When we were camping and hiking in the Canadian Yukon in 1997, we found many many items from people who on the way to the gold fields had abandoned these items beside trails. These items were ~100 years old....It was very surreal picking up and examining old ax heads, shovels, parts of stoves, mining equipment etc and wondering what happened to the people who left these items behind. Did they ever make it rich or return home or die penniless? As a person who loves history, the 3 weeks spent there are still immeasurable in how fascinating this experience was.