Abandoned Elk Camp Tatoosh Wilderness

[LDennis24]

That tent did not spend the winter there at 3000 foot elevation.
about 6 feet of snow would have flattened it, as well as everything inside.

  something doesn't add up here.

[zwickeyman]

Western

Im sending you a PM as I am curious. I have spent many a day up there. In fact my Avatar pic is from up there in 2015


I found something similar in the Mt Adams Wilderness back around 2000. There was some valuables but it was mostly garbage and tarps. I was scouting so was light. I packed out all the garbage and tarps and all the *censored* I could get in my pack. The one in Adams was just left by a bunch POS lazy bastages

[C-Money]

That is pretty crazy!

[fishngamereaper]

Considering what was left it doesn't appear as though they overestimated their abilities...

It appears they had to exit the area quickly...or meet a worse fate..
I'm kinda surprised the FS didn't send someone up there to look around for a day.
Lots of people don't have family or friends that can "report" them missing...

Something ain't right.

[LDennis24]

Right! This could be another Chris McCandless story. The person might be missing out of Colorado or even Pennsylvania... or Canada. I feel like they should be up there checking it out with a dog possibly.

[10thmountainarcher]

Considering what was left it doesn't appear as though they overestimated their abilities...

It appears they had to exit the area quickly...or meet a worse fate..
I'm kinda surprised the FS didn't send someone up there to look around for a day.
Lots of people don't have family or friends that can "report" them missing...

Something ain't right.

  Something is off, how could they look at that and not investigate a bit further. Disappointed in them.

[Knocker of rocks]

It’s apparently quite common throughout the west, and they don’t have any reports of missing people or evidence of a crime.

[2MANY]

Considering what was left it doesn't appear as though they overestimated their abilities...

It appears they had to exit the area quickly...or meet a worse fate..
I'm kinda surprised the FS didn't send someone up there to look around for a day.
Lots of people don't have family or friends that can "report" them missing...

Something ain't right.

  Something is off, how could they look at that and not investigate a bit further. Disappointed in them.

Oh you must be kidding.
The national forest clowns don't actually get out in the forest anymore.
They don't cut out trails or bushwhack like they once did when men actually patrolled the woods.
On a hard core day it's college students doing an occasional pass through while staring out rainbow colored sun glasses.
OR
You might see the "Law Enforcement" truck sitting at a trailhead writing tickets for no parking pass.
They will no more hike up there then Joe Biden himself.
Oh and by the way........................Stck a fork in Tatoosh.

[10thmountainarcher]

It’s apparently quite common throughout the west, and they don’t have any reports of missing people or evidence of a crime.

Hard to turn up any sort of evidence if you don’t check it out.

[fishngamereaper]

It’s apparently quite common throughout the west, and they don’t have any reports of missing people or evidence of a crime.

I would venture to say your typical abandoned camp is a crap tent, tarp and a couple non essentials...
All to often the pic provided is related to a medical emergency or more common suicide..no criminal activity.
And often missing person reports don't reach the areas where someone is missing..
I just think the situation warrants further investigation...

[pianoman9701]

It’s apparently quite common throughout the west, and they don’t have any reports of missing people or evidence of a crime.

I would venture to say your typical abandoned camp is a crap tent, tarp and a couple non essentials...
All to often the pic provided is related to a medical emergency or more common suicide..no criminal activity.
And often missing person reports don't reach the areas where someone is missing..
I just think the situation warrants further investigation...

Agreed. Whoever it was left behind a lot of valuable equipment. If the picture is how the stuff was found, it looks like they were in a hurry to get out of there.

[WapitiTalk1]

Really strange; lots of gear left behind. OP, does the pic show how everything was positioned as you found it? Just curious.

[boneaddict]

Very odd. Maybe hiked away from camp, couldn't find his way back, and hiked out.

Best case scenerio here.   You mentioned drop off, did you take a peek?

[boneaddict]

I had a situation once that could have resulted in this.   Packed in like that for elk, hunted elk, killed the elk, packed out elk with Dad and stock and had to return to my camp three days later to retrieve.   I could have just left it... but of course did not.

[2MANY]

I could show you 10 abandoned camps in the Gifford Pinch that are worse then that.
People don't care about the impact on others.
It's all about their immediate needs.

Last time I was on Tatoosh during bear season there was a large group having a wedding at the lookout complete with music and all.
Won't be long and our Wilderness areas will need roundabouts on the trails.