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Your questions answered on Mysterious Disappearances and Deaths in the Wilderness
What are good books and audiobooks on missing people in the great outdoors?
Here are a few books and audiobooks which cover missing persons’ disappearances, predominantly in the US and Canada. Please get in touch with this site if you have any other suggestions - contact us.
The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman, Book and Audiobook 11 hours 36 minutes, read by Stephen Graybill.
The Cold Vanish covers in detail the case of touring cyclist Jacob Gray, who disappeared in the northern district of Olympic National Park near the Sol Duc River in Washington in 2017. Jon spent time with Randy Gray, Jacob’s father, who was tireless in searching. Jacob’s body was found in August 2018, someway from where he disappeared, despite heavy snow.
Read a summary of Jacob’s disappearance here: The strange cycling death of Jacob Gray
The book also covers other disappearances, David Paulides and his Missing 411 books, which he is mildly critical of after meeting with him, and quirky stories like that of Troy Knapp, aka “Mountain Man.”
StrangeOutdoors Verdict:
The Cold Vanish is entertaining, well-written, and a good read for unexplained disappearances. The only criticism is that too much time was spent on the Jacob Gray case when there have been many other disappearances. For example, the bizarre case of Carl Landers on Mount Shasta is mentioned, but the book doesn’t go into detail.
Members can read the Carl Landers story here: The mysterious disappearance of Carl Landers from Mount Shasta
The Last Season by Eric Blehm, Audiobook 12 hours 34 mins, read by Jonathan Davis
The Last Season covers the story of Randy Morgenson, 64, who was midway through his 28th season as a backcountry ranger at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks and was the most senior ranger in the High Sierra with unparalleled experience of the wilderness. On July 21, 1996, he left a note on his tent (the date he'd written was June 21st even though it was July) to say he would be away for two or three days, and then he left his station near Bench Lake, leaving his Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum behind. Randy was never seen alive again.
In July 2001, five years after the search for Randy was called off, a trail worker found some new evidence near a creek in a gorge in the Window Peak drainage, near the outermost borders of the search area, below the pools of a waterfall. Rangers soon discovered a tattered shirt with Morgenson's badge. Then, a backpack with the buckle fastened and a boot.
Read the story about Randy Morgenson at: Randy Morgenson - Disturbing deaths in U.S. national parks
Strangeoutdoors.Com verdict:
The book is an insightful examination of the life of a park ranger and also covers the fascinating story of Randy’s disappearance and the discovery of remains. The exact cause of his death remains a mystery—and great narration on the audiobook by Jonathan Davis.
Missing 411 by David Paulides Books
David Paulides has written a series of books, Missing 411, e.g. Missing 411 Western United States & Canada, and on bigfoot or Sasquatch phenomena.
The Missing 411 books contain a factual account of missing people that Paulides has identified from media reports - where, the circumstances and whether they fit a cluster. His books focus on the United States and Canada, but he has produced YouTube videos of disappearances in Australia. He has also produced three films, Missing 411 and Missing 411 - The Hunters, and Missing 411 - the UFO Connection, which are worth a watch with a somewhat sceptical mindset.
StrangeOutdoors.com verdict:
The Missing 411 books are factual, if somewhat dry, accounts of disappearances in North America. Delving further into some stories can give additional facts or a better interpretation. But it remains the best resource out there for lovers of missing people stories. Potential purchasers of his books must note that they can only be obtained from Paulides’ website for $25.99 per book, as they have been self-published. Some re-sellers list his books on Amazon for exorbitant amounts.
Note: Paulides has been intimidating and aggressive to many authors and website publishers, and this one is no exception with legal threats.
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