[Trailhead]

The first thing you should do if you find abandoned gear is ask the internet what to do with it. 😁 I found some hunter's gear above Jefferson Park a few years ago. I packed up what I could and drug the rest of the stuff up to the PCT and left a sign asking others to pack it out.

[grannyhiker]

A few years back, I was in Indian Heaven with my grandson and he sprained his ankle. After I strapped it up very thoroughly, we decided to evacuate him that night before the foot swelled to the point he couldn't wear a boot. I carried out the expensive stuff (such as down sleeping bags and my Exped Downmat) but left most of the stuff at the campsite, in the tent (except food which was hung in a tree). I found a safety pin (the 16th essential?) and left a note pinned to the tent. I also called the district ranger station the next morning to let them know I was coming back to get everything. The day after that I left grandson alone with all 8 Harry Potter DVDs and hiked in to get the left behind gear. Fortunately it was undisturbed and I was able to haul it out in one trip. Grandson survived the ankle and the Harry Potter marathon and is still backpacking, now on his own or with friends, since old age has caught up with Granny. Interesting that in about 75 years of backpacking or horsepacking, this was the first time I had to use first aid skills (except for blisters and my perennial complaint, the dreaded infected hangnail). The various backcountry first aid classes I took over the years were well worth while, just for the peace of mind of being prepared!

[Sky Hiker]

What kind of gear

[BigBrunyon]

[Kim Brown]

[moonspots]

[Luc]

I'm with Chief and Waterman on this one. If you're sketched out, then fore sure leave. But I agree that it's easy to tell a cache from abandonment. Personally, if I felt it was abandoned gear, I'd recover first what looked usable, then as much junk as possible, and then report it while still offering up what I had taken. My take is that caches usually don't include non-durable items, collapsed and strewn about, but instead are more thoughtfully hidden for a future visit.

[slowbutsteady]

Any chance we could not refer to this virus with racist terms? Please?

[treeswarper]

The FS in Randle has had a dumpster for this purpose, and for use by the commercial berry and mushroom pickers to use. A decrease in trash left in berry/fungus camps was noticed. The dumpster was paid for using money from those permits.

[moonspots]

[Slugman]

[Cyclopath]

Let's see if we can not give the moderators a headache. I found a bag of dog poop in center of the trail. How do I know if it was cached or abandoned?

[rossb]

[Ski]

[rossb]