Photos: The Amazing Adventures of Waldo the Wandering AK-47

   02.01.16

Photos: The Amazing Adventures of Waldo the Wandering AK-47

The United States is home to some of the most awe-inspiring examples of natural beauty in the entire world. Many of these locations are contained within the country’s parks and forests, where, for the most part, it is legal to possess firearms. One intrepid firearms enthusiast, Patrick Thai, has traveled to many of these places on hiking and camping trips and brought with him a trusty companion—his customized WASR-10/63 AKM-pattern rifle, also known as “Waldo.”

The following pictures are just a sampling of some of the places Thai and his WASR have been. Each image is accompanied by a caption detailing where it was taken. The rifle is hard to spot in many of the pictures thanks to Thai’s creativity and the AK’s camouflage—can you locate it in all of them?

Details on Thai’s rifle in its most recent configuration are provided below the pictures.

Thai's rifle. Keep an eye out for it in the pictures that follow.
Thai’s rifle. Keep an eye out for it in the pictures that follow.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, on the trail to Emerald and Dream Lakes.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, on the trail to Emerald and Dream Lakes.
Gulf Islands National Seashore, outside of Pensacola, Florida.
Gulf Islands National Seashore, outside of Pensacola, Florida.
Red Mountain open space, Colorado, Cheyenne Rim trail.
Red Mountain open space, Colorado, Cheyenne Rim trail.
Comanche Lake, Pingree Park, Colorado.
Comanche Lake, Pingree Park, Colorado.
Vedauwoo Campground and Recreation Area, Wyoming.
Vedauwoo Campground and Recreation Area, Wyoming.
Vedauwoo Campground and Recreation Area, Wyoming.
Vedauwoo Campground and Recreation Area, Wyoming.
Grinnell Glacier Overlook, Glacier National Park, Montana.
Grinnell Glacier Overlook, Glacier National Park, Montana.
Cirque Lake, Pingree Park, Colorado.
Cirque Lake, Pingree Park, Colorado.
Along the Emmaline Lake trail, Pingree Park, Colorado.
Along the Emmaline Lake trail, Pingree Park, Colorado.
Somewhere in southeast Oregon.
Somewhere in southeast Oregon.
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, overlooking Wizard island.
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, overlooking Wizard island.
Olympic National Park, Washington, Staircase area.
Olympic National Park, Washington, Staircase area.
Ecola State Park, Oregon. The rifle has been in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Ecola State Park, Oregon. The rifle has been in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, Panorama Point.
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, Panorama Point.
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, Capitol Gorge trail.
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, Capitol Gorge trail.
Badlands National Park, South Dakota.
Badlands National Park, South Dakota.
Browns Lake, Pingree Park, Colorado.
Browns Lake, Pingree Park, Colorado.
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, Capitol Gorge trail.
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, Capitol Gorge trail.
Arches National Park, Utah, Devil's Garden trail.
Arches National Park, Utah, Devil’s Garden trail.

Rifle specs:

  • 7.62x39mm WASR-10/63
  • Custom left-side charging handle
  • Krebs safety
  • ACE internal receiver block
  • Stormwerkz folding stock hinge
  • Manticore Arms triangle folding stock
  • Manticore Arms NightBrake
  • Magpul Zhukov handguard
  • Magpul M-LOK handstop kit
  • Stippled Combloc-pattern pistol grip
  • Taped within the triangle stock: magnesium firestarter block, tourniquet, and whistle
Avatar Author ID 144 - 1211542791

I've been a history and gun enthusiast since I was a kid. I love to shoot just about anything, from silenced bolt-action .22s to fully automatic heavy machine guns, and I love even more when I get to write about them. My main interests are modern small arms and the military small arms of World War II and prior conflicts, with a particular focus on Russian and Finnish firearms. Reading about guns like the Mosin-Nagant rifle in books and on the internet got me interested in collecting, shooting, and writing about them, and I hope to do the same for others through my work.

Stalk me on Instagram by clicking here.

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