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Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
#37342 06/11/14 12:29 PM
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Pretty much a long shot, but if anyone is heading to Charlotte Lake (just off the JMT near Kearsarge Pass trail junction), I lost a man's wedding ring there this past Sunday. It's titanium (silvery in color), so no great dollar value, but of course there's sentimental value.

I camped at the west end of the lake just east of two large Knaack brand brown/tan metal tool boxes that are presumably used by horse packers as food storage boxes. Note that these boxes are not the NPS supplied bear locker which is further east. From where I was, I could see the two tool boxes out of the corner of my eye, so I was close, just east of them.

I've marked the approximate position on a topo map. Note that the position of the trail is wrong on the map. The trail ran below my position, not above it. If you zoom in on the map, you should be able to see where I've sketched in the corrected position of the trail.

Yep, major long shot I realize, but if anyone is out that way, look for it on top of a rock just east of those two tool boxes.

Much obliged,

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
hikin_jim #37343 06/11/14 12:57 PM
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Jim, that's too bad!

Have you called Inyo wilderness permit office? There is a ranger's cabin on the north side of Charlotte, and if they can radio the ranger, he might be able to walk over and look for it. I would talk to them, and see if you could email or fax the text of what you have written here to them, so there is less chance of the message getting lost in transmission.

Edit: In fact, you might be able to identify the spot better on the Aerial Google Satellite map available via Gmap4: (Map Link)

Last edited by Steve C; 06/11/14 01:10 PM.
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
Steve C #37351 06/11/14 03:56 PM
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Originally Posted By: Steve C
Have you called Inyo wilderness permit office? There is a ranger's cabin on the north side of Charlotte, and if they can radio the ranger, he might be able to walk over and look for it. I would talk to them, and see if you could email or fax the text of what you have written here to them, so there is less chance of the message getting lost in transmission.
I did report it at the ranger station at Roads End in Kings Canyon National Park, but that's a good idea to see if there's a way to send in something more detailed. The big honking tool boxes are a pretty good clue. Find the tool boxes and it's just east of that in a flat are on top of a rock.

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
hikin_jim #37352 06/11/14 04:03 PM
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I missed the fact that it is in SEKI. crazy   Make a few calls to their headquarters in Three Rivers, and see if you can get through to someone who is in contact with the backcountry ranger.

Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
Steve C #37435 06/13/14 02:28 PM
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In case people don't know what I mean by a Knaack tool box, this is a big, honking tool chest, the kind that gets left at a job site. I think they're about 4 1/2 feet wide and maybe 3 1/2 feet tall. Big. I have no idea how they got these things up there (there are two of them), even with mules.



There were two of these, about where I've shown them on the linked topo map in my first post. I was in a flat area just east of the two tool boxes. I could see the closer tool box quite clearly. Maybe I was 30 yards away. I was above the trail even though the topo map shows the trail higher than where I was. The topo map is wrong in that aspect.

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
hikin_jim #37436 06/13/14 03:04 PM
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Jim, any contact with SEKI dispatch?

Did you try the map link I posted above to see if you could better pinpoint the location?

Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
hikin_jim #37467 06/15/14 03:43 PM
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Have you tried posting on the JMT Facebook or Yahoo sites? High probability of connecting there.


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Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
Steve C #37482 06/16/14 11:44 AM
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Originally Posted By: Steve C
Jim, any contact with SEKI dispatch?

Did you try the map link I posted above to see if you could better pinpoint the location?

Just got off the phone with the NPS at the visitor center at Cedar Grove. No ring yet. Alas.

I took a look at the sat photo, and I couldn't get any sense of an exact spot from the photo. Despite being above 10,000, it's very forested at the west end of Charlotte Lake, and it's tough to make out any details through the trees. My original map shows it about as well as it can be shown. Note: You'd have to zoom in a couple of click for my original map to make any sense.

On a more positive note, here's lovely Charlotte Lake, taken from the PCT/JMT looking south as I descend from Glen Pass. smile


HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
saltydog #37483 06/16/14 11:50 AM
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Originally Posted By: saltydog
Have you tried posting on the JMT Facebook or Yahoo sites? High probability of connecting there.
I have posted on the JMT Facebook page. I hadn't thought of the Yahoo group, d'oh! Thanks for suggesting that. Someone else suggested SummitPost, which hadn't occurred to me either. THANK YOU for the good ideas.

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
hikin_jim #37486 06/16/14 12:48 PM
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Somebody in SEKI monitors the rangers' radio traffic, and should be in almost daily contact with the ranger stationed at Charlotte Lake. Can you not track down that person? If they were to alert the ranger, he/she could go looking.

Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
Steve C #37489 06/16/14 02:02 PM
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When we were there, the ranger station was closed, but it's worth checking on as July approaches.

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
hikin_jim #37559 06/17/14 05:45 PM
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If someone were to find my ring, I would like to offer a cash reward of $100. "Trail magic" is a wonderful thing, but I think a modicum of compensation would be warranted, and given the ring's sentimental value (it's just Ti, so no big monetary value), I am happy to offer a reward.

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
hikin_jim #37706 06/20/14 01:54 PM
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If anyone is headed out in the vicinity of Charlotte Lake this weekend, please keep an eye out for my ring. smile


Thanks,

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
hikin_jim #37758 06/21/14 10:11 PM
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A PCT Through Hiker that I know just looked for my ring earlier today, but he didn't find the two large jobsite type tool chests. It occurs to me that maybe I just got lucky with spotting them in the trees, so I wrote up a hopefully better, more detailed description below. I hope this is clearer. Feedback welcomed.

MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
If one were walking west on the trail along Charlotte Lake, one would first come to the ranger station, then to the NPS bear locker, and then to the west end of the lake. As the trail draws even with the west end of Charlotte Lake, it is some distance away from the outlet stream. As the trail proceeds further west, it turns a bit to the left (~SW) and comes closer to the outlet stream. If one looks to the right (~NW), there is a bit of a rise with a pretty faint use trail going toward it. If one were to follow this faint use trail, there is a flat area, suitable for a large group to camp in on a sort of bench type area that is just above and slightly to the north of the Charlotte Lake trail. West of this flat area there is a bit of a rise, the crest of an indistinct ridge. In an cluster of trees more or less on the crest of the indistinct ridge are two large jobsite type tool chests. The brand name "Knaack" can be seen on at least one of the tool chests. These tool chests are similar in size to a NPS bear locker but are a bit lighter in color. The eastern most of these two tool chests can be seen from the above described flat area but most definitely cannot be seen from the Charlotte Lake Trail. I lost my ring in the flat area just east of the two tool boxes, perhaps 30 yards east, perhaps a bit less. As I recall, I set my ring on a rock that might have been about 18 to 24 inches in height while I washed up. I have revised slightly my topo map of the vicinity; I have now sketched in the faint use trail using yellow dots. Note also that the tool chests are on the crest of the indistinct ridge (placement approximate) and that the lost ring location is just east of the tool chests.

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- Charlotte Lake
hikin_jim #38311 07/05/14 06:09 PM
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Poster at the JMT FB says he found the ring. He is resupplying in Independence as of today and scheduled for WP on the 9th.

JMT FB


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Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- FOUND!
hikin_jim #38337 07/06/14 06:26 PM
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UPDATE 7/6/2014: My ring was found by JMT through hiker Tim. Thank you to all who searched (especially Tim!).

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- FOUND!
hikin_jim #38350 07/07/14 08:18 AM
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Is there a friendlier, more helpful group of people than backpackers? I don't think so.

Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- FOUND!
2Old4This #38360 07/07/14 02:22 PM
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Yeah, I'm pretty moved by this -- and the guy who found it seems like all he wants to do is get it back to me. Highly cool.

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- FOUND!
hikin_jim #38366 07/07/14 04:11 PM
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That is just too cool, Jim - another variant of trail magic!

Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- FOUND!
Bulldog34 #38382 07/07/14 06:46 PM
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Yeah, pretty magical... but I'll take it. smile

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- FOUND!
hikin_jim #39090 07/28/14 10:32 AM
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Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- FOUND!
Ken #39092 07/28/14 11:41 AM
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I saw that. A couple of factoids wrong, but at least they got a cute pic of my daughter. And I'm happy to have my ring again. smile

HJ


Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving
Re: Lost Wedding Ring -- FOUND!
hikin_jim #39094 07/28/14 02:04 PM
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Great picture! smile And definitely cute daughter.



Congratulations getting the ring back, and on the news article. Now you're famous. cool

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