WEBVTT 1 00:00:09.640 --> 00:00:14.199 Thousands of people have mysteriously vanished in America's wilderness. Join 2 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:16.719 us as we dive into the deep end of the 3 00:00:16.839 --> 00:00:18.480 unexplainable world and try. 4 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:19.679 To piece together what happened. 5 00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:55.880 If you are listening to Locations Unknown, ooh, what's up everybody, 6 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:58.759 and welcome back to another episode of Locations Unknown. 7 00:00:58.960 --> 00:00:59.960 I'm your co host, Joe. 8 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:02.119 You rott On with me as always is the type 9 00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:04.280 of guy that refers to the hard coding of an 10 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:09.239 eminem as the skin Mike fanned Bogart. Thank you, Jill. 11 00:01:09.319 --> 00:01:12.560 I've never heard that before. That is That's a good one. 12 00:01:12.599 --> 00:01:15.000 It's so gross, it is gross this skin. 13 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:15.879 I love this. 14 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:19.879 I love the skin on my m and MS. Yeah, 15 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:21.760 I think just grosses me out here in that. But 16 00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:22.480 that's a good one. 17 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:25.920 I read that and I was like, ooh, that's well. 18 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:29.560 Thank you to everyone who's tuned in for another episode 19 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:32.719 before we get going here, and just a couple quick announcements. First, 20 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:37.040 new Patreon shoutouts only got one this week, so thank 21 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:39.519 you to Gwen Picclow for supporting the show. 22 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:42.120 Thanks Gwen, we really appreciate it. 23 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:46.079 It's for slowly getting better equipment and someday we'll have 24 00:01:46.120 --> 00:01:49.319 a whole team of little minions for us that'll do 25 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:52.439 our bidding. And yeah, absolutely, but right now it's just 26 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:54.680 me and Joe. You want to call the show, you 27 00:01:54.680 --> 00:01:57.439 can call two eight three nine one six nine one three, 28 00:01:57.560 --> 00:02:00.680 leave a voicemail or text. I think some one recently 29 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:02.640 texted it and said, do you get texts? 30 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:03.439 I forgot to. 31 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.439 So you forgot and I forgot so I will text 32 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:13.680 you back. Whoever that was, that's awesome. 33 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:17.719 We have some other podcasts on our up and coming 34 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:21.560 podcast network Off the Trails. Who runs this park crime 35 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:24.879 off the Grid Relish And I said this last time 36 00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:28.879 if anyone's listening also a curator in the podcast space 37 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:32.639 and you're looking for up and coming network to join, 38 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:36.800 We've were on a very good plan with a spreaker, 39 00:02:36.919 --> 00:02:39.560 so you get you can get hosting for free, and 40 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:42.520 you get access to their ad network and the. 41 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:44.639 Whole deal, the whole We had someone we can't say 42 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:47.159 their name yet, we haven't inked it, but we've got 43 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:48.120 another person coming on. 44 00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:51.080 Yeah, We've got more that are in the works for joining, 45 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:53.080 so stay tuned for that. You can also sport the 46 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:58.840 podcast through Patreon, YouTube memberships, premium subscriptions, on Apple and Spreaker. 47 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:02.280 We have a store where we have some hats and 48 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:05.400 shirts and other little things you can buy. And if 49 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:07.680 money's tight, because I was just at the gas station 50 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:10.240 the other day and gas from my car was five 51 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:13.800 point fifty nine a gallon, and you don't have the 52 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:17.199 money to support us monetarily, always just leave a like 53 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:21.080 a comment. Subscribe wherever you listen, or even if you 54 00:03:21.080 --> 00:03:23.919 listen on Apple and don't on Spotify but have Spotify, 55 00:03:23.960 --> 00:03:24.879 subscribe on there too. 56 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:27.960 You know it helps the algorithms. Just do it. 57 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:32.000 Promote our show. So and the best form of help 58 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:34.360 is word of mouth to your friends. Just talk about 59 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:38.039 our show until they disown you. Then they won't want 60 00:03:38.039 --> 00:03:41.520 to listen to Then they won't. Yeah, so anything in 61 00:03:42.039 --> 00:03:42.400 you are not? 62 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:45.960 You look tan. And for those watching, what looks different 63 00:03:45.960 --> 00:03:49.919 about show? My mustache? Yeah? 64 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:52.639 It was just down on the keys spearfishing for hog Fast. 65 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:55.080 It was awesome. I didn't win this year. Yes, that's 66 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:57.520 boss hog two years in a row. This would have 67 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:00.919 been the third I lost to Kyle. He deserved it, 68 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:03.800 he got He beat me by an inch and a quarter. 69 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:08.520 Was that mustache of punishment for losing? No, it's probably 70 00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:10.240 why I got second though, you know, as. 71 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:12.719 A a dynamic. Yeah, it was I was too slow 72 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:13.960 in the waters catching. 73 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:19.000 Yes, well that sounds fun. You look for Italian, you 74 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:19.519 looke tan. 75 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:20.839 Oh yeah, yeah. 76 00:04:20.920 --> 00:04:22.920 I was just out on the water for eight hours 77 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:25.759 a day and the Gulf sounds nice. 78 00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:26.560 It was awesome. 79 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:29.480 All right, everybody, let's gear up and get out to 80 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:31.600 explore locations unknown. 81 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:49.199 We'll edit that out, Nope. 82 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:53.000 March seventeenth, twenty twelve, a twenty four year old leaves 83 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:56.560 a hotel in Cherokee, North Carolina, before dawn and drives 84 00:04:56.680 --> 00:05:01.000 into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hours later, his fourd 85 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:05.160 escape is found with his wallet, keys, cash, and survival 86 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:09.600 gear still inside. A short note says, don't follow me. 87 00:05:10.439 --> 00:05:14.759 Search teams, helicopters, canine units, and volunteers scour the Appalachian 88 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:19.240 Trail Corridor, steep drainages and dense off trail terrain but 89 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:20.000 find nothing. 90 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:24.879 No clothing, no gear, no trace. Join us this. 91 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:30.480 Week as we investigate the baffling disappearance of Derek Joseph Luking. 92 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:39.199 Going on. I know, we'll do a lie. We haven't 93 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:42.079 covered Great Smoky Mountains over a year. 94 00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:44.839 In a hot minute, yeah, we usually do. Seems like 95 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:46.879 one or two cases of ear in this park. 96 00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:49.639 Yeah, and for how old it is, you think there'll 97 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:50.040 be more. 98 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:52.959 But yeah, well it's such a mysterious place and I 99 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:55.360 love the stories out of there. My daughters are a 100 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:58.639 huge fan of the Smoky's lore. Okay, there's just tons 101 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:00.480 like we're not supposed to whistle there, you know, like 102 00:06:00.519 --> 00:06:04.079 all the rules, and we we did a Urban Legends 103 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:06.519 thing on it episode on some from there. Yeah, so 104 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:08.000 they love they love that stuff. 105 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:09.800 Yeah. I can't believe we just don't have more maybe 106 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:13.439 bottom really, Yeah, it is beautiful. Have you been there? 107 00:06:13.560 --> 00:06:15.920 I have, Yes, I took my family there and we 108 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:17.680 did all the things you're not supposed to and we 109 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:20.680 were just fine. So the Great Smoking Mountain National Park 110 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:24.160 is five hundred and twenty two thousand acres. Some of 111 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:25.839 the locations we're going to be talking about in this 112 00:06:25.879 --> 00:06:28.920 story are the Newfound Gap High Mountain Pass, which is 113 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:32.120 at about five thy forty six feet and it's on 114 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:36.120 US four forty one at the Tennessee North Carolina state line, 115 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:39.439 and a major overlook and parking area. The park seas 116 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:43.879 roughly twelve million visitors per year twelve point one or 117 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:46.600 twelve point two almost million visitors per year SI Park. 118 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:50.800 It's a very busy park. It's also the most biodiverse 119 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:54.360 park in the entire National Park system. So scientists have 120 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:58.519 documented more than twenty two thousand species in the Smokies 121 00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:01.920 and estimate as many as sixty thousand to eighty thousand 122 00:07:01.959 --> 00:07:02.600 may live there. 123 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:06.879 That's crazy. That is a ton of species living there. Bugs. 124 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:08.000 I've met a lot of. 125 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:12.360 It's known as the salamander capital of the world, so 126 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:14.199 some of them at least are salamanders. 127 00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:15.199 About thirty of them yep. 128 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:19.000 The thirty different species of salamanders across five families, including 129 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:23.000 endemics like Jordan's red cheeked salamander. On any given day, 130 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:26.560 salamanders likely outnumber all other vertebrae in the park. 131 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:28.000 That's pretty cool. 132 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:32.600 The quote unquote smoke is actually plant vapor that turns 133 00:07:32.639 --> 00:07:36.519 the air blue. Trees and plants emit volatile organic compounds 134 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:39.920 that create a blue tinged haze when they scatter light. 135 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:44.560 It's informally called Wildflower National Park. So the Smokies has 136 00:07:44.759 --> 00:07:48.399 fifteen hundred species of flowering plants, one of the highest 137 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:51.600 counts of any temperate region on Earth, which is why 138 00:07:51.639 --> 00:07:54.360 spring wildflower pilgrimages. 139 00:07:53.759 --> 00:07:55.160 Are a big deal here. 140 00:07:55.759 --> 00:07:58.800 You're also when you're there walking through one of the 141 00:07:58.839 --> 00:08:02.879 oldest mountain ranges on the planet. Geologists estimate the Smokies 142 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:06.399 are roughly two hundred to three hundred million years old, 143 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:09.600 far older than the Rockies based on the rock weathering 144 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:11.959 and soil evidence. So that's why it's like not such 145 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:13.160 an aggressive. 146 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:16.120 Seep and weather down. It was probably just like the 147 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:19.120 Rockies and the wind blew it down. Yeah, that's how long. 148 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:22.519 How old it is? It's old. Did you know the 149 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:24.439 park never closes. I did not. 150 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:28.399 So while individual roads, trails, or facilities can shut down 151 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:31.279 for weather or maintenance, the park as a whole doesn't 152 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:33.879 have a closing time. You can legally enter twenty four 153 00:08:33.879 --> 00:08:38.279 to seven year round if conditions allow. It quietly preserves 154 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:41.080 one of the largest collections of historic structures in any 155 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:46.200 national park. So there are more than ninety historic buildings, cabins, churches, barns, schools, 156 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:50.279 and mills that have been preserved or rehabilitated, especially in 157 00:08:50.600 --> 00:08:54.919 Cade's Cove and a long Roaring Fork. The Smokies is 158 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:57.440 one of the few major national parks with no entrance fee. 159 00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:01.519 Thanks to historic agreements over US four forty one Newfound 160 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:04.759 Gap Road right of way when the land was transferred 161 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:07.200 to the federal government. So that's also why it's open 162 00:09:07.240 --> 00:09:08.240 twenty four to seven. 163 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:12.200 And probably why twelve million people visited there. You go, Yeah, 164 00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:13.960 just people drive through there just because it's part of 165 00:09:13.960 --> 00:09:15.519 the road. They're like, visitor, visitor, visit. 166 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:15.759 Yeah. 167 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:19.200 So we'll talk a little bit about the features. Starting 168 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:22.039 with climate. So in mid March, the Smokies are in 169 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:24.360 that uneasy transition between winter and spring. 170 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:27.799 What do we call that, bookends? Did you call it 171 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:29.559 a shoulder season? Yeah? 172 00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:31.639 Was it shoulder season? Yeah, that's what it's normally called. 173 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:34.320 But I forgot what you called it. Oh man, now 174 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:38.720 I can't remember. Yeah, or you didn't hear about it ever. Yeah, 175 00:09:38.759 --> 00:09:40.159 I think that was it too. You're like, I'd never 176 00:09:40.200 --> 00:09:43.240 heard it called that shoulder season. Yeah, but I called 177 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:44.039 it something different. 178 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:45.200 Yeah, I don't know what it was. 179 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:49.320 Call us and tell us. So down in the valleys 180 00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:52.759 around Cherokee and Gatlinburg, a day can feel almost comfortable, 181 00:09:52.759 --> 00:09:55.559 with the afternoon temperatures often climbing into the sixties and 182 00:09:55.600 --> 00:10:00.000 even low seventies, especially by late March. Nights there usually 183 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:02.679 fall into the forties or fifties, cool but manageable if 184 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:06.600 you're prepared. Up on the ridgeline, where the Newfound Gap sits, 185 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:09.679 it's a different world. The passes around five thousand feet 186 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:12.960 and temperatures drop several degrees for every thousand feet of elevation. 187 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:16.639 A day that feels mild in town can be ten 188 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:19.600 to fifteen degrees colder on the crest, with raw wind 189 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:23.200 cutting across the parking lots and trailheads. A spring afternoon 190 00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:26.200 might hover around in the forties or low fifties there, 191 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:29.159 and once the sun goes down, it's easy for the 192 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:33.120 mercury to sink towards the mid thirties or lower. Spring 193 00:10:33.159 --> 00:10:36.360 in the Smokies is all so infamous for volatile weather. 194 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:39.200 Clear skies can give way to low cloud, fog, and 195 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:42.600 rain in a matter of hours. Storms roll up the valleys, 196 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:45.720 and the higher elevations often see more precipitation than the 197 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:49.320 town's below, even when it's truly freezing. A combination of 198 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:52.480 cold air, wind, and damp clothing can drive a hiker 199 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:57.639 toward hypothermia surprisingly fast. So that's the backdrop to Derek's 200 00:10:57.639 --> 00:10:59.960 disappearance at straddle. 201 00:11:00.039 --> 00:11:03.799 That's what you call its. Sorry for interrupting you. 202 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:13.639 No, that's worth the interruption because I forgot it's hilarious seasons. 203 00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:16.279 I knew I would remember. That's wrong and embarrassing. 204 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:22.480 So basically, when Derek was there, a huge, wet, heavily 205 00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:25.200 forested mountain range where on the same day a visitor 206 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:28.360 can be strolling in short sleeves in the Cherokee while 207 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:30.639 just a short drive a few thousand feet higher, someone 208 00:11:30.679 --> 00:11:34.039 without proper shelter is fighting to stay warm through a long, windy, 209 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:38.279 wet night. A little bit about the terrain around Newfound Gap. 210 00:11:38.360 --> 00:11:40.799 Derek stepped into some of the roughest and most deceptive 211 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:44.279 terrain in the Smokies. At a broad scale, Newfound Gap 212 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:46.559 is a high mountain pass on a main crest of 213 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:49.679 the Great Smoky Mountains, Sitting at about five forty six 214 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:53.200 to five forty eight feet on the Tennessee North Carolina 215 00:11:53.240 --> 00:11:57.120 state line. The parking area feels civilized. You have paved lots, 216 00:11:57.159 --> 00:12:00.440 stone walls, big views, but it's perch on a ridge 217 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:03.919 lines surrounded by steep mountain slopes dropping away on both sides. 218 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:07.320 Once you step off the asphalt, the terrain changes fast. 219 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:10.320 The slopes around the gap are steep to very steep, 220 00:12:10.519 --> 00:12:14.159 with a mix of rocky outcrops, ledges, and deeply insized 221 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:18.039 drainages that funnel water and people downhill in unpredictable ways. 222 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:21.720 The forest is also dense. On the climb up from Cherokee, 223 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:25.399 you pass through cove hardwoods and mixed oak pine, then 224 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:29.279 into northern hardwood and spruce fir forest at the gap itself, 225 00:12:29.799 --> 00:12:33.320 the kind of dark coniferous woodlands more like New England 226 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:36.759 or eastern Canada than the rest of the South underfoot, 227 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:40.759 which means thick leaf litter, moss covered rock, and tangled roots, 228 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:44.519 with laurel and rhododendron thickets closing in along many of 229 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:48.679 the drainages and off trail slopes. Visibility can drop quickly 230 00:12:48.679 --> 00:12:50.919 once you leave the road or main trails. The corridor 231 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:56.279 descriptions for Newfound Gap roads specifically note steeply sloping, sometimes 232 00:12:56.360 --> 00:12:59.720 rocky outcroppings on one side and forests where the floor 233 00:12:59.799 --> 00:13:03.360 is only intermittently open on the other. It's very easy 234 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:05.600 to lose line of sight or a bearing within a 235 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:10.639 short distance off the pavement, so several strenuous trails radiate 236 00:13:10.679 --> 00:13:13.840 from this hub The Appalachian Trail runs right across this gap, 237 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:17.240 heading along a rolling but often narrow ridge with side 238 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:20.320 hills that fall away sharply into heavily wooded valleys. 239 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:21.360 Nearby. 240 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:24.679 Routes like Chimney Tops are known for steep, rocky ascents, 241 00:13:25.159 --> 00:13:28.039 slick rock slabs, and exposure in places. Even though they're 242 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:32.559 popular day hikes. The general character of the country derrek 243 00:13:32.600 --> 00:13:36.200 walking into big elevation changes, lots of vertical relief and 244 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:41.720 short horizontal distances, and very few truly gentle off trail options. 245 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:44.320 So in practice, for someone who leaves a parking lot 246 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:47.000 without a clear route and goes off trail, this area 247 00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:51.320 quickly becomes amazed deep draws, blind ridges, and thick vegetation 248 00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:54.799 that hide you from both other hikers and searchers, with 249 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:58.080 enough rock and relief to make a simple misstep or 250 00:13:58.120 --> 00:14:02.360 a slide turn into a serious fall. That's the train 251 00:14:02.440 --> 00:14:05.200 search teams we're basically trying to grid when they went 252 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:09.159 looking for any signs of him. So how can you 253 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:12.639 safely hike this area? As we always say, tell someone 254 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:16.120 your exact plan, what trail had, intended routes, turn around time, 255 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:18.879 and when you'll check back in make sure they know 256 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:21.120 who to call if you miss that window. It's very 257 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:23.919 important because searchers need to know where to start if 258 00:14:23.960 --> 00:14:26.799 you do go missing. Absolutely, and obviously if you give 259 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:28.399 people that plan, you want to stick to it. So 260 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:31.799 stay on the established and sign trails. Don't just explore 261 00:14:31.879 --> 00:14:34.720 off the side of Newfound Gap road or cut down drainages. 262 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:37.559 It's very easy to get cliffed out, injured, or lost 263 00:14:37.559 --> 00:14:38.240 in that terrain. 264 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:41.320 We've talked about getting cliffed out in other episodes. 265 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:44.840 Yeah, unfortunately someone passed away. Yeah, and Grand Canyon happened. 266 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:46.879 You can get down some of these cliffs, and if 267 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:48.960 you don't have climbing gear, you'll just get stuck and 268 00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:50.480 you won't be able to go any further and you 269 00:14:50.519 --> 00:14:54.320 can't climb back up. So you want to wear real 270 00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:57.519 hiking footwear, not sneakers. Use boots or shoes with ankle 271 00:14:57.559 --> 00:15:01.000 support and good tread. Wet leaves, roots and mossy rock 272 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:03.279 around the New Found Gap are major source of slips 273 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:06.440 and broken ankles. I would say, out of any gear, 274 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:10.639 your footwear is the most important. Absolutely not because I 275 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:13.279 mean best case in here if you wear bad footwear 276 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:15.080 is you're going to have just a giant blister on 277 00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:17.000 each foot. Yeah, it's gonna be miserable the rest of 278 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:19.480 the troupe. Yeah, and for several days after and have 279 00:15:19.960 --> 00:15:22.039 them broken in. Don't buy new shoes and go hiking 280 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:23.879 for the first time. Wear them for like a month. 281 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:26.679 I remember our first hiking trip in Candy Lens Shay. 282 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:28.879 Our friend that went with us were his army boots. 283 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:35.960 Bad idea. He had full foot blisters. It's just the worst. Yes, 284 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:38.120 you want to carry a paper map and knows how 285 00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:40.960 to use it, so don't rely on your phone services 286 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:43.559 spotty and batteries die fast and cold white conditions. Have 287 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:46.519 a park map or topo and nowhere new pound gap, 288 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:49.480 trail junctions and bailout points are You want to pack 289 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:52.240 even the basics for a short hike at minimum extra 290 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:56.879 layer rainshell, hat and gloves and Coolermont's headlamp, water, snacks 291 00:15:56.879 --> 00:15:59.720 and small first aid kit. Check the weather and be 292 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:03.360 right for the changes. Storms, fog and temperatures drop hit 293 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:05.600 the ridge line much harder than in the valleys. If 294 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:09.120 the forecast looks bad or is deteriorating, turn around early 295 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:12.360 and you want to avoid hiking after dark unless you're 296 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:16.720 truly prepared darkness plus deep side hills and roots is 297 00:16:16.759 --> 00:16:19.720 a recipe for falls and getting turned around. Plan so 298 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:22.879 you're back at the Newfound Gap before dusk. You want 299 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:26.360 to treat water and respect high fast streams, so you 300 00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:29.480 don't try to ford swollen creeks after heavy rain. Wait 301 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:32.399 till it waited out or turned back. Any stream water 302 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:35.639 you drink should be filtered, boiled, or treated. And you 303 00:16:35.679 --> 00:16:38.320 want to dress in layers and carry rain protection to 304 00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:39.600 prevent hypothermia. 305 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:42.080 Even in mild seasons, wind and rain at five thousand 306 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:45.000 feet can drop your core temperature quickly. A dry base 307 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:47.360 layer and simple rain jacket or punch will make a 308 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:50.879 huge difference. And lastly, be realistic about your limits and 309 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:54.440 turn back early even if something feels off. Most serious 310 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:57.960 incidents in the Smokies come down to overconfidence and bad decisions, 311 00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:02.559 pushing on when you're tired, injured, disoriented, or racing daylight. 312 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:04.640 So Mike tell us a little bit about Derek. 313 00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:08.359 Yeah, So the subject of tonight's case is Derek Aluking. 314 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:13.599 He was born May thirteenth, nineteen eighty seven, went missing 315 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:18.279 March seventeenth, twenty twelve. He was a male aged twenty 316 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:22.920 four he was five foot ten to six feet. He 317 00:17:23.079 --> 00:17:25.720 was about two fifteen to two hundred and twenty five pounds. 318 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:28.920 He had brown hair and a half inch beard. He 319 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:32.119 had hazel eyes, though some sources say they were green. 320 00:17:32.839 --> 00:17:35.960 He also was some kind sometimes went by the nickname DJ, 321 00:17:36.599 --> 00:17:39.559 and he did have a couple of tattoos of Japanese 322 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:44.440 characters meaning to live or life on his upper chest. 323 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:47.119 Clothing or gear last scene and so he had a 324 00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:50.599 gray hooded sweatshirt, dark colored track pants with a white 325 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:53.720 stripe down the side of each leg. He had dark 326 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:59.599 colored sneakers, white tennis shoes. The descriptions do very slightly 327 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:03.119 across some of the news sources on what footwear, what 328 00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:05.599 his footwear looked like, so these are just kind of general. 329 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:10.240 He possibly had a waterproof watch, and he was possibly 330 00:18:10.279 --> 00:18:13.759 carrying a real tree camouflage raingear, any black or dark 331 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:16.599 blue day pack style backpack. And when I get in 332 00:18:16.599 --> 00:18:20.079 the timeline, he also he went on a major buying 333 00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:23.160 spree before he went into the Smokies, so we'll cover 334 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:27.480 that in the timeline. Personality, he was described by family 335 00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:30.960 and friends as a very avid camper and an outdoor enthusiast, 336 00:18:31.559 --> 00:18:36.200 but not really known as an extreme backcountry survivalist, so not. 337 00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:39.079 I mean most people aren't known like Joe and I 338 00:18:39.160 --> 00:18:41.680 aren't known as backcountry extreme survivalists. 339 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:44.720 Yeah. I think we would do well to survive, but 340 00:18:44.839 --> 00:18:49.079 not thrive. Yeah. Yeah, probably just gotta be honest. 341 00:18:49.319 --> 00:18:53.480 Yeah, I'd probably make it for many days, potentially weeks, 342 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:55.880 but we'd probably be eating each other in like foot. 343 00:18:55.720 --> 00:19:01.000 I would be really holding out for a rescue. Yeah. Yeah. 344 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:04.160 I mean there's a difference between knowing what you should 345 00:19:04.200 --> 00:19:06.960 do and then actually doing everything correctly when you're in 346 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:10.920 that situation. Yes, So yeah, it's easy to say that 347 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:13.480 you would be prepared for that. But as many people 348 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:16.079 as we talked about in this show, I hear many 349 00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:19.839 more stories of people getting saved. And when I hear 350 00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:22.200 about how they got saved and what they were doing, 351 00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:25.240 so it gives it gives me a lot of confidence. 352 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:29.000 Yeah, and just because I know what I should be doing. 353 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:32.359 Yeah, And I mean just like thinking about how Brian 354 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:37.000 Sklinsky survived his first disappearance in Great Sand Dunes, just 355 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:41.640 sleeping on sand in freezing temperatures with no like no gear. 356 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:43.039 Yeah, I was just like, well, I guess I'll lay 357 00:19:43.079 --> 00:19:44.559 here now. Yeah, and he survived. 358 00:19:44.599 --> 00:19:47.000 So part of it is luck, part of it is 359 00:19:47.079 --> 00:19:49.480 location you get lost in, and some of it is 360 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:50.039 you know. 361 00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:52.359 Following all the rules we tell everyone to follow up. Yes, 362 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:53.519 he was known. 363 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:56.640 He was a known fan of bear grills, man vers 364 00:19:56.759 --> 00:20:00.519 wild and was fascinated by survival scenarios, which may have 365 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:04.079 influences planning in mindset. And I will say something about 366 00:20:04.119 --> 00:20:07.759 bear girls. I used to be a big fan. He's fake, but. 367 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:11.039 He he's so fake. Yeah. His show is he goes 368 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:12.119 to hotels every day. 369 00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:15.000 Yeah, I think the guy you, I think he knows 370 00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:18.720 the stuff, but for the shit and he did do that, 371 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:21.160 so he was like British Special Forces. So like right 372 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:23.640 now he's not He's doing this stuff and he's demonstrating 373 00:20:23.640 --> 00:20:25.039 it and then going to a hotel and then coming 374 00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:25.359 back out. 375 00:20:25.480 --> 00:20:26.759 Yeah, all dirty again the. 376 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:30.119 Guy who I think the show it's not on there anymore. 377 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:33.000 Survivor man. Yeah, that was legit rate his own camera 378 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:35.200 less stroud I think was is that the one where 379 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:37.000 he had his like the camera shots were like he 380 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:38.799 hit at the camera, brought a camera with him, set 381 00:20:38.839 --> 00:20:40.920 it up and he lived out in the woods or 382 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:43.960 wherever he was by himself. Yeah, that is more realistic. 383 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:47.160 And Bear Girls, I mean his shows are very interesting 384 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:51.319 and informative, but don't have any impression that he's roughing it. 385 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:52.519 Yeah. 386 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:56.839 And that one scene where he he took a snake 387 00:20:56.920 --> 00:21:00.799 skin and then pete in it in drink it to 388 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:02.759 like he was. 389 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:05.519 Just so unnecessary, so unnecessary, and he's like, oh it's 390 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:09.599 so salty. I was like, oh, why are you doing this? Yeah, 391 00:21:09.799 --> 00:21:12.400 for all we know, it probably was gatorade. Yeah. Yeah, 392 00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:16.799 but so I don't know. That's my Bear Girls tangent. 393 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:20.240 I love how. I hope this turns into some weird 394 00:21:20.279 --> 00:21:23.279 beef you end up and Bill you and Bear Girls. 395 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:26.720 I mean he probably killed me special Forces. I don't know. 396 00:21:26.759 --> 00:21:28.519 I just helped this beef starts, and I want to 397 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:31.720 remain neutral and just keep egging it from both sides. 398 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:34.559 Well, I'm yeah, I'm stacking up enemies. 399 00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:37.440 Yeah, so you think so you think Bear Girls is 400 00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:39.599 fake and he probably wasn't even special Forces? HW Mike, 401 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:41.920