Jon wrote on Apr 27^th, 2012 at 1:32pm:


Must be the spot for finding stuff; we camped there the second night of my first trip. On one of the nails was a big spinner.

We've been past countless various quantities of gear at the ends of portages with nobody around. We've left it alone on the premise somebody would notice it was missing and return.

Once we actually got to meet the folks that left the stuff behind. Just as we were coming into Hook Island another group was just finishing loading for their tow out. After we got unloaded and stretched a bit, we noticed a dry bag that wasn't ours. A look inside revealed the gear of a serious photographer. wasn't long until the tow boat came back!

On one trip we found a very very old penny in the dirt at the end of a portage.  I forget the exact date, but I think it was 1910 or so.  I found an old Buickthat was almost that old, but couldn't haul it out.  If anyone found a very nice rain parka at Prairie Portage in late June 2007, I hope they enjoyed it.  It was brand new and I didn't realize that I had left it until that night at camp.  My brother left his PFD at an island where we ate lunch last summer.  We didn't realize it until we hit camp, about 4 miles and two portages later.  It was the first day of a 9-day trip, so we couldn't go on without it.  He and I were the strongest paddlers, so we went back and got it. Fortunately we had made camp early.

Little thing, but interesting: a button, seemed to be of lead, near old fireplace on overgrown campsite on Suzanette.  A little looking on the net suggests that this kind of button might go back to the mid 1800's.  Left it at the campsite.

Half of a poly kayak at the bottom of one of the rapids on Basswood River.  A whole, but trashed, canoe at the top of Olifaunt portage.  Lots of fishing lures.  Several "spare" paddles; the last one on LaCroix.  A folding camp chair in camo case on Carp portage.  A nice folding canoe seat on shoreline of Saganaga.  An army type duffel with potatoes, onions, tortillas, and a 1/2 gallon (partially consumed) of Whiskey on Brule; floating on shoreline 2011.  A roach clip on portage trail in Q.  A very nice camp axe on Birch Lake.
A Timex watch under water at the bottom of Upper Basswood Falls...it worked for years after I rescued it. 

Someone has found a very long and strong tarp rope on Kashapiwi that I forgot.  Also a long sleeved shirt with $30.00 in the pocket that one of my camping partners left on Knife portage going into the Kek ponds.   

Quote:


That strikes me as being funny as hell
Considering the amount of gear people leave, you'd think camo is the last color you'd want