[pct-l] Billy Goat's lost poles

[David Thibault]

Brian wrote:

>
> There is one obvious exception to this: when the "item" is
> an entire pack. It would be rarer than hen's teeth for a
> hiker, whether day hiker or backpacker, to walk away
> from their pack unawares.
>

Kind of funny thread.  Last year, just a couple of hours after meeting Billy
Goat on the trail, I was below Fuller ridge on the "decent from hell" when I
ran into an entire new full pack abandoned on the trail.  I did a quick
search around the area as it is very open terrain and very exposed and no
one was around.  I left it, as it would have been very difficult to take
anyway.  Next morning I was passed by other hikers and I asked if it was
still there.  They said yes.  Got down hill and ran into a guy (a guard of
some such near the water fountain).  I asked him to call the local sheriff
and report it as no hiker would abandon a pack - something was obviously
wrong.

I later found out it was abandoned by a very inexperienced PCT thru hiker
when he ran out of water.  I was later told this hiker came back to retrieve
the pack several days later.


On the AT in '07 ran into a complete campsite up on a ridge.  It looked like
it had been semi abandoned for weeks.  My first thought was I might find a
dead body in the tent etc.  Looked around and couldn't see a thing that
indicated anyone was in trouble.  I later found out it was a campsite
abandoned by a weekend hiker in bad weather.  They just left everything and
went home. -- Go figure.

Day-Late