What's the strangest thing you have found on the trail?

[jimmyjam]

Now down in Georgia I have found a couple of full size pillows but this morning I was 2 miles into my hike north of Rockfish Gap and came across a new construction hardhat laying in the snow in the middle of the trail. I'm wondering who hikes with a hardhat? Maybe the 3 knuckleheads that were rescued from GSNP have invaded the SNP? I mean blow torch, hardhat they kind of go together. Ha Ha.

Hardhat.jpg

[elray]

This toll booth just south of Damascus. IMGP2505.jpg

[leaftye]

Could the hard hat be from a trail crew?

[jimmyjam]

This toll booth just south of Damascus. IMGP2505.jpg

I wonder if it takes EZPass?

[HikerMom58]

Now down in Georgia I have found a couple of full size pillows but this morning I was 2 miles into my hike north of Rockfish Gap and came across a new construction hardhat laying in the snow in the middle of the trail. I'm wondering who hikes with a hardhat? Maybe the 3 knuckleheads that where rescued from GSNP have invaded the SNP? I mean blow torch, hardhat they kind of go together. Ha Ha.

Hardhat.jpg

Whoa... that's a lot of snow! Brrr...!

I can't imagine finding a couple of full size pillows on the trail... lol!

[johnnybgood]

First off jimmyjam, I hope you had a good hike today. Great day to get out there,wished I could have tagged along with you today.
Thinking about the question of your post, I suppose the weirdest thing I've seen along the AT is the sign after Sam Moore Shelter-northbound- WARNING HIKERS of the impending dangers of the infamous Rollercoaster .
Guess it's meant to be a farce, not to be taken too seriously .

[Son Driven]

Abandoned sleeping bag, lying in the snow.

[Second Hand]

I didn't actually find this so I may be disqualified, but I was hiking on Friday the 13th and shared a shelter w/ a guy who found a Machete.

With all the trail crews and trail runners finding machete is not all that surprising. It was just ironic that my buddy and I spent the entire day talking about the Friday the 13th movies, on Friday the 13th, and the 1st thing a complete stranger tells us is, he found a machete w/ a "bone cutting" blade on the back.

[Not Sunshine]

I didn't actually find this so I may be disqualified, but I was hiking on Friday the 13th and shared a shelter w/ a guy who found a Machete.

With all the trail crews and trail runners finding machete is not all that surprising. It was just ironic that my buddy and I spent the entire day talking about the Friday the 13th movies, on Friday the 13th, and the 1st thing a complete stranger tells us is, he found a machete w/ a "bone cutting" blade on the back.

I'm would have high tailed my squirrely ass out of that shelter p.r.o.n.t.o. if not sooner. i was going to contribute on another post questioning how to attract sketchy women: carry a 9" or larger knife on your hip in plain view. Whoever needs a knife that large had better also be carrying a cast iron skillet and toaster oven, too. one does not need such weapons to walk in the woods. whenever i see such things, my warning radar starts completely wiggin' out.

[HooKooDooKu]

Hiking in the Sipsey Wilderness, about 2 miles from the trail head (a trail head that was about 5 miles down forestry roads), I found a 10' to 20' section of aluminum gutter (i.e. the stuff you nail to the eaves of your house). Because it was all twisted up, we assumed it literally blew in from a tornado.

[daddytwosticks]

Found a mylar birthday balloon partially deflated hung-up in a laurel bush once while hiking around the Standing Indian Loop. I always wondered how far that sucker drifted before coming to rest at that spot on the trail.

[Drybones]

Large cast iron skillet left on a stump....guess the guy decided to go multralight. Also came upon a good tent that was set up and abondoned in the trail, had only a sleeping pad inside, guess the hiker decided to go home, was somewhat worried about the owner but didn't know what I could do.

[peakbagger]

Dave Field, the long time maintainer of a shelter in Maine found a piece from cruise missile on his section. This was early on when they were first testing the missiles and launching them from the ocean towards the Navy base in Reddington Maine

[Furlough]

Saw this on my hike between front royal and harpers ferry. Photo may not be clear, it is trail side dream catcher, it shows up better in the Whiteblaze photo gallery.

[gumball]

Wet jeans on a sunny day...we left them be.

Ummm, sorry, no photo.

[leaftye]

In SoCal I find lots of packs, clothes and extreme soda cans. The first two are most likely from migrants.

My most surprising find was a couple packs of tuna laying on the edge of the trail. Later that day I found one of those extra large isobutane canister, completely full.

I sort of found an old marijuana grow op. Sort of because I hiked out there with someone that had been there previously. Law enforcement had already carried off the marijuana with a helicopter, but the irrigation system and sleeping gear was still still there.

Found a mylar birthday balloon partially deflated hung-up in a laurel bush once while hiking around the Standing Indian Loop. I always wondered how far that sucker drifted before coming to rest at that spot on the trail.

That's supposed to be pretty common out in Anza Borrego, enough so that some folks make a sport out of finding them. A couple folks have found weather balloon sensor packages (radiosonde). I'll be keeping an eye out for those on my next trip there.

[dink]

a plastic shopping bag, hanging on a tree limb next to the trail about 6 feet high, with a single unopened can of white corn...this was 4th of July weekend on the AT where it passes through Caledonia State Park in PA.

[Dogwood]

Several skinned hogs hanging in trees. Remember that scene in Predator when they find all the hidden skinned soldiers hanging in the trees and the birds all fly up. Like that.

Human remains. Prolly washed up from a grave due to recent heavy rains.

Weed patches.

Crashed planes.

Boats. Some in very unexpected places in remote desert environments.

Old mining sites. Dangerous places along with stumbling onto someone's active weed patch! Some of the very large big heavy iron, wood, cables, turbines, steam engines, hydrolic pumps, steel railroad rails, pumps, hoses, cogs, etc left behind amaze me in how they got this stuff into some rather remote hard to access locations.

Meth labs in old mobile homes. The obvious used equipment and canisters heaped up around the site.

Abandoned campsites. Abandoned high end backpacks with high end gear looking like someone just left it all there in a hurry.

Old moonshining stills.

A startled snoozing mountain lion. A startled black bear. A startled Whitetail Buck near a road that tried to get up and run away despite having had it's two rear legs hanging by skin only below the knee(Prolly hit by a car when attempting to cross the highway).

Fish swimming crawling on the ground in heavy rains right in the middle of the trail. That's happened more than once. One time it scared me as the fish bumped up against my feet after not having seen it.

Folks screwing.

Lava tubes. Caves. Flowing lava.

Baltimore Jack.

[sarge95]

a crashed plane beside the trail in the smokey mtns and a hay baler by the trail in new england far out in the woods.

[Capt Nat]

I was going to get water from a little pool and saw myself!