March 20, 2021 was destined to be a fun-filled day for Brenda Teela and Jim Nachreiner at the popular Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures near Lake Geneva, WI. Ziplining was a new experience for Brenda, one she will never forget. The sheer thrill of riding the tree tops was unlike anything she had experienced. But the day took a sudden and heart-wrenching turn when her highly-sentimental bracelet vanished from her wrist. The silver bracelet was a Christmas gift from Jim.
Fast forward 8 months.
I received a phone call from Brenda asking if I might help find her cherished keepsake. Initially, the prospects of trying to locate such a small target in 100-acres of Wisconsin woodlands was daunting—a long shot. But after cross-examining Brenda’s account of her activities in a forensic manner, it was Brenda’s own careful analysis and detective work that made the search a viable one, even after all those months. A photo clearly showed the bracelet on her wrist at one of the zipline staging points. Then another, taken a short while later, revealed it missing. The bracelet had to have been lost somewhere in between. This photo evidence gave a reasonable glimmer of hope.
We arranged to meet on location November 21, a gorgeous fall-day. Stephanie and Dana, the managers working at Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures, together with their helpful staff, were most cooperative. Their kindness spoke highly of the company’s care for its clients.
We began probing the forest floor near one of the staging points. Jim worked ahead of me, carefully moving fallen branches. The remains of several sunglasses, camera lens caps, a company camera, some small change and other metallic debris quickly filled my pouch, evidence of zipliner traffic over many years. A couple hours into the search found us beneath a long swinging bridge, one of the amazing features of the Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures property. It was there that a promising signal from my search coil invited investigation. It was Brenda’s bracelet! It lay in a clump where it had fallen from the bridge some 25’ above. A broken link bore evidence of what happened, answering so many questions in Brenda’s mind.
The smiles tell the rest of the story! It was a tearful and emotional reunion to say the least.
Thank you, Brenda & Jim, for the privilege of searching for and finding your precious bracelet.
And our heartfelt thanks to the wonderful people at Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures whose cooperation and kindness made it possible.
You can check them out at:
lakegenevaadventures.com.
Nice recovery Paul!