エピソード

  • The Spoon Pointed North: The Hiker Who Vanished While the Stove Burned

    The Spoon Pointed North: The Hiker Who Vanished While the Stove Burned
    2026/08/06
    The Spoon Pointed North: The Hiker Who Vanished While the Stove Burned

    A camp stove was still burning at 6:15 a.m. with lentil soup reduced to a dark paste and a spoon balanced at a 45-degree angle pointing north - but no hiker and no camp shoes. What did that spoon, a tent left orderly, and two bloodhounds that stopped dead at a dry draw together actually mean?

    In this episode, we follow the chain of facts discovered at Arrowglass trail - the campsite at 4.3 miles and 6,200 feet, the photographic evidence that prompted a search, the bloodhounds that lost the scent in Arrowglass Draw, and the strange anonymous trail register entry - to ask how a careful, experienced hiker disappeared from an otherwise intact camp.

    Person: Warren Gardner
    Date: July 13-14
    Location: Arrowglass trail, 4.3 miles up, elevation 6,200 ft
    Event: Missing person leading to search-and-rescue and federal case
    Witness: Ryan Novak (photographed campsite at 6:15 a.m.)

    - Warren signed the trail register at 11:47 a.m. on July 13 listing Arrowglass Lake (~7 miles) and return by July 14 at 3:00 p.m.
    - The burning stove and pot of soup were found at 6:15 a.m. on July 14 by Ryan Novak 4.3 miles up the trail.
    - The spoon was balanced on the pot rim at approximately a 45-degree angle pointing toward the tree line to the north.
    - Two bloodhounds tracked north from the trailhead but stopped and sat twice at Arrowglass Draw, unable to continue the scent.
    - A second trail register entry 43 minutes after Warren’s listed a white Chevy Blazer with no name and no license plate.

    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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    19 分
  • Dry Boot on a Soaked Hood: The Alder Fork Lacing Mystery

    Dry Boot on a Soaked Hood: The Alder Fork Lacing Mystery
    2026/08/05
    Dry Boot on a Soaked Hood: The Alder Fork Lacing Mystery

    A single dry hiking boot on a soaked car hood launched a twenty-two-hour wilderness search across two counties with four tracking dogs and more than thirty volunteers - and the official incident report ends with one line: "Origin of the alteration: not established." How did a meticulous, experienced fifty-two-year-old end up on an unplanned canyon route, and why was the lacing on her boot inconsistent with her usual practice?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from the discovery at 5:40 a.m. to the deployment of search teams, the scent trails pulled by tracking dogs, and the puzzling dry evidence found deep inside Alder Fork East - all while asking whether a four-minute routine change can explain what happened.

    Person: Jennifer Hoffman
    Age: 52
    Occupation: Pediatric occupational therapist
    Search duration: 22 hours
    Rescue resources: Two counties, four tracking dogs, more than 30 volunteers

    - The boot was discovered by a sixteen-year-old on a paper route at 5:40 a.m.
    - Rain fell on Prosper most of the night; every surface at the trailhead was wet except the boot on the hood.
    - Jennifer had called her sister at 10:30 p.m, on June 11, the last call before the incident.
    - The planned route was the North Rim loop, a twelve-mile circuit estimated at five to seven hours.
    - A tracking dog named Birch held a scent trail for four-tenths of a mile then lost it on a sandstone shelf, pulling northeast toward Alder Fork East.

    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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    21 分
  • Forty Minutes Missing: The Boot That Waited on the Road

    Forty Minutes Missing: The Boot That Waited on the Road
    2026/08/04
    Forty Minutes Missing: The Boot That Waited on the Road

    A single size eleven hiking boot, laces tied and sole clean, sat upright on a snowplow-scoured road at 6:15 a.m. after a 47-year-old hiker had been missing for nearly forty hours - the boot looked as if it had come out of a box and “was waiting.” How did Chad Anderson vanish from a well-known trail, leaving a precise forty-minute gap that searchers and tracking dogs could not explain?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline and first-responder notes from the day Chad Anderson failed to return, the actions of experienced search-and-rescue teams and dogs, and the odd physical clues recovered on the route; what really happened in that unexplained forty-minute window on the Ridgetop Connector?

    Person: Chad Anderson
    Date: May 14 (boot found at 6:15 a.m.), May 12 (hike began), May 13 (search in daylight)
    Location: Forest Service Road Seven-Delta / Ridgetop Connector / Ridgetop Connector
    Status: Missing; later hospitalized with partial memory
    Searcher: Judith Taylor (15-year veteran)
    Dog handler: Frances Gould (Belgian Malinois and bloodhound used)

    - A snowplow operator named John Morris found the boot at 6:15 a.m. on May 14 on the centerline of Forest Service Road Seven-Delta.
    - The boot was size eleven, laces tied, sole clean, and sitting upright on ground churned for a hundred yards in every direction.
    - Chad Anderson, age forty-seven, left the eastern flank trailhead on May 12 intending an eleven-mile Ridgetop Connector hike and had been missing for nearly forty hours when the boot was found.
    - Tracking dogs followed Anderson’s scent for nearly two miles before stopping at 4:47 a.m. at the Ridgetop Connector (4,220 feet elevation), where the bloodhound sat and would not move forward.
    - Judith Taylor logged one vehicle at the trailhead, no other tire tracks or footprints in the fresh mud, and coordinated a search with thirty-one volunteers and three additional dog teams by daylight on May 13.

    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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    22 分
  • The Boot in the Meadow: She Vanished Where No Trail Led

    The Boot in the Meadow: She Vanished Where No Trail Led
    2026/08/03
    The Boot in the Meadow: She Vanished Where No Trail Led

    A lone women's size seven trail-running boot stood upright in the exact geographic center of Drover Flat, unlaced and sockless, as if deliberately placed - and the woman it belonged to signed the trail register, had her pack and phone, and never returned. What drew a trained, prepared runner to that open spot and left only a single standing shoe behind?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning discovery through the first thirty-one hours of search operations, tracing who Vicki Phillips was and the decisions that shaped the initial response. How did a veteran search team, working with two certified dogs and hampered by a communication failure, miss what mattered most?

    Person: Vicki Phillips
    Age: 29
    Date: April 19 (morning discovery at 7:15; 911 call at 7:41)
    Location: Drover Flat, Caldera-Whitmore National Forest, north-central Idaho
    Search duration: 31 hours

    - Boot found standing upright at approximate geographic center of Drover Flat, women's size seven, trail-running with orange trim
    - Frank Romano discovered the boot at approximately 7:15 a.m. and called 911 at 7:41 a.m.
    - Vicki signed the trailhead register at 6:52 a.m.; her car was locked at Forest Service Road 441, nine miles from the meadow
    - Search was led by Gail Barrett (15 years with Caldera County Search and Rescue) and included handler Tina Morales with two wilderness-certified dogs, Perry (bloodhound) and Scrap (Belgian Malinois)
    - Vicki texted her boyfriend at 9:18 p.m. the night before: "going up to the Drover approach tomorrow, solo, back by three," and did not return his expected contact

    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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    19 分
  • Boots on the Boulder: How a Man Vanished Above the Treeline

    Boots on the Boulder: How a Man Vanished Above the Treeline
    2026/08/02
    Boots on the Boulder: How a Man Vanished Above the Treeline

    Two boots sat side by side on a granite boulder at 10,200 feet, toes pointing upslope, surrounded by two inches of wind-pressed granular snow and no tracks - but the wind that later smoothed the snow peaked at 31 mph after the boots were already there. Who could have set boots down in socks at 22°F on a dark late-winter night and simply disappeared?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries from a routine runner’s phone photo to a fourteen-hour search and the contradictions that baffled rescuers: a signed trail register that lied, a hand-drawn technical-route sketch in the truck, and a pair of boots placed where no one could have stood long. What do the timing, the weather logs, and the untracked snow tell us about where Jeffrey Keller went?

    Person: Jeffrey Keller
    Date: March 8-9, 2019
    Location: Cutter Basin, Alderton, Colorado
    Temperature: 22 degrees Fahrenheit
    Wind gusts: peaked at 31 miles per hour

    - Boots found upright on a boulder at 10,200 feet with toes pointing upslope and no nearby tracks.
    - Runner Warren Stein called SAR at 6:41 a.m, after photographing the boots on March 9, 2019.
    - Keller signed the trail register at 4:58 p.m. on March 8 listing the east ridge trail as intended route.
    - A hand-drawn sketch in Keller’s truck showed the northwest couloir with elevation notations and a circled base.
    - SNOTEL logged sustained wind gusts peaking at 31 mph between midnight and 3 a.m., after the boots were already on the boulder.

    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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    18 分
  • Upright in the Snow: The Boot That Didn't Make Sense

    Upright in the Snow: The Boot That Didn't Make Sense
    2026/08/01
    Upright in the Snow: The Boot That Didn't Make Sense

    A single size-seven women's hunting boot stood perfectly upright in eight inches of undisturbed snow with nine feet of untouched ground around it - and no tracks led to or away from it. That boot belonged to 23-year-old Sandra Cook, who entered Dunbar-Hennessey National Forest and vanished between an 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. window; what happened at the granite shelf where her scent trail stopped?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from Sandra’s routine February hunt to the discovery that set off a search, laying out the known movements, the forensic observations, and the baffling gaps in the trail. Can the shallow final prints, the bloodhound’s terminus at the rock ledge, and the solitary upright boot be reconciled into one explanation?

    Person: Sandra Cook
    Date: Monday, February 9
    Location: Dunbar-Hennessey National Forest, Fenwick Road pullout / granite shelf
    Age: 23
    Search Commander: George Armstrong

    - The boot was found standing upright in eight inches of undisturbed snow with nine feet of untouched snow around it.
    - Sandra left a detailed hunter's itinerary on her truck dashboard specifying Notch Stand first and Creek Stand if no elk sign by 10:00 a.m., the stands being 430 yards apart.
    - Temperature was 18°F before dawn, expected to reach 29°F by midday, with wind gusts up to 31 mph later in the morning.
    - Bloodhound Casper tracked Sandra's scent to the edge of a granite shelf about 200 yards southeast of Notch Stand and then sat, indicating the trail ended at the lip.
    - Tracker Iris Vance recorded that the last two prints near the drop were roughly half the depth of the approaching prints.

    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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    20 分
  • The Granite Shelf Where a Tracking Dog Refused to Follow Her Trail

    The Granite Shelf Where a Tracking Dog Refused to Follow Her Trail
    2026/07/31
    The Granite Shelf Where a Tracking Dog Refused to Follow Her Trail

    A tracking dog led rescuers across 400 yards of clean scent and then stopped on an exposed granite shelf where photographs show undisturbed snow and mule deer tracks-but no human footprints. A size 8 Merrell Moab boot print was later found nearly a mile away, pressed into clay under a frozen overhang; how did Lori Slater get from the shelf to that drainage channel?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of what happened on Fenner Loop Trail on January 14 and the first days of the search that followed. You’ll hear the movements of Lori, her nine-year-old daughter Paige, the witness Doug Prewitt, and the search teams-ending on the one unresolved question that drives the whole operation.

    Person: Lori Slater
    Date: January 14 (initial disappearance) and January 15 (search dogs tracked)
    Location: Fenner Loop Trail, Kaskala National Forest
    Status: Missing; memory blank for three days
    Case: Tracking dog Koda stopped on exposed granite shelf

    - At 8:45 AM on January 14, hiker Doug Prewitt passed Lori and her nine-year-old daughter on Fenner Loop Trail.
    - Lori told her group she would walk about 50 yards up the trail to check rosehip canes and would return in two minutes; Phil estimated she was gone about eight minutes.
    - Four trained tracking dogs followed Lori’s scent approximately 400 yards north of the Ember Run footbridge to a flat granite shelf where one dog, Koda, sat and refused to continue.
    - Photographs taken on day two show undisturbed snow on the granite shelf with mule deer tracks crossing it and no human footprints.
    - A woman's size 8 Merrell Moab boot print matching Lori’s boots was found pressed into clay under a frozen overhang almost a mile from where the dogs stopped.

    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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    21 分
  • Boots Beside an Empty Tent: The Night Melissa Walked Out

    Boots Beside an Empty Tent: The Night Melissa Walked Out
    2026/07/30
    Boots Beside an Empty Tent: The Night Melissa Walked Out

    A pair of leather boots, women's size seven to eight, were placed neatly side by side at the tent threshold in a sealed burn zone - laces tucked inside the shafts as if set there before stepping in for the night. Melissa Walked, 62, left a tent unzipped in eleven-degree weather with a functioning headlamp, untouched food, and a blistered heel; why would a careful planner step out without her boots?

    In this episode, we follow the documented path Melissa took to a restricted Kessler Creek clearing, trace her routine visits recorded in her journal, and lay out the last entries she wrote on December 14-15 alongside the evidence found at the campsite to ask: what happened after she unzipped that tent door?

    Person: Melissa Walked
    Age: 62
    Location: Kessler Creek drainage
    Date: December 14-15 (final entries)
    Temperature: 11 degrees Fahrenheit

    - Boots described as leather, lace-up, women's size seven to eight, placed side by side with laces tucked inside the shafts.
    - Melissa recorded counting ninety-four Geminids in two hours on December 14 and noted a blister on her left heel.
    - Her Subaru was found parked on a forest service two-track off Marker Road, roughly one mile from the locked gate.
    - Her tent had lichen on the north-facing seam and showed no fire damage; it was set in a dry creek channel used as a fuel break.
    - Dry bag contents included a damp water filter, a functional headlamp with fresh batteries, and four untouched energy bars.

    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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    20 分