But Dares and Carr kept going. The sergeant fielded endless rumors and accusations, about whether FLIR was really operationalit wasor why he wasnt using bloodhounds (wrong terrain, he says). Flashlight in hand he started up the dirt path around 10pm, quickly through the first third of the hike, which rambles through thick forest. Those were boom years for the family. Three years, and thousands of hours and dollars later, she remains missing. Sayers, a 2008 graduate of Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy, left on the morning of Aug. 1, 2018, for a day hike at Vesper Peak in the North Cascade range, northeast of Seattle, where. As a child, strangers in the store would comment on how beautiful her red hair was, to which she would only growl. And three or four sandwiches, plus snacks; she never skimped on snacks. Using his cell phone for illumination under a moon just past full, he retreated three-and-a-half miles back to his car. All rights reserved. Her goal was to spend the night at the Hidden Lake Lookout for her 28th birthday. He learned how to hunt, to build shelters, to insulate himself with leaves. Its as if the ties that bound Sam to him, to her life, to reality, are fluttering in the Cascade gusts, and after months of grasping at them he still cant seem to catch one between his fingers. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Samantha Sayers left at 8 a.m. on August 1, 2018, for a solo hike in the North Cascades mountains in Washington. Posters wait for resolution like a season finale; Im in too deep to stop watching now, wrote one. One night in July 1997, Carr and six other guys dressed in all black smashed their way into the store and stole between 80 and 100 guns. The system is so broke, they dont even track it, says David Francis, whose son Jon disappeared in Idaho in 2006. That will be nice for them.. Soon, fueled in part by Dares social media and Sayers mothers social media postings, combined with a cultural obsession with true crime shows, the case became a social-media spectacle. Hes proud of his German heritage, he said, although he believes the Nazis are disgusting. A background check revealed the burglary charges in Missouri, a warrant for arrest, stemming from that burglary charge, a failure to pay child support allegation and a marijuana possession charge. Raised in Pennsylvania, Sam took to theater in high school, passionate about vocals on stage and set construction behind it, then earned a BFA in western New York. Need help ASAP, he wrote. The Snohomish County Sheriffs Office launched 310 search and rescue missions last year, up 6 percent from 2017. But in August, they separated. Lakoduks father, Tripp, confirmed this as did Dares and Jamie Lakoduk. Since that awful autumn of 2018, Dares has returned the favor. Whether or not he has anything to do with it, something is definitely up now. The day was hot, the faint haze from far-off wildfires hanging in the air. The storm hit. Thanks to GPS watches and cell phones, facial-recognition cameras and credit card chips, the world observes and records. They were surprised at how she was dressed, thermal tights under shorts and a long-sleeved shirt under a NASA tank top, but Lakoduk seemed confident, had other clothes in her pack and was moving very well they told police. The best they could do, the carrier said, was load the SIM signature onto Dawns mobile, effectively cloning Sams iPhone. Another hiker told police he saw her the same day at the 6,220-foot summit and . I actually got kicked out of the group for calling the admins drama queens . The tether didnt lead back to Sam at all. After climbing more than 4,000 feet, up switchbacks and across boulder fields and finally across the patchy snow that marbles the stone pyramid of Vespers very top, Sam reached the summit. Her scrawl is the last concrete sign of the 27-year-old day hiker whose disappearance launched one of the biggest search and rescue operations in the state's history. They married on June 29, 2011, and traveled the world doing missionary work India, South Africa, Ireland, and more. They were among the outside experts Kevin hired using money from the GoFundMe. An estimated 1,600 people are missing in the wildlands of the United States. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required. Leave no trace? Hey I would love to be added to the truth group please! Jamie Lakoduk is a big redheaded man who looks like he could rip you in half but has the demeanor of a teddy bear. That was nine months ago. Dares drops his pack. So, Dares understands why county search and rescue crews suspend searches; they have other tragedies to attend to. Thats how you want to move, Carr recalls his dad telling him. In the Belltown apartment, they hung maps and scrawled Sharpie notes directly on the wall. After she passed the two hikers, Lakoduk continued up. The elder Dares prepared hot meals of rice and meat and anything else on hand, calling it all jambalaya. According to Strange Outdoors, she had expected to check in on her boyfriend by 6, since he had work and could not join her. In a crowded restaurant you must lean in to hear him speak. Snohomish County Sheriffs Office searchers at Spada Lake, and a SAR unit briefing during the search. It lasted 22 days. The two compromised. The Cascades retain pockets of remote wilderness, enclaves that feel as raw as when Western civilization first mowed a passage to the Pacific, yet are a casual drive from Seattle. Instead, families looking for closure often turn to individuals or foundations to keep the search for their loved ones going. Raven the search dog and her handler spent 39 days on the mountain, 17 of them in a row. He couldn't accompany Sam because he was working. Roccos is basically his Cheers; everybody knows his name. 447 followers 447 connections . The first winter storm of the year was rushing in, and snow was falling. Kevin Dares with Sam at a New Orleans wedding in 2017. You know. Someone told Kevin 3 percent. Once, while working a night shift at Dennys a customer complained that his steak was too dry. So, when they stop, its relaxed. On forums like NWHikers.net, locals offered likely scenarios, stories of their own misadventures around Vesper, their own accidental wanderings down to Spada Lake or the Sultan River. Kevin Dares. There is a woman from Spokane who met Lakoduks husband in community college and felt compelled to help. I drink too much on occasion, I smoke too many cigarettes, he says. Her boyfriend went to look for her that night and couldn't find her, so he alerted authorities. Other day trippers would recall seeing the solo hiker stripped down to her bra and hiking pants. One witness claimed she saw Sam playing a TV show on her phone while hiking that day, an episode of The Bachelorette. And women are targeted by predators (2 and 4 legged) way more than men are.. Hes a journeyman carpenter, although hes worked a grab bag of blue-collar jobs. So forgive Kevin for being a bit anti-social. Samantha Sayers, 28, has been missing from a solo hike on Vesper Peak, Wash., since Aug. 1, 2018. Also, if you check out her IG she appeared to enjoy taking a lot of cliffside selfies soit's feasible she may have fallen. Bud Carr, with his drive and determination, was a godsend for a grief-stricken Dares when his girlfriend went missing in 2018. On a perfect summer day, a solo hiker went missing from a Cascade trail. Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Two years later as Kevin Dares hikes uphill searching for Lakoduk, snow is a distant memory. Her scrawl is the last concrete sign of the 27-year-old day hiker whose disappearance launched one of the biggest search and rescue operations in the states history. This one was different. And its possible no body was found due to wildlife in the area? Hearing that, Kevin can only give a scornful laugh. A brand-new BMX bike for Bud. From his home in Minnesota, David Francis says that in the decade hes followed lost hiker cases, hes never seen anything like it. A bass boat. Carr posted a picture of himself lying on the floor surrounded by expensive freeze-dried meals. The weight he lost up on the mountain hasnt returned to his frame and he wears his weariness like a coat. A self-described mountain man, Carr is an enthusiastic storyteller, one who uses every inch of his 5-foot-11 frame to elucidate and elaborate, his gestures those of a college theater major, albeit a tattooed and felonious one. Squirrels are going to be stuffed, one poster wrote. Near 2 p.m. she was hiking. Being proficient in anything is militant.. Carrs ceaseless self-promotion. He began a Facebook group called The Truth of the Sam Sayers Case where followers could swap theories; one made a timeline that runs more than 180 pages. The official search for Sam went on for 22 days. Why? Late on that August day, a few hours after Sam wandered down Vesper, Kevin Dares sat inside Roccos, an upscale pizza restaurant in Belltown with Victorian wallpaper and novelty banh mi slices. Samantha Sayers is still missing. Theories were batted back and forth online. But hey, this family has closure, he continues, his defenses returning. However, tens of thousands remain missing for more than one year according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. So we go to the woods, the mountains, the thin air of the alpine. 1 Be Kind and Courteous We're all in this together to create a welcoming environment. And then, a breakthrough. The staff checks on him every 10 minutes, more motherly than waiterly. He didnt think it was likely Sam had ended up there, but it was worth a look. It was Adamss first year as a search and rescue sergeant, taking over from a predecessor who oversaw SAR response for 22 years at the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office. The longest search in state history turned up nothing. Despite her healthy pallor, strangers assumed shed just undergone chemotherapy, and the sympathetic clucks wore on her. It looked like the moon.. Such as did LE look into this and do DNA testing, etc. Prospectors found gold and silver in the area in the late 1800s, and the Sunrise Mine popped up around Wirtz Basin. Were going to have to make some changes.. He took to Vesper and pioneered his own way off trail; from the brush he counted more than 100 people on the day the reward was posted. 509 Olive Way, Suite 305, Seattle, WA 98101, Kevin recognized Sam from across the room. In Washington, there are 765 open missing persons cases. Language is powerful.. She planned to meet a friend in Bellingham the next day. Are we going to have to do a rescue on the rescuers? Goins asked. Ive got her, Dares said. I also believe quasi-conspiracy theories like missing411 perpetuate the underestimation of the dangers of going unprepared or overconfident into the wilderness by suggesting that there are other causes to the events other than accidents in the wild. It looks like a dead endrock climbers need ropes to scale the steep walls that rise in every directionbut theres one other way out, a trail that rises through an ankle-twisting boulder field, leading hikers to Headlee Pass. Allison Williams Folks questioned where all the money went. Adams established operations bases at nearby Big Four ice caves and at Spada Lake far below Vespers southeast side. They were rarely alone. Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest. His girlfriend, Samantha Sayers, also disappeared while hiking. Denice Rochelle, a Seattle real estate broker and woman of color, messaged Carr in August asking if hed teach her how to travel safely in the backcountry after following his exploits online. What happened next is educated speculation. One day stands out: August 4, three days in. Would a glove or a boot bring closure to a family? The paper is there to log the hikers on Sunrise Mine Trail #707, a route that winds to the top of Vesper Peak. Amateur sleuths followed the case like the podcast Serial or a season of True Detective. The Hidden Lake trek is 8 miles round trip and steep, gaining 3,300 feet in 4 miles. But at that moment, on the steep side of a North Cascades mountain, Dares is shaking. Several GoFundMe campaigns popped up. That can lead to profiteering and exploitation, with some bad operators capitalizing on grief to make a buck. How to travel in the mountains. A search organized. Samantha had planned to summit Vesper Peak in Washington's North Cascades, a route she'd taken before, and told family she'd be gone from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Family says Samantha Sayers . Sam was raised in the Erie, Pennsylvania area where her parents Ron and Lisa still live. But one day in August, one womans tethers disintegrated in a moment. But also an education in wilderness survival. He lowered himself into an abandoned mine shaft and tromped through thick underbrush. That was the last time they spoke. Kevin was expecting a call from Sam, his live-in girlfriend, by 6pm. Follow the creek to the river. They gave the bags to Snohomish County Search and Rescue, asking them to place them around the mountain. People made YouTube videos. In July, he posted a photo of a note hed placed on the car of a solo female hiker on Facebook. If you're not cool with that thats fine too. They think, This is my chance to be a part of one.. On Friday nights, she joined Turner for what they called Rantwine and cathartic heart-to-hearts. Everyone agreed that the public would take it all more seriously if people understood their solid commitment. SOS, SOS. The 28-year-old woman was last seen on a day hike at Vesper Peak in the North Cascades on August 1. A Seattle hotelier and real estate developer. Mohawked. As the August day melted into late evening, Kevin grew concerned. Kevin, status report, Carr says into the radio, which each searcher carries per his rigorous protocol. For $1,700. If Sam was distinctive for the head she shaved bald, Kevins signature trait is the thick New Orleans accent that betrays his Louisiana upbringing. They both cried. But then he met Dares. Well come up to you, the rogue search and rescue employee says. Most of them are found, dead or alive, rather quickly. They are the most dedicated West Coast county sheriffs Ive ever seen.. Finally, in mid-October, Kevin and Bud Carr made the decision to pack up their camp and come down the mountain. Spiders rappelling into your hair. Snow fell and Carr and Dares stopped searching, although they went back in 2019. Is it possible or o.k. Her family will come from Moses Lake, her father will caress his childs remains through the thick plastic of a body bag and try not to cry. Beside him sits a county search and rescue volunteer who goes rogue occasionally, spending time outside the bounds of the county system, trying to bring closure to a family left wondering what happened to their daughter. Three homes. Jamie hoped theyd repair the marriage. The 33-year-old lives just across Second Avenue and the eatery is more or less his office, where he runs a company that does real estate deals, renovations, and property management. Steve Monchak, an area drone photographer, reported that hed been at the Big Four ice caves the day Sam went missing, just a few miles away; he told deputies he spotted two suspicious men there. Psychic Jerry Morris describes the murders in two unsolved cases, Samantha Sayers and Missy Bevers. She disappeared on August 1, 2018 after a day of solo hiking at Vesper Peak near Seattle, Washington. He says, Oh, I think the fiance did it, says Kevin, his drawl emphasizing his wry amusement. PM me and I'll add y'all. The note warned the woman, whom Carr passed while searching for Rachel Lakoduk, about hiking alone. What color was Rachels pad, backpack and sleeping bag?. Though it was a weekday, the sunshine brought summer crowds; another hiker remembers seeing her eat a sandwich, lettuce protruding from between bread slices, while she chatted with rock climbers whod ascended one of the sharper faces. Even though in the decade hes done this work, hes never found a single person. Carr continues talking about his tattoos, all of which (except for the ones on his back) he did himself, Yes sir, Im ambidextrous, he says. David Francis, the man who lost his son in the Idaho Sawtooths, told a reporter that hed never seen anything like it and that they are the most dedicated West Coast County sheriffs Ive ever seen.. A search ensued unlike anything the state of Washington has ever seen. People can say whatever they want, that man steps up more than anybody Ive ever met, despite his faults.. They remembered her distinctive bald head, crowned with a star tattoo like a Roman laurel wreath. He tackled the elevation gain like it was a stroll down Second Avenue; his weeks of searching Vesper had whittled his already slim frame down whippet-thin. NBC News this past week pointed out that in the seven years its Dateline NBC "Missing in America" online series has been in existence, around 57% of the series'subjects have been found. Volunteers still showed up, most unbidden, like a trucker from Memphis who read about Sam online and dropped everything to come climb a mountain in a place hed never been. Granite Falls, Washington. Missing: Samantha SayersPlease hurry. Back in Pennsylvania, that was how Sams mother heard the news. Dares is 500 feet up the hill, obscured by the thick vegetation. It was late July and Samantha Sayers was looking for hiking partners on Facebook. Gentle, kind and quiet. Im looking for vent stacks. Kevin took it in stride, told the stranger who he was, but held no hard feelings. There are giant Reddit threads. She happily bought them and said in an interview that he had integrity. NBC News asked in an article published Friday. He drove 20 miles back down the Mountain Loop Highway to the Verlot Public Service Center, a visitor center staffed by U.S. Forest Service rangers during the dayclosed, but home to a pay phone out front. I know theres some crazy shot going down now. The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office led the. Online criticism reached a fever pitch. Psychics and shamans relayed visions. I cannot even imagine how her poor family feels. Yall come up here.. The trail gains elevation through switchbacks cut in a brushy hillside. Someone claimed she was on an episode of The Bachelorette. Her mother posted daily updates that were parsed for clues. This is the stance of someone who doesnt give up. Been trying for a week now I thought it was shut down (I'm social media challenged) 3 Independent consultancy providing strategic and operational expertise to both large and small-scale commercial FMCG clients, and pro bono consultancy focused on strategy and operations optimisation for not-for-profit clients. Vieira said Sayers wore a wig in high school, but one . Meanwhile, some of the grieving family members were publicly coming to his defense. Samantha Sayers is a 5-foot-8-inch white woman weighing 125 pounds. That first night he wandered Vesper Peak with only the gear Sergeant Adams had on hand; by this point, his personal base had a canvas tent with a peaked roof, like a homesteaders cabin made of fabric. Missing people usually leave a signature, family members filled Ziploc bags with snacks and instructions for Sam, Cheryl Phillips, a dog handler from South Carolina, and her search dog Raven, In October the occasional snow flurries turned to regular snowfall, Ski Areas Shift to Mountain Bike Parks in Summer, The Insider's Guide to Visiting North Cascades National Park. Tripp, Dares and Simonseth feel differently. I've been getting a lot messages the past few days. Carlton Bud Carr, a journeyman carpenter from Concrete, had taken part in searches before, like a failed attempt to find Skagit Countys Patti Krieger on Sauk Mountain in 2010. Carlton Bud Carr Jr. was born in 1978 in Californias San Bernardino Valley. Impressed by Carrs careful hand-drawn maps and search experience, Francis recommended he be put in charge of the familys search operations. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. On a perfect summer day, a solo hiker went missing from a Cascade trail. In Belltown. The meeting never happened. The docs reply: Someone with mental fortitude and true survivor skills can find food to live on. Her online videos imply that the family is currently pursuing their own investigation into her daughter's disappearance. She and Kevin, a single dad of three, moved in together. For more information, please see our While his dad worked at the mine, Carr played and explored in the mountains. He lost weight, smoked and drank too much. In response, he launched an Instagram campaign, posting photo after photo of swastikas, oriented in the traditional Buddhist way. The day was hot, the faint haze from far-off wildfires hanging in the air. Carr knew what so many recreationists did not, that Vesper Peak wasnt just a subalpine playland of rocks and cliffs. When volunteers arrived around 6am, they took off in teams to comb the trail and call out Sams name. No ones seen a single trace of Sam Sayers since. What color is Lakoduks pad, backpack and sleeping bag, he asks, his voice tight with urgency. Its unfair to our citizens.. I think shes hurt.. Citing the campsites delicate heather, posters online howled at a plan that flaunted the prevailing leave no trace ethos. For her 28th birthday in 2019, they planned to hike to the Hidden Lake Lookout. Carr posted a 30-minute live YouTube video during which someone called him ridiculous. He responded by calling them a weak ass fool and challenged them to meet him on the mountain. But when they knocked on the door to Kevin and Sams apartment, the truth quickly shattered the fantasy. At least, he says, the man was looking. He loaded Kevin down with a helmet, food, and a headlamp and watched him sprint back up the trail. The Sunrise Mine Trail lot was dark, and Kevin could see Sams blue Ford Fiesta still in the gravel lot. I do know that the season finale of that show happened after the hike so it could point to her not planning on inflicting any sort of self-harm? the witness wrote in an email to deputies. Volunteers brought up snacks, so many grocery store fried chickens that the team joked about the tidal wave of drumsticks. Hes accused of being a Nazi, a white supremacist, a misogynist, a charlatan. I'm sure you've met them, the kind who are super into crystal healing but also love them some jesus? Before she left on her solo hike on the Vesper Peak trail hed texted Be safesos me if anything goes haywire. Her replyThanks baby I love you.was classic Sam, straightforward and confident. Kevin and Sam on a Mt. Toppled trees covered in moss. Dont touch anything, he says. On the mountain, Kevins crew of a half-dozen hardcore searchers, most of whom had never met Sam, became a little band of brothers. I submitted a request to join but it hasn't been approved yet. In addition to the swastika tattoo, Carr posted a video since deleted of himself wearing a hat with an Iron Cross. I have better things to do. She was last seen wearing dark gray pants and a maroon hoodie. In a recording of Kevins 911 call, the operator asks what Sam had with her. Still, its hot and hes tired when his radio crackles to life. Kevin recognized Sam from across the room before they even metthis was the girl hed matched with on Tinder; theyd chatted through the app. He liked camping. Just one of those feelings. With his tattoos, felony conviction, self-promotion and a penchant for paramilitary theatrics, hes a lightning rod for criticism and a frequent topic of discussion in online hiking and climbing groups. His father, Carlton Carr Sr. was an entrepreneur, jumping from hustle to hustle, but by far his most successful, and formative enterprise, was a gold mine in Colorado. Let's treat everyone with respect. Members of the Find Sam Sayers group began referring to themselves as Sams Army, calling elected officials en masse to demand more resources. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Samantha Sayers went on a solo hike in Washington's Vesper Peak on August 1 and hasn't been seen or heard from since then. He drove to the trailhead. He watches crime shows, so he tells me, Theres always a dungeon where they lock them up. Rose Simonseth, whose husband Tom disappeared and died hiking alone this year and was later found by a friend, said Carr gave her a list of supplies he needed to search for Tom. Sams trace. Three years, and thousands of hours and dollars later, she remains missing. Yet, when after 10 days, the Skagit County Sheriffs Office suspended the search for Rachel Lakoduk, the only person who kept searching, and never stopped, was Carr. This is known. That was day 106. 70-year-old, Karen Sykes, headed for the wilderness around Owyhigh Lakes in Mount Rainier National Park in June 2014. 509 Olive Way, Suite 305, Seattle, WA 98101 Phone: 206-957-2234 Fax: 206-447-3388, By Lakoduk continued up. A Christian. discussion about Sam that won't be silenced, Press J to jump to the feed. Samantha Jane Sayers (sammiieeiilikeeiitsayerss) See Photos. Gifts processed in this system are not tax deductible, but are predominately used to help meet the local financial requirements needed to receive national matching-grant funds. According to the sheriff's office, a group of hikers reported seeing her on her way up Vesper Peak around midmorning. Once back in the States, they started backpacking. Theres no official count; when the U.S. Department of the Interior tried to build a database of such events, the effort drew criticism as an expensive, malfunctioning boondoggle. Among them is a former Marine, who days after Rachel Lakoduk went missing on Oct. 17, 2019, spent an entire night searching for her. That was what had pinged. Follow the river to civilization. Many took issue with the supply bags full of energy bars, not a common SAR technique. They clicked immediately. They spotted a tree on fire, but no Sam. Between Carrs military mindset and Kevins own stint in the Navy, they approached the mountain with a tactical eye. Spreadsheets tracked every time a viewer thought they saw something. I'm just glad I'm seeing the "light" now (pun totally intended). His advice? We can get statistics on auto accidents but theyre not collected for people missing in the wilderness., The search for Jon lasted only two days before the county sheriff pulled out and, as David remembers, told him he should give his son up to the mountain. Dares was a wreck. They dont touch anything. The woman had borrowed his vehicle once and even though it was very clean, it smelled of semen and dead bodies, relayed the deputy who took the report. The official search was suspended on Aug. 23 after a Herculean effort. Sam Sayers, described by her family and friends as an experienced hiker, set out on the morning of Aug. 1 for a solo hike in the North Cascades. Law enforcement, particularly the county sheriffs of the West who hold responsibility for wilderness operations, are by Davids accounting inadequately trained, funded, staffed, or committed to long-term searches.. Aug. 23-- Aug. 23--Samantha Sayers was last seen Aug. 1, 2018, while on a solo day-hike up Vesper Peak in the North Cascades. It was a bucket-list objective, her husband Jamie Lakoduk said. Now I can get Bud to focus on Vesper again.. Theyd planned to do it together in 2018 but hed worried they werent in good enough shape, and they pushed it a year. I'm happy to PM you with my FB name so you can invite me. Sams phone pinged, a sign it was on and working. Sayers' disappearance sparked a major, exhaustive search on the 6,200-foot peak off the Mountain Loop Highway, as well as a frenzy on social media. Over the course of the next days the Skagit County Search and Rescue team will gather up Lakoduks remains and her things. She asked about conditions ahead. Tripp buys Carr dinner occasionally. I'm a member of the truth group and the missing Seattle hikers group ( they discuss Sam's case and others and it's also my favorite because there's no stupid drama.) Idk, I am not there. Hi. at 1 PM just accidentally, not because Kevin Dares called her, make him . But, if youre not crazy youre not quitting your job, packing up all your (stuff) and then going in the woods for somebody youve never met. Learning to, if not love, at least tolerate the mountains. PM me and Ill add yall. His sarcastic southern faade slips. He called 911 early in the morning of Aug. 2. Efffff that now as far as am I concerned. It was a total shit show from what I've read from people who live out there or have experience with this type of hiking. The duo hatched a plot to steal guns from a Bass Pro shop. The aircrafts FLIR, an infrared camera, scanned for heat signatures, but the pilots also stuck their heads out windows. The longest in state history. Society persisted and Carr spent five years in a Missouri prison although he was sentenced to seven. That sunny August Wednesday, a hiker stopped a few hundred feet below the top, right above the meadow where Kevin would one day erect his camp. Ive always been of a warrior mindset. Thats when two hikers coming down saw her. Tips came pouring in, from the usefulYMCA campers at Lake Elan just below the peak saw Sam ascend but never come downto the questionable, like psychic visions of her near rocks, trees, and water. By 6 p.m., her boyfriend Kevin Dares was worried. From Kevins first post, Facebooks role in the search metastasized. A Cup of Noodles, six hand warmers, some glow sticks. Nine months later, the mystery has consumed the lives of thousands.