Episodi

  • Boots Standing Upright: She Woke Up Nine Miles From Any Trail

    Boots Standing Upright: She Woke Up Nine Miles From Any Trail
    Aug 13 2026
    Boots Standing Upright: She Woke Up Nine Miles From Any Trail

    A pair of unlashed boots stood perfectly parallel beside an unconscious woman nine miles from the nearest trail - body temperature 94.1°F, found in a dry gravel wash at 6:40 AM. Who arranged those boots upright in a basalt slot no maintained trail reaches, and why do scuff marks lead deeper into the wilderness rather than out?

    In this episode, we walk through the timeline, equipment logs, and scene details from Heather Pruitt’s trip into the Cohassett backcountry to ask how a practiced navigator ended up immobile in a slot canyon with her headlamp run dead. What happened after her light died around 8 PM, and what do those boots and scuff marks really mean?

    Person: Heather Pruitt
    Date: August 14, 2019
    Location: Tenmile drainage, Cohassett backcountry
    Status: Found unconscious, body temperature 94.1°F
    Equipment: Black Diamond Spot headlamp with three AAA cells

    - Heather left Bend at 5:40 AM and signed the Kellner trail register at 7:02 AM.
    - The Kellner Trail gains 4,100 feet over 6.5 miles to the Aldercap summit at 9,400 feet.
    - The headlamp logged approximately nine hours of continuous runtime starting around 11:00 AM and died around 8:00 PM.
    - Jessica Young found Heather at 6:40 AM and called 911 at 6:42 AM; the call lasted 11 minutes.
    - The case was officially closed eight days later with the finding that Heather navigated a non-standard descent and was recovered in good condition.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 min
  • The Dry Boots on the Catwalk: She Vanished from a Locked Tower

    The Dry Boots on the Catwalk: She Vanished from a Locked Tower
    Aug 12 2026
    The Dry Boots on the Catwalk: She Vanished from a Locked Tower

    A pair of size nine hiking boots sat heel-to-toe, perfectly dry on a rain-soaked catwalk railing sixty-three feet above a canyon - and the woman who owned them had vanished from a locked lookout where her cot was made and the logbook closed. How did someone leave boots balanced like that in a fifty-three minute window while everything else inside the tower shows she finished her shift and went to sleep?

    In this episode, we tell the story as recorded in logs, witness statements, and search notes: the routine of a thirty-four-year-old lookout, the morning a supply runner found empty boots on the railing, and the search and evidence that followed. What did the boot prints and the odd silt impressions around the Anchor boulder actually mean?

    Person: Dena Marsh
    Date: July 13-14, 2011
    Location: Wren Peak Lookout, Aldervane National Forest
    Status: Missing from a locked tower
    Event: Search and rescue response beginning July 14

    - Boots found balanced heel-to-toe on catwalk railing sixty-three feet above canyon floor with tongues folded forward.
    - Rain stopped at 4:47 AM; boots were dry and placed within a fifty-three minute window before Keith Rice arrived at ~5:40 AM.
    - Final logbook entry dated July 13 read: "Clear... Off watch." pen clipped in the spine.
    - Dena was thirty-four and had six consecutive summers at Wren Peak plus four years as a wildland firefighter.
    - Trail of size nine women's boot prints found eighty yards northeast of the Anchor boulder, pressed deeper into silt than expected for her weight.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 min
  • The Pack That Walked Away: Missing Hiker, One Missing Carabiner

    The Pack That Walked Away: Missing Hiker, One Missing Carabiner
    Aug 11 2026
    The Pack That Walked Away: Missing Hiker, One Missing Carabiner

    A lone green internal-frame pack was found upright and buckled in the middle of a gravel road, hip belt cinched and shoulder straps clipped with a small silver carabiner - and its owner had been missing for thirty-six hours. A topographic map was gone, a sweater remained buried in the lower compartment, and the pack pointed the exact opposite way from the parked truck; how did an experienced solo hiker vanish and leave her pack dressed but empty?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and responses after Michelle Fleming failed to return from a June 1998 weekend hike. We trace the items found, the timing of the missing-person report and the search response, and the unsettling contradictions that keep the question open: what happened on those trails?

    Person: Michelle Fleming
    Date: June 6-8, 1998
    Location: Forest Service Road 14-Echo; Rimtop Trailhead; Kettrick Valley
    Status: Missing after leaving Rimtop Trail on June 6
    Case: Personal effects found upright on road six-tenths of a mile from trailhead

    - The pack was found on Tuesday morning at 7:40 a.m., six-tenths of a mile east of Rimtop Trailhead.
    - The owner’s truck, a gray 1992 Ford Ranger, remained parked at the trailhead to the west.
    - Inside the pack: an opened bag of mixed nuts nearly full and standing upright, and a rolled wool sweater in the lower compartment.
    - The shoulder straps were clipped together at the tips with a small silver carabiner that remained attached to the pack.
    - Two witnesses saw Michelle at approximately 2:30 p.m. Sunday about two miles above the trailhead, moving and limping slightly on the right side.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 min
  • The Chirp Beneath the Meadow: Buried Beacon, Eleven Days Missing

    The Chirp Beneath the Meadow: Buried Beacon, Eleven Days Missing
    Aug 10 2026
    The Chirp Beneath the Meadow: Buried Beacon, Eleven Days Missing

    A rhythmic chirp rises from eight feet beneath packed earth in a dry meadow where the nearest snowpack sits 1,300 feet above - and a county utility worker is the first to hear it. A two-week search follows strange clues: ski tracks that stop and restart around a body-shaped hollow, a set of boots buckled and placed upright with no other gear nearby - so how did a trained ski-patrol volunteer end up missing for eleven days with a buried signal calling from below?

    In this episode, we tell the episode's sequence of events from first call to case closure, following the search-and-rescue timeline, the found evidence on the moraine and treeline, and the official records that marked one detail unexplained - the buried chirp. What do the tracks, the boots, and the underground signal add up to?

    Person: Roger Collins
    Age: 26
    Date filed: April 28
    Planned return: April 30
    Location: upper Wetherton drainage

    - Utility worker Nicole Davis called sheriff's dispatch at 6:22 AM after hearing a rhythmic chirp coming from eight feet underground.
    - Roger filed a backcountry ski plan on April 28 listing route "upper Wetherton drainage" and left the printed plan on his kitchen table.
    - Roger's routine included a weekly Wednesday call to his mother; she reported him missing after he failed to call by Wednesday evening and alerted the county by May 1.
    - On search Day 3, surveyor Chris Aldred found clean parallel ski tracks that stopped at a six-foot-long, shoulder-width depression in the snow, then resumed 15 feet past it with one pole plant and no continuation.
    - On search Day 6, two SAR volunteers found Roger's boots upright and buckled, side by side on a flat rock shelf at treeline with no skis, poles, pack, gloves, or extra layers present.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 min
  • The Notebook That Walked Out of the Wilderness

    The Notebook That Walked Out of the Wilderness
    Aug 9 2026
    The Notebook That Walked Out of the Wilderness

    A small blue‑ballpoint journal appeared forty yards off a well‑traveled trail with two entries dated after its owner vanished, and there were no footprints, no broken brush and no sign of how it got there - so how did Wendy Underwood’s notebook travel from deep in Saddleback National Forest to a ponderosa pine near Harrow Creek trailhead? Search teams found a stopped scent line over running water, a rock overhang with fresh writing dated April 14, and one survivor account that left the official record with an unclosed question.

    In this episode, we follow the timeline and the precise discoveries that turned a routine wilderness search into an unresolved mystery, tracking where Wendy was last seen, what her notebook contained, and how searchers tried to reconcile a vanished trail with a journal that seemingly walked out of the woods; what does the evidence actually say?

    Person: Wendy Underwood
    Date missing: April 12
    Location: Harrow Creek trail, Saddleback National Forest
    Investigator: Valerie Bowers
    Survivor: one confirmed

    - At 6:15 a.m. on April 19, jogger Nancy Owens found a notebook in a gap in a ponderosa pine forty yards off the main trail.
    - The notebook contained two dates written in blue ballpoint that Wendy had written after she disappeared.
    - Wendy was last seen April 12 after parking a green 2009 Tacoma at Harrow Creek trailhead and leaving wallet, keys, and change of clothes inside the vehicle.
    - Dogs following Wendy’s scent hit a creek at mile 2.4 and circled the crossing for nearly two hours but could not find any continuation of the trail.
    - Wendy wrote a journal entry dated April 14 from a shallow rock overhang forty feet above a stone fire ring stating she had eaten her last food and was staying put.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 min
  • The Orange Bivy: No Footprints, No Exit, Just Silence

    The Orange Bivy: No Footprints, No Exit, Just Silence
    Aug 8 2026
    The Orange Bivy: No Footprints, No Exit, Just Silence

    A bright orange bivy sat undisturbed at 9,200 feet for at least six days with fourteen inches of pristine snow around it - no outgoing tracks, no incoming tracks, and a headlamp switched on inside. How could a practiced solo wilderness traveler like Constance Weaver vanish without a trace while her emergency planning and routine said she would return?

    In this episode, we present the sequence of events, on-the-ground search findings, and the physical evidence recovered at the bivouac to show what is known and what remains unexplained. Was this an impossible disappearance, or is there an explanation hidden in the details of Connie’s trips and the timing of the storm?

    Person: Constance Marie Weaver
    Date: March 16, 2019 (last signed trail register)
    Location: Decker Saddle trailhead and plateau shelf at 9,200 feet
    Status: Missing
    Event: Orange single-wall bivy found intact with no footprints

    - Connie updated a laminated care card for her rabbit and signed the trail register at 7:52 AM on March 16 with a 4:00 PM return time.
    - Two prior solo overnights in Harmon Basin occurred in August and September 2018; she held a Wilderness First Responder certification.
    - Searchers recorded 14 inches of fresh snow between March 18 and March 20 that covered Harmon Basin.
    - The bivy was discovered by Janet Norris from a vehicle on March 22; Deputy Frank Sebo documented the shelter that afternoon.
    - Inside the bivy: a sleeping bag rolled to its stuff-sack at the foot end and a headlamp switched on, with all four stakes driven to full depth in frozen ground.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 min
  • She Came Back Cold: 60 Hours Inside the Inverted Field

    She Came Back Cold: 60 Hours Inside the Inverted Field
    Aug 7 2026
    She Came Back Cold: 60 Hours Inside the Inverted Field

    The stones were flipped face-down in an eighty-by-forty-foot oval, forty-one in total, some weighing up to seventy pounds, and the snow between them was crushed flat while the perimeter remained untouched-what could have rearranged them without leaving a trail? What happened to the woman who trusted her boots and hammer more than anything else?

    In this episode, we present the sequence of discoveries and statements that unfolded at the Serrano Breaks after a local bookkeeper found the site; we describe the missing-person timeline, the condition of the inverted field, and the items located near the drainage, asking how those details fit the question at the center of the case.

    Person: Nicole Williams
    Person: Michelle Hansen
    Location: Serrano Breaks
    Date: February 13-19 (disappearance and search timeline)
    Event: Inverted field of forty-one overturned stones

    - The oval measured eighty feet long and forty feet wide with forty-one stones flipped dark side down.
    - Stones ranged from fist-sized to slabs estimated at fifty to seventy pounds.
    - The snow inside the oval was crushed flat while the snow at the perimeter was untouched.
    - Michelle Hansen was last seen at her truck at the Ochoa Trailhead after calling her sister on Wednesday, February 13 at around 10:15 p.m.
    - Michelle’s field pack was found upright against a boulder with its outer pocket unzipped, containing a rain cover stowed neatly, three-quarters of a water bottle, two granola bars, a field notebook, a dead GPS unit, and her geological hammer.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 min
  • Boots By The Riverbank: Why He Vanished Without a Sound

    Boots By The Riverbank: Why He Vanished Without a Sound
    Aug 6 2026
    Boots By The Riverbank: Why He Vanished Without a Sound

    A man’s fishing rod leaned against a birch, laces tucked in, socks folded on top - and Richard Farrell was gone with no splash, no snapped branch, no footprints in the frost; a fifty-one-hour search followed and one small detail in the incident report still had no answer. How did a forty-six-year-old experienced outdoorsman disappear from a frozen riverbank with his boots left neatly behind?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline of that morning and the search that came after, listening to witness accounts and official findings to lay out what was found and what was never explained - could a single misstep on unstable shale be the whole story?

    Person: Richard Farrell
    Date: January 11
    Location: Paunsett River, Narrows; north bank and birch tree
    Status: Missing then found (body recovered)
    Search duration: Fifty-one hours

    - Gary Thorpe called 9-1-1 at roughly 9:40 a.m, after finding the boots on the north bank.
    - Temperature at the search site was 22 degrees Fahrenheit during the operation.
    - Dog teams tracked for about 40 minutes before losing scent at a granite ledge 430 feet above the river.
    - The Paunsett Narrows is a 30-foot-wide channel that drops 40 feet per mile and never fully freezes.
    - Tom Abell had been fishing on the south bank for 15-20 minutes and looked up to find the north bank empty.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 min