Morbid Outdoors

Oregon ranks 3rd nationally for disappearances and one person on that list is a man from Eugene who disappeared from a campground in the Umpqua National Forest in August 2020. He was last seen walking away from a party and has never been seen since. The wilderness has been searched extensively, but he is still missing.  If you have any information on the disappearance of Michael Bryson, you are as...

An experienced outdoorsman set out to summit Mt. Shasta with two of  his friends. He became very ill with altitude sickness and the trip went sideways from there. He was last seen heading towards Lake Helen and was never seen again. His disappearance mirrored another man who went missing while hiking on Shasta in 1965, despite having successfully summiting the mountain over 40 times.  If you have...

Indiana Dunes National Park—on the surface, it's a peaceful stretch of sand and forest. But look a little closer… and you'll find something else entirely. Stories of shadowy figures along the shoreline, phantom footsteps in the dunes, and campers who swear they’ve heard voices when no one else was around. Join us for the next installment of Haunted Parks! Sources: https://en.wikipedia.or...

Mount Rainier is the crown jewel of Washington State’s natural beauty. In fact, the beauty and majesty of it are indescribable. But underneath all of its glory and thick forests might be something sinister. 400 people have vanished from this park, an absolutely staggering number. This sheer number of disappearances undoubtedly leaves one with an unshakeable sense of unease.  Sources: https://npshi...

The original “Florida Man” was likely a prolific serial killer. Edgar Watson killed multiple people and even a famous female outlaw. He was active from the late 1800s until 1910 and left a trail of bodies from Oklahoma to the Everglades. He used the swamps of Florida to cover up his murders and largely got away with it.  Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everglades_National_Park https://flshe...

An experienced skier took off suddenly down a mountainside, seemingly frightened of something. He was with 20 other people on a climbing expedition, but they had gone down ahead of him. And this instance was the last time the experienced skier was ever seen. Does his disappearance have something to do with the Giant Ape attacks in the area way back in 1924? The only thing left was his discarded fi...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for its breathtaking beauty, rich history, and deep Appalachian roots. This park is also home to legends, ghostly encounters, and unexplained phenomena that have left visitors questioning what truly lingers in the woods. Join us for this installment of Haunted Parks.  Sources: https://www.pigeonforge.com/smoky-mountain-legends/ https://www.outsideonline...

Similar to the infamous disappearance of Everett Reuss, a young man vanished from the High Uintas in Utah while on a job. Lynn Simmons was 25 years old when he went missing in 1940. It's been 84 years and there has never been a trace of him found. His family is still searching for their missing loved one all of these years later. What happened to Lynn Simmons? Tips:  Summit County Sheriff’s O...

Vermont is a charming and beautiful state, but it holds a dark mystery that some say is responsible for numerous missing persons and supernatural mysteries. Between 1945 and 1950, 5 people mysteriously vanished from this area, giving it the name The Bennington Triangle. Are these just coincidences or are there sinister forces at play? Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glastenbury_Mountain htt...

 There are thousands of unidentified bodies awaiting for their names to be recovered. Many of these people have been missing from their loved ones for years. Today we will discuss bizarre Jane & John Doe cases from Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. These people still deserve justice and I hope with time and DNA technology advances that they will receive their names back and get the just...

 When an avid outdoors lover mysteriously dies in one of her favorite places, her loved ones and friends are shocked. She had gone out for a hike she’d done many times but this time she didn’t come back. Her cause of death was listed as exposure. She had impacted the outdoors community throughout her life and her death was no different.  Sources: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/citizen-times/...

The nation’s oldest federally protected national park has a dark history. Hot Springs National Park has been home to many murders, mob affiliation, and unsolved deaths. What's spookier than seeing a ghost through the steam from the natural hot springs?  Join us today for our 4th installment of Haunted Parks. Today we will be talking about my hometown of Hot Springs National Park. Sources: htt...

When a woman and her dog discover a human bone on their walk, it was jarring. What happened next was absolutely disturbing: upon further investigation it turns out there were multiple victims buried in this area and there might be a serial killer on the loose. This case/cases are 16 years old and still unsolved. These women and girls deserve justice.  A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered fo...

A college couple is gunned down while enjoying an evening under the stars in Jefferson National Forest. The killer left behind DNA but is still unknown to law enforcement these 16 years later. Many questions remain and the most puzzling one might be, “Why was this couple murdered in cold blood?”   The investigation includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshal’s Service, and U.S. Atto...

When multiple bodies are found in a barrel in a rural area of New Hampshire, everyone is shocked. When it happens again 15 years later, investigators know immediately these victims were connected to the first barrel found. This investigation spanned 34 years and is still ongoing. This case has web sleuths, a serial killer, and was the first case in which genetic genealogy was used to identify a cr...

November 2014 is when an experienced outdoorsman, hiker, and YouTuber goes missing in the Nevada desert. At the time of his disappearance he was heading out into the desert to find an “M” shaped cave that he had found on a previous adventure. He posted on YouTube that this cave had made his body vibrate and he wanted to investigate further. But on this last excursion, he vanished and was never see...

It got its name after death for a reason. Death Valley National Park has claimed the lives of many since before its conception. Its dark history includes death, hanging someone twice, and ghost towns. Not to mention, it's surrounded by some weird stuff. Many visitors and some historians say that Death Valley still has some visitors still hanging around on the other side. Sources: Wikipedia ​​...

When a highschool student goes to hike an infamous stairway on the island of Oʻahu, he is never seen again. He posted on his Facebook that he was headed to hike the haiku stairs but he never returned. There are many theories as to what happened and even images that he took circulating the internet. In one of the images, it looks like someone was following him on the trail. Was it a hiking accident...

One of Utah’s greatest mysteries is the sudden disappearance of a young adventurer named Everett Ruess. Everett was a poet, painter, and writer. He was a friend to famed photographer Ansel Adams and lived a life full of adventure and wanderlust. In 1934, he disappeared while traveling through a remote area of Utah. His fate remains unknown 90 years later. Tips: Garfield County Sheriff Office 435-6...

When a young boy goes missing while near a lookout at Crater Lake National Park, the search to find him starts immediately and is massive. He seemingly ran over a small hill and then was nowhere to be found. Is his case connected to another missing boy from the same area years before? It’s been decades and both boys are still missing and their cases unsolved. If you have any information regarding...

A group of young men roadtrip from Tennessee out west and arrive at a family member’s dude ranch in southern Colorado. One of the young men, being  a competitive runner, open-­water swimmer, and obstacle-course racer, goes for a run near the ranch with his friend. Only one of the young men returns from that run and months later, his body is found less than two miles from where he was last seen. So...

Mammoth Cave is the largest known cave system in the world. Artifacts found inside the cave suggest people have been exploring Mammoth for thousands of years, and yet scientists are still discovering new passageways and underground rooms. It has served many purposes over the years including being a saltpeter mine, a tuberculosis clinic, and private theme park. Visitors often report seeing appariti...

A woman is found deceased in a cemetery in Virginia in December 1996. Next to her was an 8 inch Christmas tree and a note that read, "Now I lay me down to sleep, soon to drift to the eternal deep. And though I die and shall not wake, sleep sweeter will be than this life I forsake." The second message read, "Deceased by own hand. Valium plus alcohol. Prefer no autopsy. Please order c...

The Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forest is home to sweeping rivers, high peaks, and old mines. When a young TV producer suddenly vanishes from set while filming for Discovery Channel, no one understands where he could have gone. His bizarre disappearance sparks many questions, most of them unanswered. His case is unsolved and has been cold since October 2018. Could the national forest hold the an...

When a seasoned wildfire spotter fails to check in for her scheduled radio call, her supervisor ventures out to make sure she is okay. When he arrives, she was gone and has never been seen since. How did she disappear from her remote post at Athabasca lookout? It's been 16 years and her case remains unsolved. If you have any information on this case, call Hinton RCMP at 780–865–2455 or Crime...