Squamish

Lost & Found

 

When: Friday, August 22, 2003

What: A Fuji disposable camera

Where: The forested base of Diedre
    
 
 

Analysis

The camera was found lying peacefully among cedar trees, directly below the dihedral that make up the 3rd, 4th, and 5th pitches of the popular route Diedre on The Apron. The cardboard outer casing was severely compromised, but, strangely, the plastic camera body itself was in good condition, showing only one small set of teeth marks on the upper left corner. Fourteen pictures had already been taken. After developing the film, the following became apparent:

 1) The camera was dropped from the top of the fourth (crux) pitch of Diedre.

There were 6 photos of the route, all taken from the belay of the fourth pitch by a person who is featured in none of the photos, but implied by his/her position behind the camera. In a very egalitarian maneuver, there are 3 photos of "Mr. Abercrombie", and 3 photos of the distant third party member below, wearing a yellow helmet. After the last of fourteen photos, the Fuji disposable was dropped or thrown, possibly resulting in a brief light leak that clouded the last print. A small light flare on the print was likely caused by a fracture in the case during the fall.

    
   

 2) The photographer shares an intimate relationship with Mr. Abercrombie

Of 14 photographs, the camera owner has chosen to directly feature Mr. Abercrombie in 10 of these, and his shadow is in 3 of the remaining 4 photos (the lone, remaining photo features only the deer). In comparison, Mystery Guy is only featured in 4 photos (in one his body is 70% blocked from view) and never shows his face to the camera.

 3) The owner of the camera has rarely, if ever, seen deer.

There were no fewer than 8 photos of various quality dedicated to a single deer that appears to have stumbled across their campsite. The order on the negatives seems to suggest the following scenario: The party noticed a deer at the edge of a nearby, empty campsite. Mr. Abercrombie and the Mystery Guy head straight over to the deer while the possible owner of the camera gets his/her camera. Over the course of 8 prints, the photographer sneaks up on the deer and his/her two party members, snapping classics all the way.

    

Summary & Speculations

This was certainly a party of three, enjoying the delights of Squamish and some nearby flora and fauna. Many questions remain...

Who are these people? The scenarios seem to suggest a threesome from out of town. This is supported in that they are climbing Diedre. But from where? Since they are all wearing helmets, I would have guessed that they might be from the Rockies or some other area with frequent rock fall but this is instantly negated by their fascination with deer. This leaves one certainty and two possibilities: they are certainly from a large city, from where it is possible that a) no deer exist in the area or b) they have never left the city for any considerable length of time. Their citizenship is unclear.

What is the sex of the photographer? After careful consideration, I am almost certain that the photographer was a girl similar in age to the gentlemen in the photographs. The overwhelming number of prints featuring Mr. Abercrombie are in strong support of a relationship between the two, and statistics are in favour of this being a heterosexual relationship, although a homosexual relationship cannot be strictly counted out.

Was the camera dropped or thrown? It could have been thrown...

Who is the legal owner of the film? I found it, I developed it, and 12 of the 26 photos were taken while the camera was in my possesion. Do I own the negatives? Can I manipulate the images of people I don't know and then post it on a website?

Did the party make it up Diedre? It was clear on Friday that the party was no longer on Diedre. However, only a short distance up and to the left of the camera's location, I found eight feet of brand new webbing and a shiny locking carabiner tied around a tree. It appears as though somebody had used it to rappel through the forest instead of using the path.

 

DO YOU KNOW THESE PEOPLE? CONTACT ME AT mike_hengeveld@hotmail.com

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