[pct-l] re abandoned boots

[Dan Africk]

That's a tough call. I would call that 'reluctantly abandoned', not lost.
The hiker knew where the boots were and chose not to retrieve them. However
because the hiker still wanted his boots, and only left them because he
didn't think he could safely retrieve them, I think the right thing to do is
to attempt to return them to the original owner....

...However, the hiker who found the boots had no way of knowing this, and
had already given up his old footwear when he found out. If he had not
already given up his original shoes, than I say the nice thing to do would
be to give them back, regardless of whether he had a legitimate claim to
them or not(which in this situation I think he does). Once the second hiker
had given up his original shoes, I think it would be messed up to expect to
get them back.

Probably the best outcome would be for the second hiker to pay the first
hiker 1/2 the cost of the boots, that way they both win- the first hiker
recovers 1/2 the cost of the shoes which he had expected to be a complete
loss, and gets a brand new pair, and the second hiker gets a great fitting
pair of shoes for only half price!

The policy I generally follow for any found object is to take whatever
reasonable steps that are most likely to reunite the object with its
owner(whether that means taking it or leaving it), and once those steps have
been taken, if I want the item and still have it with me(meaning there
wasn't a place that made sense to leave it), then I would keep it. But if I
ever found the original owner after that, I would still give it back to
them.

I also think that anything found on the trail without a human nearby should
be considered unintentionally lost(flotsam). If someone has intentionally
abandoned something, then ideally it would still be returned to the owner,
along with a reminder not to litter.

There, I think I've over-analyzed that to death. --Dan..


"Last year a hiker was coming down the infamous Snow Creek decent in sandals
with their boots somehow attached to the back of their pack. Somehow during
a break they accidentally dropped them down a steep embankment. Being tired
and uncomfortable with the risk involved that would be required to retrieve
them, he reluctantly left them and made plans to get new footwear in the
days ahead.

Much later, another hiker coming down the decent notices the boots and
scrambles down to check them out. They happened to be a perfect fit and
better than the footwear he has on. So after reaching the water fountain, he
leaves his old footwear there hanging in plain sight for someone else. I'm
not sure if he left a sign indicating they were free for the taking or not.

Anyway, by the time everyone got to Big Bear City the story circulated and
the original owner realized that the other guy had his boots. In each
hiker's mind, they had a rightful claim to the item.

The original owner consider them "lost" and wanted them returned. The finder
considered them "abandoned" and said that he also wouldn't have carried such
a heavy item so far anyhow but left them at the fountain at best.

So, where does everyone's feelings fall in this peculiar case?

BigToe"