Vanishing in the wilderness

[Tumbleweed]

Monty thanks for posting those pictures. It is rough country and a lot of cattle disappear in the western part of this state. I listened to that audio while I was eating my dinner and posted it then went back to work. The more I thought about that story the more I had to laugh.

That story has to be fiction. No cowboys I've every been around in this country talk like the author of that story. The author is no cowboy. There is a lot of big open unfenced country in the badlands and on the reservations but his wording when he said they started off looking for cattle was wrong. When they got to the school house he said they tied their horses up to a rock (haha). No body here I've ever known has tied there horse up to a rock. When he said they came down the stairs in the school he said they had their fingers "heavy on the triggers" (haha). I had to laugh again when I was thinking back about other things he said in the story this afternoon. The indians do talk about seeing bigfoots on the reservations but I don't know too much about that but I have heard some stories.

Lots of cattle get stolen on and off the reservations and thats a regular occurrence and has gone on for years. I can post an older story about some of it. It's old but nothing has changed that I know of on that subject on all the reservations here.

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/loc...0ae82ed27.html

[Dogman]

people do stupid stuff, also do not do their homework, so yes nature is a total bitch if one is not prepared for it, or are just idiots.

Darwin is a very happy reaper.

Fact!

[Tumbleweed]

Rusty West has vol. 23 out of missing people in the state and national parks.

[Camp Bassfish]

Wormhole?

A firefighter who went missing from the slopes of a ski resort in New York and sparked a massive search was found six days later on the opposite side of the country, still wearing his ski suit.

Constantinos "Danny" Filippidis had been out on an annual trip with friends and colleagues in Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks in New York state when he disappeared.

He turned up in warmer weather in Sacramento, California, nearly 3,000 miles away, where he contacted the police and gave his name, saying he had been missing from New York

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a8212586.html

[JDRock]

I live adjacent to the largest cluster of National Forest in the lower 48 states so I naturally find this interesting. I can't comment of the pattern of missing shoes other than the lack of media coverage it gets. I will say that it's quite common for National Park and National Forest officials to deny the existence of large predators in areas where they are sometimes seen and reported by individuals.

I live directly at the southern end of that cluster. I can see grand teton pk from my house. There are stranger things out there than the lg predators we know about. Theres a particular area north of togwotee for instance... things of a very dark nature.

[Tumbleweed]

Ten 411 cases from "Swamp Dweller".

[Tumbleweed]

I live directly at the southern end of that cluster. I can see grand teton pk from my house. There are stranger things out there than the lg predators we know about. Theres a particular area north of togwotee for instance... things of a very dark nature.

http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=6441

http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=1411

[Tumbleweed]

A story from the "Land between the Lakes".

[Tumbleweed]

Volume 24





Volume 25

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Volume 26








An interesting story below in the comments below this video.

Grew up in the shadows of the Mountains in my state and spent countless days in my youth camping, fishing, and hiking all over in my favorite canyon. The canyon entrance was only five minutes away from my home by car, but provided immediate relief from summer heat and more importantly an endless opportunity of exploring with friends and cousins around my age.

As I got older, I still did a little fishing and camping, but focused more and more on exploring the interconnected trails that brought me encounters with elk, moose, deer, and just one time with a cougar who was standing on a buck my brother had shot. I can’t forget that moment emerging out of the trees to be face to face with a grown cougar who seemed to sense that we were tracking the animal he had claimed. The cougar was chased away, we risked our neck because I didn’t want to shoot this magnificent animal and we sort of improvised with yelling, rocks near the animal, and making ourselves appear bigger while both holding loaded guns. Kind of a moment of wills, but a bit dangerous in more mature hindsight. But the cougar is just a side note.

In my 30’s I started hiking a trail that was near the canyon’s primary fishing reservoir, because I enjoyed the seclusion, the physicality and the view on top was unbelievable. In all my years hiking I can only identify this trail as a moment where i experienced something strange. Of course listening to Rusty forced me to comb through memories of anything odd, similar in any way to themes in these disappearances.The hike itself began in a heavily visited campground just above the reservoir. I normally had a partner, but this time just my Ridgeback, backpack filled with emergencies for most foreseen problems, and cellphone and loaded 9mm and .22 handguns. I couldn’t hike without a loaded gun after the cougar.If you’ve raised a dog from puppy, you will understand when I say I recognized my dog acting bizarrely about halfway up the strenuous climb. He was agitated, growling, and completely different than I’ve ever seen him.

The trail is a continual zig zag of switchbacks due to a massive elevation climb. On one of those blind switchbacks a man who looked completely out of place, no backpack, dressed wrong for a hike, appeared out of nowhere and sent my dog into a frenzy, the dog normally loved all people and was accustomed to encountering all types of people on hikes. I immediately reacted and turned slightly so the gun on my hip was visible, and this man suddenly moved by quickly without responding to my measured pleasantries and I noticed a large knife tucked in the small of his back as he moved by. He had been sitting on the blind area and was waiting. I realized then how evident it is on a whole different level to recognize someone looking to do you harm. I’m glad I was observant and prepared.

Now, the strangest part of all occurred when we made it to the very top that day. I didn’t mention the top of the mountain offered a massive boulder field, with huge granite boulders, some as massive as a trailer that provided a nice place to climb, lay down, and enjoy the warmth from the boulder and the view. However, as my dog and I entered the boulder field a strange sense of agitation and anticipation started to build. I could hear a small herd of deer tromping and crashing through aspens, but staring and using binoculars revealed nothing. And then this cloud of silence enveloped that boulder field, where sound seemed sucked away, the sun had lost its luster, and even moving was more difficult. My dog who never leaves my side was suddenly gone and the intensity of this stressful moment grew and I kept thinking about the guy on the trail for some reason. I noticed how much darker it seemed to get by the moment and I couldn’t tell you how long this impending dread lasted, except for saying too long.I knelt down and was more aware of the slightest rustle than ever in my life, while my eyes strained to see anything in this darkened stillness. In an instant the sun returned, the sounds of an active forest, my dog, and an immediate u-turn as fast as we could down the mountain and back to my truck. I never hiked that trail again.

Just last month, I believe on Halloween or the day prior I saw online that a younger man 20,s or early 30’s had gone missing on that exact trail. He was someone in phenomenal shape, a trail runner, and usually extremely prepared for all conditions on the trail. He was looking to trail run the top 100 peaks in the state and this peak was close to his 85th. He was no rookie. He had the same number and gender of children I had when I had my final hike on this trail. And he literally had disappeared on what is an impossible trail to lose your direction on a single up and down that maintains your view to a busy campground and reservoir below. Now, once you’re on top and through the boulders, you can go many different directions, but the article read that he was just planning on an up and down. I believe there was initial weather (snow) that made the search a bit more difficult. They found the man about a week later deceased and never disclosed too many details. I can’t help but believing he was somewhere in that same boulder field as I was years back. I feel badly for his young wife and children.Sorry for the novel. Be safe everyone!