. My picture if the Ursack torn open was used for years at every permit office to explain to people why the park wouldn’t let the Ursack suffice as a bear bag.

[GH-Dave]

About 35 years ago I found a Silva Ranger compass in the crotch of a tree somewhere high up in Kings Canyon Park. If it'd had a name and phone number on it I would have returned it to the unlucky owner. As it is, I've been happily using it all this time. You can bet that I have my name and phone number taped to it.

About 10 years ago it developed a bubble. I returned it to Silva for repairs and, IIRC, amazingly, they repaired it for free. All I paid was shipping.

Definitely a good deal.

Dave

[balzaccom]

Just this year:

Found: a nice swiss army knife at a lake in Henry Coe St. Park. Had a name on it, and when i did a facebook search, I actually found the owner! Returned with a smile!

Hoover Wilderness: a lovely and relatively new aluminom pot and lid. We like it so much, it has replaced our 35 year-old model.

Cherry Creek below Styx Pass: a day pack and pair of hiking boots--12 miles from the nearest trail. Both had a colony of frogs living in them...so we left them there.

And yeah--tons of trash, almost all of which we've packed out. Won't do TP, however...


LOST: nothing---but I THOUGHT I left my camera behind in Emigrant Wilderness...and after hiking back to get it....I found it was in my pack...

sigh