Clever detective work leads to return of lost camera

In September 2009, I decided to take my son Brett on a trip before he went off to college. Our plan — fly fishing in Montana with my friend Darin Gardner, a master fisherman and outdoorsman. We had never been to Montana. We couldn’t wait to go.

The trip was perfect. Long, late summer days with rod in hand in breathtaking scenery, nights that finished with a big meal and a camp fire. Brett had never been fly fishing, and he took to this new sport with a passion. As for this great state, we finally saw firsthand what all the fuss is about. It’s paradise. But this you all know.

On the last morning, Darin had gone back to Utah, and Brett and I fished for a few more hours on Rock Creek. Sadly, then it was time to go. When we pulled into the driveway, I realized that I had left my camera on the riverbank hundreds of miles away. I spent the next week calling the camp ground and the little store nearby, pleading with the people to please go down and look for the camera. Someone did, but it was gone.

I was heartbroken. Not only were the pictures from the Montana trip on the memory card, but also four years worth of family photos. Finally I had to accept the truth, that the camera was gone forever.

Then in February, I went to the mailbox and found a letter. It had a Whitefish postmark. I was confused. I don’t know anyone from Whitefish. I opened it up, and read the first sentence: “We were on a fishing trip in Rock Creek, Montana, in September 2009 and our son found a camera on the bank.”

My eyes misted, my heart pounded. The Troiano family from Whitefish had found my camera. But how did they find me? I learned that their son had looked at the shots on the card. No luck. Then mom Patty took over. She went through the pictures, shot by shot, and began grabbing parts of the photos to enlarge. First she saw our dog and thought there might be an address on the tag. No. Finally, Patty found a birthday party pic and saw a card with an address on the table. She blew that up. Bingo.

E-mails were exchanged, and a few days later, my camera showed up UPS. There are many great photos but the picture of my son holding a beautiful Montana trout is the one that made it all worthwhile. He has an ear-to-ear grin.

I am so grateful to the Troianos, and not just for returning my camera to me. I’m grateful for the feeling that their act of kindness gave us. They worked so hard to do something good for people they don’t even know. That’s a beautiful thing.

We’ve corresponded since many times. We’re hoping to plan a fishing trip. If we’re lucky, the Troianos will show us some of their secret spots. And I told Patty, “What goes around, comes around.”

I still tell this story several times a week and everyone loves it. My dad said if I hadn’t lost the camera in Montana, I probably would have never seen it again. I think he’s right.

Dave Northfield lives in Lake Oswego, Ore.