Went to "Camp" today/ Interesting shelter find

[LMT66]

I went out bushwhacking today to do some exploring and scout out a place to build another shelter. Not really "woods" but land adjacent to a canal that is choked with scrub trees/shrubs/vines. We had our first snow of the season and it was about 30F with a wind chill of 11F. My kind of weather!
A few sights along the way.

Big dog? Coyote? Cougar? Was next to an animal track but was hard to determine if it was canine or cat. (Sorry to start the post of with a big honking turd picture!)

The track by the poop.

A little clearing with red vine growing on everything. Looked like red cobwebs from afar.

Then I went a bit further and up a man made berm strewn with large boulders (excavated rock and other debris from the ship canal forms a berm on both sides of the canal) and saw something that caught my attention. Turns out to be a shelter.

I stood there silent for a few minutes and observed to see if there was any movement or noise but nothing so I approached slowly.
Turns out to be a sizable shelter with firepit and some places to sit. The rope the builder used was old discarded barge dock lines. Seems the builder took considerable time to separate and weave long strands of it to create a place to spread at top above the pit.

 

[LMT66]

Walking up and looking the construction was interesting but upon closer inspection I noticed the bike, MD 20/20 bottles, Yager shot bottles and a nip bottle of JD.

I grouped them all together. I'll pack them out next time I wind up there.

30 feet out of the scrub is the canal and a trail I often hike in winter. I've walked past this spot before but never noticed a shelter.

A down tree with rocks encapsulated in the roots.

After a little cleanup and investigation, I determined no one was around so I decided to use the spot a few hours. I gathered up some tinder, twigs, sticks and branches. Broke out my firekit and then made a little birds nest, broke out some char-cloth, a little jute and fatwood shavings and started a fire. Two scrapes on the firesteel with the spine of my Koyote Slim-Finn necker and we had a go.

Warmed some tea.

 

[ROCK6]

That's a pretty cool shelter! Looks like somebody put some effort into putthing that up!

ROCK6

 

[LMT66]

I noticed a piece of waxed cardboard and was using it to fan the fire when it started smoking bad. After a while I tossed it aside and noticed there was something written on the back. Title: "Camp Imadrunk" followed by camp rules. Not sure if you'll be able to read it all but is a nice set of rules with a little humor mixed in.
Here it is.

1- Respect the fort and forest
2 -Stay clear of the garden.
3- Put all garbage/bottles in garbage bag.
4- Be happy, have fun.
5- No smashing glass.
6- Keep fire contained in firepit.
7- No fighting.
8- Don't show everybody or their mother.
9- Shit far from fort.
10- Oh - *can't make the rest*

So I determined the builder has a drinking problem, bad taste in booze, is most likely unemployed and lost his DL (Bike). He does like the outdoors, enjoys a good fire and has some woods skills and is creative.
Some more pictures as I sat and looked around at the top part.

Someone climbed the tree about 20' to tie this one off.

Knives enjoy a nice fire also! Rick Marchand Puukko and Koyote Slim-Finn. (both are members here on BF)

My cargo area is loaded for winter hiking. Took the Kelty Redwing 3100 out. Great pack that offers excellent organization and has a huge main compartment.

 

[s7brad]

Sasquatch nest! Lol

 

[DH1]

That's an interesting site. Was there any evidence of anyone there recently? Whoever built it may have moved closer into a city for the winter.

And Jack is expensive...MD 20/20 I can understand, but I wonder why they snagged a bottle of Jack instead of exponentially more MD for the money..

 

[PDE]

That is one of the more sketchy things I have seen in awhile. You got some big balls to stay there for a couple of hours.

 

[hoopster]

IMHO rule #9 explains your turd in the first pic. Anyways, nice discovery (the shelter not the turd) thanks for sharing the pics.

 

[fixer]

i expect to se some of these figures hanging from the trees in a place like that-

"Rednecks ain't that creative!"

 

[LMT66]

That's an interesting site. Was there any evidence of anyone there recently? Whoever built it may have moved closer into a city for the winter.

And Jack is expensive...MD 20/20 I can understand, but I wonder why they snagged a bottle of Jack instead of exponentially more MD for the money..

My guess is it was a recent build and was used recently. I suspect that the owner lives near bye and hikes back to drink and unwind. This is 26 miles out of Chicago along the ship canals.
As for the JD, maybe he brought his date and wanted her to drink "the good stuff"? :barf:

There is another place in the area that I found that had more of the same but no shelter. Lots of beer bottles, MD 20/20 and Yager shot bottles. Last year I had cleaned up the bottles and packed them out. At that time, there was a large cowbone at the site that I also packed out. Maybe they noticed and moved their hangout?

Here's the other spot with pictures from last winter and spring. I recall it like it was yesterday because it was bitter cold and windy that day out. (0F with -25F wind chills)

In warmer weather in spring. Camp furniture and nice pit. Kind of a neat little spot that I use often.

 

[x39]

That is one of the more sketchy things I have seen in awhile. You got some big balls to stay there for a couple of hours.

Judging by the "camp rules" the guy who built it was probably pretty smooth. Sometimes nice people fall on hard times.

 

[LMT66]

That is one of the more sketchy things I have seen in awhile. You got some big balls to stay there for a couple of hours.

After putting together all the clues left and thinking about it, I felt ok.

IMHO rule #9 explains your turd in the first pic. Anyways, nice discovery (the shelter not the turd) thanks for sharing the pics.

That was pretty far away from the shelter. I followed those animal tracks into some thick scrub and found the present. It does look like it could be human but it is from an animal.

i expect to se some of these figures hanging from the trees in a place like that-

"Rednecks ain't that creative!"

I never hike in the woods after watching movies like that!!!!!

Judging by the "camp rules" the guy who built it was probably pretty smooth. Sometimes nice people fall on hard times.

I agree and I would be interested in talking with whoever built it. Probably has some interesting life experiences to share.

 

[Brennanscott]

Bro, the Finless Lumpfish in the first picture looks like it was from a human to me.

 

[LMT66]

Bro, the Finless Lumpfish in the first picture looks like it was from a human to me.

Four big paw prints spaced and facing away, like a canine or cat when they go, just forward of Finless Lumpfish.

This was about a 1/4 mile from the shelter.

 

[Mongo]

Is that in my neck of the woods? Near Argonne? I did a 2.5-ish mile hike this morning out of the entrance on Lemont Road. No fire this time though, testing out some clothing combinations.

 

[MarineAir]

I'm from a small town southwest of Chicago along one of those canals called Lemont. Kinda curious what area you were hiking in.

(Edit, just saw Mongo is asking about the same area I was thinking of)

 

[hogslayer]

cool

 

[LMT66]

I'm from a small town southwest of Chicago along one of those canals called Lemont. Kinda curious what area you were hiking in.

(Edit, just saw Mongo is asking about the same area I was thinking of)

I was near Lemont. PM me.

 

[mtnfolk mike]

great pics... :thumbup: wish we had some snow around here..

 

[TheGame]

That shelter really is interesting. Looks like it would be a good person to talk to, in my opinion.

Thanks for sharing.