missing hikers

Dear Friends & Family, If I become a Missing Person . . . advice for thru-hikers and their families

Recent missing hiker stories compelled me to do some research on how I could better prepare my family and friends should I become MIA. This is what I’ve done to hopefully be found sooner than later. 

The Garmin InReach Why these devices are worth their weight in gold

By Aaron Wheeler, volunteer searcher for Kris Fowler

What is the Garmin InReach and why is it so worth the investment? The first two main reasons to carry a Garmin InReach is for Safety and Navigation.  Hiking comes with some inherent risk and safety should always be a top priority while on the trail, even on short day hikes. But thru-hikers must also make hard choices to keep the weight of their equipment and supplies to a bare minimum. So what is it about the InReach that makes worth its weight in gold? 

Social media can be an amazing tool for missing person investigations. Even when the happy ending isn’t the one you hoped for.

Posted by Andrea Lankford

In December 2016, Sally Fowler was home sick when her nephew, Jimmy, sent her a picture he’d seen on Facebook--a photograph of a guy in his thirties from the abdomen up. The man appeared to be unconscious. A white sheet was pulled tightly across his bare chest. He had a full beard, blonde hair and a nice face. Sally’s heart raced. This man looked like her son and he was strapped to a hospital bed in Brazil. 

If the scientist Arpad Vass says he can find your missing loved one using fingernail clippings, don't believe him.

When our loved ones disappear, we'll try anything to find them. So when a famous forensic anthropologist claims he can locate your son or daughter using his or her mother's fingernail clippings, there seems to be little reason to doubt him.

Unfortunately Dr. Arpad Vass is selling nothing but false hope.