So... If a nut/carabiner fall on you (without warning) is it bootie?

Waiting to hop on a long climb, a carabiner and nut fell on us without warning. Nearly hit us. I was curious, does that mean it is ours? They didn't even yell rock.

Note: we left it where it lied but decided to go up a different route because of the people in front of us...

I'ts almost like they're Santa clandestinely slipping presents under a tree, and you're a child bewildered by the strange occasion of joyous bounty appearing unsolicited from places unseen, and yet slightly alarmed by the stranger's ability to penetrate without warning your sacred space, wary that if the stranger has powers to deliver gifts, he also has the power to harm, except it's really just a guy dropped a biner with a nut on it. Yes, you can keep it.
Or post it up on MP and return it for a sixer of barley pop.
Who really knows how the naughty list works?

I dropped a biner with four nuts in red rocks. Was that you? Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas.

The first time I climbed outdoors I hired a guide. While the guide was climbing, his knife fell out of his pocket, opened, and whizzed by me and stabbed into the ground blade-down. I had been looking up. I shudder to think if it stabbed my eye or anywhere, really.

Arrrr matey, it be bootie...

Do the right thing. You don't have an obligation to return the dropped items, but obviously if you do the party ahead will almost surely be extremely grateful and apologetic, and I'm sure you'll feel like a wonderful person for that little act of kindness. With dropped nuts/biners/etc. there's the added element of risk for the people down below, but once nobody has gotten hurt by the falling object this becomes the same scenario of a $5 bill falling out of some stranger's pocket as they walk ahead of you. If you think that once the $5 bill touches the ground it's up for grabs, or if you think that the risk of slipping on the $5 bill had you not noticed it (or hurting your back as you bend down to pick it up) justifies taxing that random person, then I suspect you're going to wind up more righteous yet less happy than you would be if you cordially returned the "booty".

Alex Washburne wrote:Do the right thing. You don't have an obligation to return the dropped items, but obviously if you do the party ahead will almost surely be extremely grateful and apologetic, and I'm sure you'll feel like a wonderful person for that little act of kindness. With dropped nuts/biners/etc. there's the added element of risk for the people down below, but once nobody has gotten hurt by the falling object this becomes the same scenario of a $5 bill falling out of some stranger's pocket as they walk ahead of you. If you think that once the $5 bill touches the ground it's up for grabs, or if you think that the risk of slipping on the $5 bill had you not noticed it (or hurting your back as you bend down to pick it up) justifies taxing that random person, then I suspect you're going to wind up more righteous yet less happy than you would be if you cordially returned the "booty".

Great answer.

I was curious, does that mean it is ours?
Sounds like Property Law question. With a finders policy I think that applies when you are just walking and see the biner/nuts, and have no idea whose it is. But in a scenario like this you can see it is that peanut-butter fingered party ahead of you who dropped it.

If you think that once the $5 bill touches the ground it's up for grabs, or if you think that the risk of slipping on the $5 bill had you not noticed it (or hurting your back as you bend down to pick it up) justifies taxing that random person, then I suspect you're going to wind up more righteous yet less happy than you would be if you cordially returned the "booty".

LOL laughed at the thought of a person slipping on a $5 bill, or injuring their back to pick it up as cause to get mad at that a-hole in front of you who dropped that $5!!!

They didn't yell rock. Party foul, man.

Timothy.Klein wrote:They didn't yell rock. Party foul, man.

I could see dropping one off a racking biner and not know.

Recently was asked to take a friend rock climbing, after a couple days of TR and mellow multi pitch on Hogsback we headed to valley to hike and maybe climb. On the last day it was on off sprinkles so we decided to go cruise nutcracker quickly before leaving. About middle of 2nd pitch I realized I was missing Half my gear. He had left the first five cams and slings in the crack! I was really pissed but was trying to be nice cuz it was a mistake. Yes I know I should have noticed earlier but we had already bumped the belay up ~ 40 ft and it the weather was starting to get worse so I was moving quickly. We finishe climb as soon as possible, got rained on really good for about 10 mins. I ran down descent as fast as possible, Cams were gone! A really nice person came by, saw them getting rained on, got em out and left them at the base under a rock! I am extremely grateful for whoever did that! I have claimed much booty from areas like lovers leap where noob learn to trad, this experience has changed my outlook on booty. I will only be taking it if it looks like someone gave up on it, and i manage to get it out from now on! Mistakes happen. And yes my partner knew he should be taking the gear.

Dropped my Sigg, rolled down from a crag-ledge to the road. Maybe 20 feet alltogether with us being at the top of a single pitch. Guy stopped his car looked at us on the wall, took it and drove off. screw it. I'll pirate his ass another day. I get to climb, his fat ass gets to have a heart attack at the local walmart

Gal had her laptop stolen from the school library yesterday right at finals week; now that does suck.

They probably didn't know it fell if they didn't call out. If it was convenient, I'd give it back.

Many years ago I was leading Becky's Crack at Enchanted Rock, in the 5.9 fist crux, when someone above dropped a #10 stopper. It landed on my bare head, and stayed there. We agreed I got to keep that one. The indignity of taking it back would have been too much.

Buff Johnson wrote:Dropped my Sigg, rolled down from a crag-ledge to the road. Maybe 20 feet alltogether with us being at the top of a single pitch. Guy stopped his car looked at us on the wall, took it and drove off. screw it. I'll pirate his ass another day. I get to climb, his fat ass gets to have a heart attack at the local walmart Gal had her laptop stolen from the school library yesterday right at finals week; now that does suck.

Too bad it wasn't your pee bottle.
The real problem is that the lions learn to hang out at the watering hole... because that's where the antelope are.

Caprinae monkey wrote:I was curious, does that mean it is ours? Sounds like Property Law question. With a finders policy I think that applies when you are just walking and see the biner/nuts, and have no idea whose it is.

What is a finder's policy?

Finders keepers, loser weepers?