Over the years, I've found many random things while running along roads and trails. Albeit, most of it has been junk, yet I cart much of it home – much to Kadra's disdain. I've found lots of straps, bungee-cords, coins, reflectors, tools, and bud light cans. Why is it that it's always cheap beer cans and bottles littered along the roads and pristine spots where you wouldn't imagine one would care to imbibe? I've yet to see a bottle of Sierra Nevada or Rogue lining a roadside ditch.
Once I found a camouflage hat. Come to think of it, I still wear it from time to time. I wonder what that says about me? Yesterday I finally hit pay dirt. As I was running on some 4-wheeler trails on the mountain behind my house I found a really nice knife. Jackpot! I wielded the large weapon the remaining miles home – well prepared for any masked marauders or mischievous bears that might want to scuffle.
Finders keepers, losers weepers!
I'm interested what goods others have found while running . . .
Sweet! I've never found anything memorable. Once, I found a Ventolin Inhaler on the trail...it was probably mine, from a previous loop on the trail..
ReplyDeleteLast year, I went for a nice soak in the Merced River after a long run in the California foothills. As I walked barefoot out of the river I noticed an odd object below the water. I almost let it go... but went back to find an unsheathed Gerber river guide knife: http://www.pacificrescue.com/browseproducts/Gerber-River-Knives.html . It's now my package opener.
ReplyDeleteI found a blackberry touch cell phone a couple weeks ago on the iron mountain trail. carried it for 8 miles, recharged it, contacted the owner and offered to mail it to him and he doesn't seem to worried about getting it back?? maybe I can trade it in for store credit?
ReplyDeleteKim- I hope your running plunder gets better! I'm sure that inhaler came in handy though.
ReplyDeleteBryon- Sounds like your knife find was a little better than mine.
Beth- I guess the owner was ready to upgrade? Amazing that he wasn't concerned . . . hopefully he was at least appreciative.
Its crazy what people leave laying around or lose. I have found a lot of small and random insignificant items. One thing was not so little, a full size cooler on wheels. I was at least 5 miles from any road. It was full of empty beast cans! Too big to lug out with me so I just left it be. At least they put the empties in the cooler and not all over the ground.
ReplyDeleteSmith and Wesson handcuffs under the tree in my front yard as I was starting out on a run. No key in sight.
ReplyDeleteJustus- it's pretty disappointing stumbling upon humanity's laziness like that. You're right though, at least the cans weren't lying about on the ground.
ReplyDeleteLori- What you do in your yard is your business :)
If only I had the key...and my life were actually that exciting. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think Lori wins the prize here!
ReplyDeleteBesides Beth's phone loser turned weird, she failed to tell you about the bandana that she found. She still wears it.
I have never found much of anything (other than trash) on the trails. On the roads, I usually find a penny, dime or nickle. If I am lucky, I will find a quarter. Once I found what I thought was a baggy filled with a white powdery substance. Being the neive individual that I am, I left it and ran to a close fire station so that the firemen could deal with the drugs or whatever it was. Oh, I once found a baby owl on the side of the road. That was neat. We called the fish and wildlife people.
I found a puppy 12 years ago at Kanawha State Forest. His owner was looking for him, & I found him 2 hours later & miles away. I Tried for 2 weeks to locate the owner: Ads in the paper, bulletin board notice,Animal shelter calls, but no owner. I still have him. His name is TURK & he is my best friend!
ReplyDeleteRick- cocaine and a baby owl; now that's an impressive collection!
ReplyDeleteI think that takes the cake Aldo!
Aldo definitely wins the best find award!
ReplyDeleteAdam, imagine what you'll find over 2000-miles!
ReplyDelete(((i found my wife on that trail)))
Don't get any ideas there Adam. You are married to a wonderful lady, plus Kadra might just leave you stranded who knows where!
ReplyDeleteWhile running a multi-use(snowmobile/CC skiing/snowshoe)trail this winter I found a Pearl Izumi micro-sensor balaclava frozen in the snow and thought that was a great find! Last Tuesday however while running a forest service road with my lab Kola we found the first spring skunk of the year sharing the same path; that didn't turn out to be the best of luck....
ReplyDeleteMatt- Rick is right . . . I've already got a good one of those! I'm sure I'll find some interesting things, people, etc over all those miles and days. I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteCorey- Hope you got the skunk spray off of Kola. Kind of makes him a less desirable bed-buddy. Let Chrissy keep him company for the next couple of weeks.
I found a desperate suffering runner on reddish knob a couple of years ago during Grindstone. I thought about throwing him away, but decided to accompany him on his trip back to the finish. The suffering was quite entertaining!
ReplyDeleteThat was probably ME if we're talking '09!
ReplyDeleteI found a pedometer, a cheap one. I picked it up, reset it and let it count my steps for the rest of the trail. Havent used it since... want it?
ReplyDeleteJames- No thanks on the pedometer. I don't like to know how SLOW I'm moving!
ReplyDelete