On my 1970 Muir Trial hike, my buddy and I climbed an unnamed third class peak and found a tobacco can register with the last entry from 1932. In 1997 I went back with my wife to see if it was still there. The original register was gone. The peak had been discovered by the boy scouts, and a much newer makeshift register had names from various troops as well as other climbers. Oh well...

This is why:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/blake_morstad_memorial_endowment.html

I can tell you only joke about these things because you also go in harms way. Could happen to any one of us.
Next month I'm walking an alpine massif ridge between two 'counties'; people told me in all seriousness; if you fall- fall to the left; that county has helicopters and trained resuce personnel!

Edit: Agreed, Kevin; I have had similar experiences. Sorry to presume to tell you what to do.

Edited by Brett1234 on 04/26/2007 22:05:44 MDT.

I wouldn't know which post to edit. ;-)-

Brett, I lost one of my closest friends in a climbing accident. I have almost died on a mtneering trip. For me, black humor is sometimes the best medicine for extreme events.

Believe me, I observe death in the backcountry as a tragedy, the individuals concerned honored, learn from their mistakes (if any) and then move on.

I understand perfectly well where you're coming from. The unit I was in during my Marine Corps career saw a number of us maimed or killed in parachute training, livefire exercises (up to and including 2700 pound battleship rounds), and , oh yeah, I almost forgot about actual combat.

The best way to deal with the prospect was to laugh about it. Whenever I watch the 13th Warrior and see the Norse warband laughing in the midst of some pretty horrific situations about likely death and dismemberment, I can't help but think of the Marines in my A/NGLICO unit. It was probably the most sincere, intense, and therapeutic laughter I've ever experienced.

I'm sure there would be mixed reviews of people levels of humor if everyone on BPL were following this thread, yes. I'm of the opinion that if you can find humor in all there is out there then you're missing out on something.

I read Alpinist magazine and it seems as though the writers and editors of that fine publication basically take death as a natural, assumed part of mountaineering. Considering the high fatality-rate related to alpinism I suppose they do so with rights.

In issue 18 or 19 there was an article about an individual of very little fame who climbed for himself and for whatever reason ended up the feature of a story. He and the author whilst working peaks took to humorously changing out the words phrases "on belay?" and "belay on" with "death?" and "death on". Talk about dark.

this is the coin I found.
Could be 1 year old or 1000,
does not matter.

Shawn; soldiers have a tendency to joke and complain about everything. When I was in a leadership position, I only worried when a soldier STOPPED complaining and joking; that was a warning sign.

My favorite line from 13th Warrior(Im fairly certain..) is the exchange: "This sword is heavy!" which gets the curt reply "..grow stronger."

OK, to go with Sarah's gross out find...

I was in Yosemite and while hiking to Victoria Falls(i think I got the name right) I found a big pile of steaming human crap in the MIDDLE of the trail. Wow, they didn't even try for the side of the trail! Yes, I left it there!

Best backpacking gift was water. There is filterable water at the the top of Mt. Timpanogos (Salt Lake City). There's a pond up there fed by permafrost. I carried 8 liters (drank 4 en route) and was very happy to learn there was "extra" water for dinner, washing up, and refilling for the trek down.

Second was 2.5 gallon jug that I had stashed in a tree at a camp site. I left it as a "gift" for the next person to use the site as a base camp. Six months later, the same jug was nice and secure where I'd left it, along with the firewood we didn't burn. It was a surprising 10F hotter than we'd planned, and we drank every last drop of the extra water (4 day stay).

Contents of an individuals pack stewn 800 feet down talus and cliff, they found the owner a month later.

One suicide victim.

Boy scout with mangled leg half buried in talus, he was alive.

Very, very old bison skull.

Leg hold trap, with bones, at the bottom of a mtn lion den.

About 40 flint and obsidian knives and points.

#30 conibear trap under a cut stream bank, I reached into it while attempting to tickle fish.

6 moose horn sheds on one 200 yd stretch of trail.

1 set of hunter orange horse panniers, torn to pieces. There were reins tied to a tree about 15 feet away that had been cut, looked like it was one hell of a rodeo.

1 four wheeler about 1 mile off the designated trail, they had a hard time getting it out.

Very accurate 100 year old map carved in aspen tree, the hotel/brothel wasn't standing any more, but the fishing was good.

Some other individuals have found a grey wool beenie, a red pyramid tent, and 2 pairs of sun glasses, I hope they are getting good use.

I found an old book written in Hebrew while hiking in the "jungle" in Hawaii. I collect old books and manuscripts, so I was pretty stoked.

Ryan,

Considering your hobby, that is really cool find! I'm not sure if I have much to add to this thread. I suppose I found a nice Under Armour shirt a few years ago and an mp3 player and cell phone this summer.

- Sam

I gotta get out more to compete with you guys! My list pales in comparison.

I found:
a lexan mug in Haleakala Crater, HI.
a pure white chalcedony paleo-indian scraper in the Grand Canyon.
other assorted paleo-indian tools in Canyonlands (I used to study anthropology).
TONS of rocks, fossils and crystals everywhere (I'm a geologist by training) which I don't keep or I would have a U-Haul full.
Half a 1/5 of whiskey (YAY!) on the AT in NY.
Lots of trash

who ever droped it didn't want to climb down and pick it up. its a brand new black diamond raven, i think. also,at the peak of "suprise mt", a single marble sitting on a rock, its now my favorite aggie.

I found this ski last weekend. A sweet Dynastar. It was at about 5000 feet below Mount Hinman in the Necklace Valley in Washington. It was at the base of the talus slope in the back, to the side of the snow field on the left. We hauled it out...but I'm sure that the owner was REALLY BUMMED to lose it when spring skiing.

Anyone need one Dynastar with a broken binding?

Edited by djohnson on 11/09/2007 08:03:37 MST.