I found your........

Crawfish trap at a campsite in Crosby Manitou State Park. I left it there because I had 35 more miles to walk.

I found your.......

Sunglasses lanyard on the portage between Moose and North Fowl. They really came in handy the rest of the trip as I had forgotten my own.

MrBadExample: "I found your........

Crawfish trap at a campsite in Crosby Manitou State Park. I left it there because I had 35 more miles to walk."

Not me! Different lake, I packed it out, and if the crawfish trap you found was a Macguyvered Jim Beam bottle, I figure you would have mentioned that!

And for anyone curious,

1) Use the largest beam bottle you happen to have empty, this will vary by group size and length of trip. Cut the top of the bottle off right where the taper under the neck meets the main width of the bottle.

2) Flip the neck/taper part upside down, and put it back into the main tube of the bottle. It should stick in their snug if you cut it in the right place. Seal the edge with duct tape to keep the two parts connected. Based on the size of crawfish you're seeing you may need to cut the top of the mouth of the bottle/neck down to a wider width,

3) Cut several small holes in the bottle to have some water flow. Tie some cord in a knot through two of the holes with enough length on the outside to toss it in the water.

4) Put fish scraps or whatever you have in the bottle and lower it into the water in a spot you've seen crawfish.

5) Wait (you probably can no longer have a drink while you wait at this point if you followed these steps).

Note: Not the best trap, but if there are crawfish around you'll get some.

This reply brought to you by a wind blown day.

ha thats neat! we used to have a pond when kids and just catch em barehand then attempt to get them to fight each other

I found your........

SealLine map case, with your maps and permit inside, on the north end of the portage between Birch and Carp lakes. Left it there in a prominent place, as I figured you would be back to claim it soon.

PaddleIN: "I found your........


SealLine map case, with your maps and permit inside, on the north end of the portage between Birch and Carp lakes. Left it there in a prominent place, as I figured you would be back to claim it soon.
"

Assuming they could find the portage without a map ;)

I found your........ Canadian brand Bear spray in Algonquin. That was kinda cool because earlier that very day I had lost my counter assault spray as it departed from its holster on a bushwhack. Finding a can of bear spray the very day you lose yours is to weird right?? The Canadian brand isn't as good though being only 1% as compared to counter assault at 2% but I was still glad to have found it. Algonquin has a bit of bear history (I have my own story as well) and the spray was a bit of a phycological comfort.

I found your.........carbon fiber Wenonah paddle at a campsite on Sunday Island. I thought briefly about taking it but it wasn't mine and I figured someone might come back for it so I left it in the same obscure place I found it. I could see why they left it as it seemed almost hidden....... I was heading out in a week and if it were still there I would claim it. But it was gone, hopefully the original owner returned. I was picturing a rental and some poor kid having to cough up $200.

I found your........Police whistle in Glacier national Park. Another Godsend! My boat horn (I had been using a mouth blown boat horn) had developed a hairline crack and ceased to function. On that same day I found a police whistle on a lanyard.

mastertangler: " Algonquin has a bit of bear history (I have my own story as well) and the spray was a bit of a phycological comfort.
"

Your typo made me chuckle because it literally means the spray was comforting to your algae. Botanists are easily amused.

I found your......

Tactical lumbar pack. It was filled with lots of handy gear. 2 water bottles. Compass. Two-way radios. No ID though. We were dumb kids and thought we’d paddle around and find you. Well, after stopping at many campsites, we didn’t track you down.

Luckily, as we were jigging for walleye on our exit lake you showed up. I was really happy to give all that stuff back to you.


Sorry about the whiskey in the flask :)

I found your boat sponge in 2001. Still using it.

I found your.........

Klein needle nosed pliers at a portage on Mountain Lake in Sylvania. Still use them.

Husky jerk on a tree on a seagull lake campsite. The smallies enjoyed it that week.

Soaking wet full size beach towel at a portage landing in the mudro area. Hopefully someone better than me packed it out.

Tent stakes everywhere. Always can find a use for them.

Soot covered kettle at a kawishiwi river campsite. Still use it

Fully loaded dugout on a rock at a horse river portage landing. It came in handy on that and subsequent trips.

TY

I found your.....shiny new Nalgene bottle on the portage between Mesaba and Hub. It was full of rum, faintly tinged with Coke. I dumped it out and kept it because, hey, free Nalgene! But it smelled like I was portaging a drunken pirate for the rest of the trip

I found your...

Sweet new spinning rod combo, medium action and Leech Locker on Stuart Lake last year, in two different locations. I left both of them, thinking you’d surely be back for these necessities.

I found your...
Slightly used left shoe at the bottom of Curtain Falls, I packed it out assuming you lost it in a canoe tipping incident as it was washed ashore.

I found your...
Other half of your minnow trap at a campsite on Horse last fall. My kid wore it around camp like a dunce cap all evening. Proud parent moment.

I found your....

Crushed p.o.s. folding chair in woods back behind a campsite on Fourtown. Don't worry we packed it out for you you lazy ass.

I found your...

Cooler full or rotting worms on South Temperance. My that was a nice smell. Hey we packed that out too. Too bad we couldn't find your car to properly dispose of them.

I found your...

Used toilet paper on the path the the thunder box. Looks like you couldn't hold it until you got there. No worries cleaned that up too.

I found your......

Dutchware Kevlar Tree Strap with Whoopie Hook at Fort Charlotte. And, yes, I knew exactly what it was when I saw it.

I ended up buying a second one after trying it out.



Oh, also your nalgene was there. I don’t think I’ve ever purchased a nalgene. I seem to find many of them.

Found your...

Very cool vintage chain and clip stringer along the trail between the campsite and the big rock to fish from in the SAK. I knew it was way to neat to pass up so I brought it home where I was offered $45 for it at an antique shop.

I found your. . . Tool box sized tackle box completely full of brand new tackle still in baggies at the end of a portage. I bet you missed that the rest of your trip. Don't worry, I didn't use any, I didn't even bring a pole. My brother loved his souvenir.

I found your. . . Completely water logged tackle box and rusted up lures. Don't worry, I packed those out for you.

Why do I keep finding oversized tackle boxes I have to carry around when I don't even fish?

I found your back pack with tip ups and jig poles, along with your ice auger, hidden behind a tree on a hill alongside the portage from Winchell to Wanighan........in July. Probably still there....

I found your...
1950s vintage Comet 5 cup percolating coffee pot you left on a Seagull Lake firegrate. It was still full of grounds. I packed it out thinking I would just toss it in the trash. I cleaned it up and it is a real gem. You are not getting it back.

I found your bag of greenish tobacco and pipe at the campsite on .... that's all I remember.

I found your....plastic clothes hangar on a tree branch on the eastern portage out of Mountain Lake. I'm impressed that you wanted to look your best miles from the nearest EP. Figuring you probably wouldn't trouble to come back for it, I decided to carry it out for you. But then I forgot it on a tree branch at a portage somewhere around Royal or John Lake. I guess I can see how it happened to you since it didn't fit nicely in my pack either, might I suggest this one next time? Folding Hangar

thebotanyguy: "

mastertangler: " Algonquin has a bit of bear history (I have my own story as well) and the spray was a bit of a phycological comfort.
"

Your typo made me chuckle because it literally means the spray was comforting to your algae. Botanists are easily amused.
"

Where's Gary Larson when you need him?? ;)

Compass....hanging from a tree. Mudro.

...and in case you misplaced them...your bags of cement on Smye Lake. Wabakimi.

carbon graphite bent shaft paddle you left floating in the debris at Craig Lake SP. My wife claimed it and has used it for years now. It must have blown off the shore or ? and being black with no labeling would have been a bugger to find. Only way I saw it was the reflection off the blade. I bet you were really sad to lose it but there was no one around
dr bob

I found your....bag of marijuana on the nice campsite on Omeme Lake in Quetico. As far as I know, it's all still there.

I found your......

Shopping cart you were going to use as a portage wheel. I'm impressed how far in you got before you left it on the portage for someone else to pack out for you. We did start to pack it out and ran into the Forest Service Crew that took it off our hands. Thanks guys.

Your nice new Nikon camera set up on the portage coming out of Knife. It was fun to see your excited face when we returned it too you at the next portage. I hope you enjoyed the pictures we took of ourselves so you could remember the honest YMCA group that saved your camera.

I found your...

Cool folding saw.

I checked on this site. Found the owner. Returned the saw...

Mad_Angler: "I found your...


Cool folding saw.


I checked on this site. Found the owner. Returned the saw...



"

That saw resembles the Portage Keeper home made saw.

Mashuga: "...
That saw resembles the Portage Keeper home made saw. "

The saw was a Fast Buck Saw...

old thread

anthonyp007: "...

I found your...
Other half of your minnow trap at a campsite on Horse last fall. My kid wore it around camp like a dunce cap all evening. Proud parent moment.
"

haha! that's a gem of an image.

god r we bored?

62 days until I’m back in the BWCA.



I found your.......

Extra govenment issued firegrate on Vera. We talked tough all week about portaging it out. When we woke up to 5 inches of snow we opted to leave it for the next guys to enjoy.

bwcasolo: "god r we bored?
"

Yes! we r bored!!!! :)

I still have 3 feet of sloooooowly melting snow in my front yard....and it's not going away.

Fishing net on the Bathtub Mary island on Shell Lake. Left it there in case you returned for it.

Fishing poles on the portage coming out of Long Island Lake. Left them leaning against the tree at the portage. I figured it wouldn't take you long to miss them.

bwcasolo: "god r we bored?
"

And here I thought it was kind of a nifty thread.

I found your ...... Minnow trap/bait well you stashed about 10 yards into the woods at a secret spot between Insula and Alice. I wrote a message in fishroglighics on some birch bark and stuffed it inside, Hope you came back for it. It was almost 10 years ago.

OST

Some funny stuff posted up...

Vodka.........

The Entire gallon plastic jug. Unopened.

We found it on a fall trip through the Falls Chain.......Canyon Falls portage, I think.

New Hampshire Vodka ain't very good, but it worked wonders on cleaning up pine pitch from camp. :) . We did drink a little too.......but not much.

I found your iWatch on the portage to Crocodile. Left it at the Gunflint Ranger Station.

Found your Wide mouth Nalgene bottle floating deep in the labrynth that is the Oyster River a dozen years ago. Full of black stinky water. Cleaned up nicely and have been useing it as my main bottle ever since. Has KAT scratched into the lid. Thank you.

I found your...

...rod and reel that you had dropped into 20 feet of water and left to sit at the bottom of Gabbro Lake. Sort of disappointed that it wasn't a big walleye as it felt really good for the first couple of cranks. Next time, drop something nicer than an old Zebco.

This thread is a hoot! I can't remember finding anything worth remembering.

Jerryr: a shopping cart? Like a..... shopping cart? Who woulda thought that was a good idea? What frosts me is leaving it for others to pack out. Grrrr

Mike

MikeinMpls: "This thread is a hoot! I can't remember finding anything worth remembering.


Jerryr: a shopping cart? Like a..... shopping cart? Who woulda thought that was a good idea? What frosts me is leaving it for others to pack out. Grrrr


Mike"

Yes an actual shopping cart. I was leading groups for the Y at the time. We taught them to do things right! We would have packed it out had the guys from the Forest Service not taken it off our hands.

I have found a good deal of detritus in my years. One that really frosted me was an early season fishing trip with my kids. The youngest was looking forward to having an empty pack on the way out and some slobs left enough garbage at the campsite that filled an entire #3 Duluth Cruiser pack. Grrrr is right.

Soooo, I found your ..........
mountain of trash and packed it out for you!

There is some funny stuff here!

I found your ...

... thong underpants on a bush in our Sunday Lake (Quetico) camp. That thing found its way into more than a few odd places for laughs. We burned it (sorry about that).

... prescription eyeglasses and straw hat on the west portage out of Carp Lake. We left them there hoping that you would circle back to find them.

Ausable: "There is some funny stuff here!


I found your ...


... thong underpants on a bush in our Sunday Lake (Quetico) camp. That thing found its way into more than a few odd places for laughs. We burned it (sorry about that).


... prescription eyeglasses and straw hat on the west portage out of Carp Lake. We left them there hoping that you would circle back to find them."

Oh Man..........

I found your...
-Nalgene full of Gatorade in Moose bay of Crooked campsite
-Dog backpack with dogfood and various items on "Yellow Brick Road" portage Basswood end (noone on either end of portage or in site)
-Fishing rods and reels(3) between Mudro and Fourtown
-Tackle box at upper Basswood falls(full)
-clothesline with clothes still on it at Iron lake site near curtain falls
-gortex rain suite XXXXlarge on 5 star site in narrows between North Bay and Lost Bay
-Life jacket McIntyre lake camp site
- pocket Knife in campsite on Brent near the Brent to cone portage
-Sunglasses in Kawnipi lake campsite
- hat and trousers hanging in a tree on falls chain
-nice wood stove on Robinson
-Chain stringer on east end of Knife Lake site
-Packages of fishing lures on Sturgeon
-Several nice crankbaits in Gun lake(by Boot lake) campsite
-welded fish box , a sling shot, a minnow trap, and a leech locker, on a Crooked lake island site
- There is more but mostly small stuff and I can't remember details. The only thing that
found the owner was the dog back pack, the PP rangers knew the owner.

Used condom at campsite on Elton Lake... Disposed of for you... Ish!
Numerous tent stakes across canoe country... Say, if your going to leave stakes behind, either leave quality ground hog type stakes, or a nice juicy rib eye left in a portable freezer plugged into a current bush. Thank you!
Pair of flip flops on Winchell... Packed out.

Do you bring "steak sauce" with you now, Ben -- just in case? :)

.... non-'script sunglasses somewhere on the east side. Canoe buddy Tom was stylin' from there on out.

Pair of hikers that lacked matches at the Devil's Cascade portage late April:


Also found along the Devil's Cascade portage: AA batteries, compass, cooked hamburger (animals don't always eat what we leave), toilet paper and numerous packaging trash.

Found at the Lower Pauness campsite: metal fork, metal spoon, plastic tent stake, fishing lure, large and small BBQ grates stashed off in the bush next to fire grate and numerous small pieces of trash.

Found at the Shell lake campsite: Indiana DNR fanny pack with brown glove liners and assortment of useless items in there (love the "protect the environment" type slogan as I guess it doesn't apply to the BWCA), tent stakes and plastic trash.

Found at a Basswood lake campsite: plastic fisherman's sunglasses (they didn't last long).

I live in Indiana...Unfortunately.

Sounds about right for those clowns.

A few years ago, on Kekekabic lake, my nephew and I found some clothing that included a very heavy button up sweater and something my nephew didn't recognize: In the words of Howard Wolowitz, "It's not a turtle neck, it's a dickie."

I suppose a dickie might be nice to keep the neck warm in big winds

We found a group of lost canoers on Ensign lake. They lost their one and only map two days earlier and thought they were on either Vera or Disapointment lake. They were out of food and based on their temper they were out of patience with each other. They were very happy to get one of our back up maps and their bearings. We ran into them a few days later in Ely and they seemed much calmer. They did buy Pizza for us which was cool.

MrBreeze: "We found a group of lost canoers on Ensign lake. They lost their one and only map two days earlier and thought they were on either Vera or Disapointment lake. They were out of food and based on their temper they were out of patience with each other. They were very happy to get one of our back up maps and their bearings. We ran into them a few days later in Ely and they seemed much calmer. They did buy Pizza for us which was cool."

Reminds me of a group we found on Insula. They were trying to get to the portage from Insula to Hudson. (That is where we were headed also.) However, they were headed 180 degrees in the wrong direction. Clearly lost they approached us for help. Turns out they had no maps and one GPS which they didn't really know how to use. We got them turned around and headed in the right direction. They followed us at a distance and found the portage. We single portaged so we didn't see them again. Hope they made it out!

I found your fishing pole on the portage into Shell.

The guy that just had come a crossed told us that you left when we got to the end your group, a bunch of ladies were a couple hundreds yards out we yelled but you kept going.

But you must have been afraid as you sure paddled fast and we could not catch you.

mgraber: "I found your...
-Nalgene full of Gatorade in Moose bay of Crooked campsite
-Dog backpack with dogfood and various items on "Yellow Brick Road" portage Basswood end (noone on either end of portage or in site)
-Fishing rods and reels(3) between Mudro and Fourtown
-Tackle box at upper Basswood falls(full)
-clothesline with clothes still on it at Iron lake site near curtain falls
-gortex rain suite XXXXlarge on 5 star site in narrows between North Bay and Lost Bay
-Life jacket McIntyre lake camp site
- pocket Knife in campsite on Brent near the Brent to cone portage
-Sunglasses in Kawnipi lake campsite
- hat and trousers hanging in a tree on falls chain
-nice wood stove on Robinson
-Chain stringer on east end of Knife Lake site
-Packages of fishing lures on Sturgeon
-Several nice crankbaits in Gun lake(by Boot lake) campsite
-welded fish box , a sling shot, a minnow trap, and a leech locker, on a Crooked lake island site
- There is more but mostly small stuff and I can't remember details. The only thing that
found the owner was the dog back pack, the PP rangers knew the owner.
"

Damn, are you sure your'e not cleaning up occupied sites while folks is out fishin!

nooneuno: "

mgraber: "I found your...
-Nalgene full of Gatorade in Moose bay of Crooked campsite
-Dog backpack with dogfood and various items on "Yellow Brick Road" portage Basswood end (noone on either end of portage or in site)
-Fishing rods and reels(3) between Mudro and Fourtown
-Tackle box at upper Basswood falls(full)
-clothesline with clothes still on it at Iron lake site near curtain falls
-gortex rain suite XXXXlarge on 5 star site in narrows between North Bay and Lost Bay
-Life jacket McIntyre lake camp site
- pocket Knife in campsite on Brent near the Brent to cone portage
-Sunglasses in Kawnipi lake campsite
- hat and trousers hanging in a tree on falls chain
-nice wood stove on Robinson
-Chain stringer on east end of Knife Lake site
-Packages of fishing lures on Sturgeon
-Several nice crankbaits in Gun lake(by Boot lake) campsite
-welded fish box , a sling shot, a minnow trap, and a leech locker, on a Crooked lake island site
- There is more but mostly small stuff and I can't remember details. The only thing that
found the owner was the dog back pack, the PP rangers knew the owner.
"

Damn, are you sure your'e not cleaning up occupied sites while folks is out fishin!"

Lol, I knew someone was going to say something like that. The only thing I can say is that we usually travel far and move almost every night over a 2 week trip, as well as checking and sometimes reviewing many campsites just for fun. It wouldn't be unusual for us to check 30+ campsites per trip. Other than that, I have no idea what to attribute our ability to find stuff.

1bogfrog: "I found your.....shiny new Nalgene bottle on the portage between Mesaba and Hub. It was full of rum, faintly tinged with Coke. I dumped it out and kept it because, hey, free Nalgene! But it smelled like I was portaging a drunken pirate for the rest of the trip


"

Thanks for the laugh. haha Drunken Pirate.

schweady: "I found your...

...rod and reel that you had dropped into 20 feet of water and left to sit at the bottom of Gabbro Lake. Sort of disappointed that it wasn't a big walleye as it felt really good for the first couple of cranks. Next time, drop something nicer than an old Zebco.
"

I found the large folding fish net that goes with that rod and reel combo on the bottom of Ensign. Man that sucker put up a fight.

Seda pfd on one of the vegetable lakes portages in the early 2000's...left it where it sat on my way 'in' and carried it with me on my way 'out'