The Cold Vanish - 1/7/21

 Hello Adventures, 

Week 1: The Cold Vanish: Seeking the Missing in North America's Wildlands (7/10). 

Premise: Much more often than we think, people go missing in North America's National Parks. Sometimes they are found, sometimes they are lost forever. Author Jon Billman spends time with the people who search for these missing people in an effort to learn about what they do and why they do it. 

It seems no one keep records of missing people in national parks. But we do know that amount of missing people is.... a lot. Hypothermia, swift rivers, hidden crevices, steep cliffs, bigfoot, serial killers, or simply not telling anyone and moving to South America. There are so many different ways to disappear in the woods. And this books covers them, and the aftermath. So be ready to be taken deep into the woods, or just out of sight of the welcome center. Find missing people, or accept that they'll be missing forever.

Half this book, give or take a few chapters, is about the search for Jacob Gray. Jon Billman joins Jacob's father, and sometimes others to search for Jacob who mysteriously vanished on his biking trip cross the United States. Jacob vanished in a national park (surprise surprise). The family came up to search and continually fought for more people to help them search for Jacob. The river by where his bike was found, nearby towns, even Canada was searched for Jacob. His father relentlessly searched, giving up everything to find his missing son. Along the way a local Big Foot hunting group found and adopted the two men, giving them a place to stay, and help along the way.

The other half of the book is devoted, in single chapters to other searchers and missing people. Whether it be search dogs, people vanishing just out of sight of others, professional runners, or a plethora of other things. While it has a similar premise to Missing 411, this author takes a deeper and more personal look at these missing people. How they can just vanish, where it seems like it shouldn't be possible. How people are found, often in area's that had already been searched, and how just as often and easily people disappear never to be seen again. 

At points this book is hard to read, the pain of not knowing what happened to your child, wife, parents, or dear friend can be worse than finding a body. The not knowing eats at you. It makes you think twice about going into the woods, leaving the trail. What could be out there, how easy it is just to disappear never to be seen again. So my adventurous friends. If you are like me, enthralled by the unknown and mysterious, this book scratches the itch. Take it on a hike deep into the woods and read it for while... 

and remember dear readers, Stay Vivid

***I will give this disclaimer. I have read reviews that Author Jon Billman fabricated and misrepresented parts of the story involving Jacob Gray. I haven't looked into it deeply. So take it with a grain of salt.