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Brosef
Big Wall climber
Fort Collins, CO
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 26, 2015 - 01:56pm PT
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Dear Supertopo users(particularly those climbing in the Fishers and/or Mystery Towers),
Sometime between Labor Day weekend, 2014, and January 16, 2015 a large stash of climbing and camping gear was stolen from what (we thought) was a well hidden location in the area between the Titan and the Mystery Towers. This was not near any of the known bivy spots in this area. The gear included a full desert iron aid rack, a double set of cams, double set of aliens, over 20+ draws and screamers, ropes, and camping gear. This gear had been painstakingly hiked out to this location over months in preparation for a trip in the area. Needless to say, when the gear was gone, we were disheartened and disappointed. Neither the BLM nor the Sheriff's office removed the gear.
This leads us to suspect that either ne'er-do-wells (ie, meth-heads, scavengers) stole the gear, or climbers did. Given that the gear stashed included a cast-iron skillet and a cast-iron dutch oven, we suspect it was the former as no climber would hike that stuff back out from where it was stashed. This gear was well off any trails that any casual hikers would be on, and in a location where only a small select group of climbers would ever venture. If, for some reason climbers moved the gear, or took it assuming it was abandoned, I can assure you it was not. I would like to believe that it was an honest mistake. If this is the case, please pm me with the current location of the stash, and all will be forgiven.
However, if this gear has been intentionally taken by climbers and it is not returned, I will do everything in my power to determine who took the gear. A lot of blood, sweat, and time went into getting the gear out to where it was, and the trip we had planned was ruined and had to be postponed. Even worse, this had been a trip that I had been looking forward to after two deployments overseas. We have pictures that will allow us to identify all of the gear that was stashed. Any information leading to the identification of any individuals who removed the gear will be graciously rewarded.
Please pm me with any information.
Stay safe,
Joe Forrester
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Daphne
Trad climber
Northern California
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Jan 26, 2015 - 02:02pm PT
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I sure hope you get a lead on getting your gear back, but as a woman who leans toward the hippie and who has many hippie friends, I really object to you lumping me and my friends in the ne'er do well category with meth-heads and scavengers.
edit: Thanks for the apology.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Denver, Colorado
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Jan 26, 2015 - 02:04pm PT
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Check if there are pawn shops in Moab. A non climber would try to sell it and pawn shops are supposed to be able to trace their sales. Although it's a long ride to the Fishers on a dirt road, who else would go there?
+1 for Daphne, please don't dis hippies.
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Brosef
Big Wall climber
Fort Collins, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 26, 2015 - 02:05pm PT
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I did not mean to overly-generalize against hippies, and I apologize, sorry about that. I removed the reference. The rest of my comments stand.
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Rock!...oopsie.
Trad climber
the pitch above you
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Jan 26, 2015 - 02:14pm PT
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Yeah, man, like didn't you get the memo? Hippies are a protected class on the taco. Don't harsh their mellow.
In all seriousness, hope you get your gear back and the thieves get their just rewards - like a #6 camalot enema.
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ClimbingOn
Trad climber
NY
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Jan 26, 2015 - 02:24pm PT
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That sucks that your gear is no longer there. Still, abandoning thousands of dollars of gear for months on end on public land...Not something I would have done.
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Brosef
Big Wall climber
Fort Collins, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 26, 2015 - 02:25pm PT
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Wasn't intending on leaving it that long. Got deployed twice.
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SicMic
climber
across the street from Marshall
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Jan 26, 2015 - 02:48pm PT
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We...we...us.
Perhaps your friend could have gone to fetch it over the four months that you were away. I'm prepared to sympathize with your plight, but am having trouble doing so. Hope you can get the gear back or recognize this valuable lesson.
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Jan 26, 2015 - 02:53pm PT
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Hope you find your stuff. You did check (I'm sure you must have, I'd have been digging and yelling and running around like a, like a, like a meth-head) that it was not buried by fresh mud from this fall's storms or washed down a drainage a few hundred feet or so....??? Strange things happen around there.
That's a huge loss. Never heard of stashed gear vanishing. The place is changing. Hope the stuff shows up.
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Jan 26, 2015 - 03:35pm PT
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Jeremy is a homo and I told him so. Can't leave your sh#t laying around forever.
If you guys come and climb with me in CA I will loan you a sh#t load of gear, provided you don't leave it laying in the weeds for six months!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jan 26, 2015 - 03:40pm PT
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Have you tried Moab gear Trader, 435-355-0333 , to see of anyone has approached them with your stuff?
Were the authorities at all perturbed that you stashed gear on public lands?
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Happiegrrrl2
Trad climber
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Jan 26, 2015 - 03:44pm PT
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If it was a place only a select few climbers would even venture to, I would doubt meth heads would(unless it was some tower out behind a secret meth kitchen on public land, I suppose....).
It would be great if it was washed down a ways as mentioned above.
My suggestion: Post the details on identifiers, as this would help someone who happenchanced upon the stuff(after it was swiped) to take notice.
One thing though, that surprises me, is how people think climbers don't steal from climbers, or that this is some new disturbing trend. There have always been selfish, nasty people out there and climbers have never been exempt from this category. If one would think "But they don't steal from CLIMBERS," well, then that is no better than an Honor Among Thieves concept.
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Oregon
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Jan 26, 2015 - 04:25pm PT
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The thieves weren't hippies.
Most likely lawyers.
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coolrockclimberguy69
climber
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Jan 26, 2015 - 04:37pm PT
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Really bizarre to have a gear stash raided way out there.
Was any of the gear marked? Was there any "unique" items that would be easy to identify? I live in the area and will keep my eyes peeled.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Jan 26, 2015 - 05:29pm PT
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Don't know the OP, but I call TROLL. Who leaves thousands of $$ worth of gear stashed for 6 months? Why didn't one of your partners recover it?
edit: V V okay, I jumped to a conclusion that is incorrect. Apologies and hope you get your gear back. That is a tough loss.
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Jan 26, 2015 - 05:32pm PT
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Not a troll. I got an email from Jeremy about this.
Leaving gear out too long, yes. Troll, no.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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Jan 26, 2015 - 08:17pm PT
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Any stash - mountains, beach or whatever has never been secure.
You should know that.
It behooves the stasher to know the place, and people that frequent the place.
OP is wrong.
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Brosef
Big Wall climber
Fort Collins, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2015 - 07:41am PT
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Thanks to those who provided constructive suggestions. No doubt that gear stashed can be stolen, just surprised that it would happen in a place where so few go, and how anyone that far back would knows what it took to get the gear back there.
And yes, we searched all the washes that it could have gone into, with a great deal of scrutiny.
Most of the iron had blue spray paint on it, as did many of the carabiners.
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this just in
climber
Justin Ross from North Fork
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Jan 27, 2015 - 08:04am PT
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That really sucks. I'm sure you guys are monitoring the local Craigslist. I don't see tweakers hiking out with the gear. They might have tried, got tired and buried it somewhere cause they got paranoid they heard something and someone was surely after them.
Cmon though with the "if you leave gear you're asking for it to get stolen" comments.
My guess is it was climbers. Or hippies, ha!
Hoping for the best.
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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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Jan 27, 2015 - 08:25am PT
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Utaho'?
Since this stuff could have been 'found' any time in the last 6mos I would suggest going back through old 'for sale' threads on mountainproject.
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