And you can't blame him. Dutchies Peak, the location where he lost his trusty Canon SLR, is a rugged cluster of granite tors set among some of the ACT's most inhospitable high country.

"I put the camera down to make the final approach to a geocache across some very large boulders with extreme drops between them," recalls John, adding "those drops really put the wind up me and I was so relieved to get back to relative safety that I completely forgot about my camera".

Although it was less than an hour later that John realised he didn't have his camera with him, due to the difficult terrain and wanting to make it back to his car before dark, he didn't have time to return to search for it.

"One missed step and it could have been disastrous up there, so I decided to leave my camera behind," recalls John, who, despite the value of the camera, was so unnerved by the harsh terrain that he vowed "never to return" to "Dutchies Peak". Fortuitously, he did, however, leave a note about his missing camera on his blog entry.

Fast forward to late last month when adventurous bushwalker Nicholas Hall of Turner is planning a trek with friends to "Dutchies Peak".

"One of the first things I do when walking in Namadgi is to look up John's blog to see whether he has any commentary on the route and what the scrub might be like as it can be horrific in some parts of Namadgi," explains Nicholas, adding "John's comprehensive ... blog is the kind of free resource that is really rare".

After reading about the missing camera on John's blog, as Nicholas approached "Dutchies Peak", he kept his eyes "peeled for it, just in case it was still there".

Incredibly it was. Nicholas reveals he "found it exactly where John had described he'd left it - on a small grassy patch between two tors".

"The camera was wet on the outside and would have been covered with snow for a substantial period of winter," reports Nicholas, who although he had never previously met John, immediately googled his phone number and while still atop the remote mountain peak called John "with the good news".

On answering Nicholas' call, John, who was at home on his computer, "couldn't believe what he was hearing".

"Amazing. Just amazing, I just didn't think it would still be there after so long," asserts John who subsequently arranged a time to meet Nicholas and be reacquainted with his camera.

While the exposure to the elements for such a long time meant the camera wouldn't power up, John was able to retrieve some photos and videos that were on the memory card.

Dutchies Peak: This group of four-story high granite tors which are located to the east of the upper reaches of Corin Dam was locally named by Frank Bergersen of the Canberra Bushwalking Club walker in 1999. Bergersen's party included a Dutch lady named Antja. According to John Evans, "Frank thought 'Mt Antja' didn't sound quite right - hence why Frank settled instead for 'Dutchies Peak'.

Warning: Only bushwalkers who are experienced at navigation and off-track walking should attempt the trek to Dutchies Peak.

Did You Know? Geocaching involves finding containers hidden by others in town or bush, a sort of adults' treasure hunt. See www.geocaching.com for more.

John's camera isn't the only case of a treasured item lost in the bush near Canberra, only later to be rediscovered.

Kayaker Brad Jeffries' case was a bit more dramatic. During a planned paddle down the swollen Snowy River in 2014, from Charlotte Pass to Guthega Dam, the experienced 34-year-old kayaker was tossed from his kayak.

"My kayak clipped a rock on the entrance to an easy rapid, which flipped me upside down," recalls Brad, adding, "not a big deal on its own, however as I rolled the boat upright it dropped sideways into a small waterfall."

The water pouring over the waterfall created a hydraulic which continued to recirculate Brad upstream toward the waterfall. Unable to paddle out of the situation Brad was fortunately plucked to safety from his kayak by attentive mates.

"After I was rescued, the kayak was immediately sucked under the water and became trapped under rocks," reveals Brad, who "after trying to free it for nearly an hour decided to abandon it with the hope of returning when the river was lower."

Returning several weeks later Brad was unable to find the kayak and had written it off as lost, until "out of the blue" he received a call from another adventurer who had just found a kayak (with Brad's name and phone number written in the hull) all banged up, downstream in Guthega Dam.

While his kayak was beyond repair, Brad says it did teach him an important lesson. "I realise how important it was that I stayed in the kayak for as long as I could, because without having done so, I could easily have ended up where the kayak became lodged, under the water, and then the story may not have had as happy an ending."

Have you lost something in the bush near Canberra and had it returned years later? If so, I'd love to hear from you.

How time flies. Next Sunday (May 5, 10am-4pm) is the Canberra region's favourite annual country fair - the Collector Village Pumpkin Festival.

With humble beginnings 16 years ago when just a few hundred hardy visitors wandered aimlessly around a handful of stalls pedalling different shades of pumpkin soup, Collector's big day is now an annual institution, attracting more than 16,000 visitors, mainly Canberrans.

Gary Poile, head pumpkin, says "this year is going to be bigger and better than ever before" with over 100 stalls as well as all the family favourites including wheelbarrow races, the haybale maze and, the hotly contested scarecrow building competition which takes on a completely different feel once everyone goes home.

"Wandering through the field of scarecrows after dark can be especially eerie", reveals Gary, adding "if the wind picks-up, you look hastily behind, half-thinking one of them has come alive, only to find its just one of their [pumpkin] heads falling off."

Meanwhile, your Akubra-clad columnist's preferred part of the festival also usually takes place after sun-down when a number of innovative locals hollow out some of the biggest pumpkins, and if there's enough water in the Collector Creek, engage in pumpkin boat races. Really!

Unfortunately unless there is some decent rain in the next week, there won't be much paddling this year because on a recent recce the creek was virtually bone dry.

If you go: Collector is 57km north of Canberra City via the Federal Highway. For a full program of events check-out pumpkinfestival.com.au. The entry fees ($10 adults, $5 concession and children are free) boost the coffers of local community projects, ranging from providing equipment for the Rural Fire Service to fixing broken headstones in the village's graveyard. Spooky!

Did You Know? The dry autumn weather also means the record for the heaviest pumpkin is unlikely to be broken this year. "If someone beats last year's 271kg monster, we may need to drug test them," laughs Gary.

Clue: Would you like wood-fired pizza with that?

Degree of difficulty: Medium

Last week: Congratulations to David Nowlan of Macgregor who was the first reader to correctly identify last week's photo as a colourful cow at UC Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra in Belconnen. Although 'grazing' on concrete and mulch behind locked gates, the bold-looking bovine can readily be seen by those passing the back of the school along the popular cycle path which rings Lake Ginninderra. David recognised the cow as a result of "regular Pokémon hunting in the area" with his kids.

The full-sized model beast, nick-named, 'Cotty the Cow' was the school's entry into the 2017 Archibull Prize, a national educational program which, through art, explores the role agriculture plays in the health, wealth and happiness of Australians and many other people around the world.

Mel Smith, the teacher involved in the project reports "for many of the students, they had no previous understanding of farming, cotton or environmental impacts on farmers so this was all new learning, which they wanted to reflect in the final design."

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am, Saturday April 27, 2019 will win a double pass to Dendy - The Home of Quality Cinema.

Dave Gray, regular commuter between Canberra and the coast, often breaks up his trip by searching for curiosities on the side of the road. He reckons this tree stump, located "between Braidwood and the top of the Clyde" resembles "the head of what many believe the Loch Ness Monster looks like, either that or the Mongarlowe River Monster got stuck out of the water when he went for a wander."

To me it more resembles a horse's head, complete with drooping lower lip." What do you think?

CONTACT TIM: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick.