I received a text from John, asking if I was available to help find his wife’s wedding ring, lost at Trillium Lake the day prior. This lake is one of several alpine lakes located in the Mt. Hood national forest.
Asking some follow-up questions, he said the ring was likely under the dock in two or three feet of water. Several people had searched for the ring by hand, but due to the silty bottom and algae growth, had no luck.
I was able to meet them at the lake the next morning. The “dock” in question is actually a wooden platform extending into the lake, acting as a fishing/view point, not a place to tie up a boat.
She explained that she had removed her rings to apply lotion to her hands and arms, placing them in her lap. A short time later, she stood up, and heard the rings hit the wood deck. She found one, but her wedding/engagement ring combo was gone.
I began searching the outside edges of the platform and found a few coins, tons of lead fishing weights, and tangles of fishing line. Once underneath the platform, I found the concrete columns and bases supporting the platform were full of rebar, overwhelming the Manticore’s signal. As I recovered this junk, I placed them around the edges of platform.
Due to the conditions, I changed out to a smaller size coil, letting me search closer to the concrete piers. I soon hit a promising signal. It took several tries, but I had handful of gunk, with my pinpointer showing a good target. A bit of sifting in the water, I knew I had it.
I came out from underneath the platform to find John, but his wife was not there. She had returned to their car to get a bag to collect the trash I had pulled from the lake. He was very excited to see the ring, but I asked if I might try to surprise her. He agreed to a little bit of a ruse.
When she returned, she began collecting the junk I had deposited around the platform. I had a handful of scrap metal, fishing line, and lead, with her ring sitting on top. I handed it to her, asking if she’d take care of it.
Realization came several seconds later. I didn’t want to request her to take off her wedding ring she had worn for 30 years for a photo, so went with a pic of the ring on her finger.
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