I grew up here, and I've hiked Vesper at least a dozen times. It's that good! I believe it would be quite difficult to get unintentionally lost around there, especially for someone like Sam who's done the hike before. The hike goes up a basin in the South Fork Stillaguamish river watershed (you cross the river near the beginning), then through a very distinctive little Headlee Pass to the south side of Vesper in the Sultan River watershed. The peak is shaped like a 3 sided pyramid, and you do a little traverse from that pass, past little Lake Elan, up the moderate SE slope. Any other direction would be clearly completely wrong. The North face is a sheer slab with rock climbs on it you couldn't mistake for a way to walk down. The SW slope is also moderate, but would involve going the *very obviously* opposite direction from where you came (and indeed there was apparently a witness who saw her start to head this way from the summit, for whatever reason.) While the trail sort of disappears in rock slabs near the summit, the way is very obvious, and if you went down the SW slope accidentally somehow you would instantly notice there's no Lake Elan (which is just below, and totally visible from, the summit), and no Headlee Pass, both of which are absolutely unmistakeable. Even if she somehow went down the wrong SW slope, or failed to cross back over Headlee Pass, she'd end up in the Sultan River valley from where Spada Lake (the local drinking water reservoir) is just a few miles down a trail. All this to say, getting lost would be extremely weird, and it's essentially impossible to get *that* lost (as you're either on obvious trail in the Stillaguamish valley, or just a couple miles from safety if you got lost in the Sultan valley). The easiest thing to imagine is she fell in a snow moat somewhere, in which case no one would likely ever find her until someday she melts out. Getting kidnapped is hard to imagine, as there were other people on the trail that day and I dunno how you'd kidnap someone down a whole mountain back to the car. It would be disturbingly possible, tho, for someone to just wait at the parking lot and then force someone into their car at gunpoint. Such a heartbreaking, and yet confounding, story
I am familiar with area for 25 years. My family live up there. Under normal conditions, a hiker cannot get lost there. A child cannot get lost there! But it happens with solo hikers, the reason being that they fall. They fall into a draw or a crevasse by stepping off the trail momentarily to get a better view of something (or for a bowel movement). That is when they slip then fall usually resulting in a disabling injury and roll further in the draw covered by debris. No one can hear them. They succumb to hyperthermia 24 to 48 hours later. Animals scatter the remains. There are other scenarios of course but not prevalent. I have been vocal about this subject for a long time because I am annoyed by the tragedies and the usual associated naivete. Never, never give up the search. Mountain lions are always active and oddly to me the creatures in Wetsern Wash seem to be getting more bold of late. Bears west of the Cascades are not a problem, but always carry bear spray. Personally, I carry a firearm (always and legally) and bear spray. GPS devices for hikers are awesome, but experienced hikers in a group and minimally equipped don't need them. I am also annoyed when I see hikers in the mountains not carrying at least 30 feet of climbing rope, unbelievable. Solo hikers are usually competent and capable, but bad things can happen to the best of us. Three years ago an experienced solo hiker an Army Lieutenant from Fort Lewis was literally running a trail on Mt St Helens, a routine he had done already several times. I've been on these trails and they are dangerous. He was alone and was not equipped, but that didn't matter. He slipped on the trail and fell 200 feet to his death. Hikers and campers who go missing is common enough, but there are many instances that have no explanation. So, always be prepared.
Late to the party here. Just did vesper two weekends in a row. Im not gonna say its impossible to get lost because both times I saw lost people. They found their way, but it happens.
In my area, san gabriel mountains, a hiker last year went missing on a trail a half mile from a road, that hundreds hike every day and she was seen at some points, then not. They searched for 4 weeks before calling it and she/the body, has never been found. I myself have over 40 years hiking these trails and have searched for her at points few realize are even there, cliffs, crevasses and even a old gold mine but nothing. Some are mysteries never to be solved???
Been hiking all over the cascades since 2005, there are trails all over, forest service roads everywhere, lots of people out hiking, one just cannot simply get lost there, unless he/she is trapped or injured and cannot move on their own,
Ive been up this peak 4 times!! People DO NOT go down this way! First off there is no damn trail and secondly this would have put her many many miles away from her car! This area in the cascades is a "hot spot" off missing people who completely vanish without a trace!! I believe 100% in my spirit that she was somehow influenced by an unseen force and at the last second she veered off the right path! Stop and think for a minute, if you were gonna abduct someone the best way to go about it is to isolate them first!! Understanding why she veered of the right path is the "Crux" to solving the case!! She is a 411 case! All the criteria fits this scenario!! This should scare the beejusus out of anyone who hikes alone! Hike with a partner and carry a personal locator beacon and a firearm if you feel comfortable doing so!! Samantha's case is beyond sad an sickening.....
I live in Gold Bar Wa, if she went down the backside of Vesper peak toward Spada lake, there is nothing out there but wilderness no trails etc. she probably fell and died.
I live on Whidbey Island and hike the Mountain Loop Highway a lot. I went there to help search for her for two days. I even hiked the whole forest road looking over the edge thinking that may someone may have done something unspeakable but never found any sign of her. I wonder if she was abducted. No proof but I believe it is more likely than being attacked by an animal. The ranger station is in Verlot. I remember the Mother and Daughter who were murdered up near Pinnacle and Bear Lake back in 2006 not too far from this hike.
What poppped into my head, when they said she summited and then went down the other side was something like, "I love this so much, I don't want it to be over. I'm going to go around the long way." And maybe she went too far.
I remember her boyfriend and her mom saying she would never go off trail, especially since she was alone. They could be wrong, or maybe she never would … until now. Maybe she did want to explore in a more isolated area. Maybe she’d gone down that part of the mountain in the past, successfully. It’s so hard to know. 😔
I hope so but, almost every National Park in the US has Deep Underground Bases underneath them. They regularly abduct individuals with special DNA resonance and use them in experiments with NHIs that have joint use of the labs. Usually Grays They also create huge cryptids like Dogmen that they test on the surface of these parks.
@@vazsurvival7539 The guy on Missing 411 said the New Zealand park rangers/police call these cases "Beam me up Scotty cases". I recently saw one of his videos on some hikers that went missing there.
Great job man. I read about her after you mentioned this the other day. You included everything I read about. I don't think her boyfriend had anything to do with it either. If you read into that search group and some of the lead guys writings, that dude (the bf) is still hoping to find her even when he does the other searches with the group.
The person that said they seen her going down the mountain the opposite direction. Makes me suspicious. But then again the police would have cleared this person of any wrong doing. Still🤔.
@@patriciamccormick9321 I don't care how rugged a place is. Dead people stink. A stink that permeates every pore of your body with the stench so foul it makes the unfamiliar evacuate their food, fluids, etc with such force it hurts we don't need to see bodies. We can smell them. So again I say, of that woman was there dead for days and days, searchers would have found her. Hikers would have found her. By smell alone.
Thanks for mentioning that. I forgot to mention that piece in the video. Apparantly that person was checked out by the law and completely cleared as a suspect. I never saw any other details about that person who had lunch with her.
Kevin most certainly did not find Rachel, Bud Carr did. Also, Kevin does not look for missing people with the 49th Parallel, only when they were looking for Sam. A lot of your information is correct but a lot was very wrong. Sam was leaving Kevin and he made her disappear!
In the Seattle times the article stated that Kevin found her. I definitely appreciate the input. That’s why at the beginning of the video I didn’t claim to be an expert and also apologized for any misinformation. However the articles seem to make us believe that kevin found rachel lakoduk when he was searching with Bud carr who I happen to respect and admire. There is a picture of both of them at the site where rachel was found.
Kevin absolutely did find Rachel! And he was working with Bud Carr helping Rachels cause as a form of pay back for the countless hours Bud spent helping Kevin scour Vesper peak looking for Sam! This guys info is correct and on point!!
I grew up here, and I've hiked Vesper at least a dozen times. It's that good!
I believe it would be quite difficult to get unintentionally lost around there, especially for someone like Sam who's done the hike before. The hike goes up a basin in the South Fork Stillaguamish river watershed (you cross the river near the beginning), then through a very distinctive little Headlee Pass to the south side of Vesper in the Sultan River watershed.
The peak is shaped like a 3 sided pyramid, and you do a little traverse from that pass, past little Lake Elan, up the moderate SE slope. Any other direction would be clearly completely wrong. The North face is a sheer slab with rock climbs on it you couldn't mistake for a way to walk down.
The SW slope is also moderate, but would involve going the *very obviously* opposite direction from where you came (and indeed there was apparently a witness who saw her start to head this way from the summit, for whatever reason.)
While the trail sort of disappears in rock slabs near the summit, the way is very obvious, and if you went down the SW slope accidentally somehow you would instantly notice there's no Lake Elan (which is just below, and totally visible from, the summit), and no Headlee Pass, both of which are absolutely unmistakeable.
Even if she somehow went down the wrong SW slope, or failed to cross back over Headlee Pass, she'd end up in the Sultan River valley from where Spada Lake (the local drinking water reservoir) is just a few miles down a trail.
All this to say, getting lost would be extremely weird, and it's essentially impossible to get *that* lost (as you're either on obvious trail in the Stillaguamish valley, or just a couple miles from safety if you got lost in the Sultan valley).
The easiest thing to imagine is she fell in a snow moat somewhere, in which case no one would likely ever find her until someday she melts out. Getting kidnapped is hard to imagine, as there were other people on the trail that day and I dunno how you'd kidnap someone down a whole mountain back to the car. It would be disturbingly possible, tho, for someone to just wait at the parking lot and then force someone into their car at gunpoint.
Such a heartbreaking, and yet confounding, story
Thanks so much for your input! Knowing all that I get concerned that foul play could have been a possibility.
They searched 22 days. Longest search in history. Her boyfriend still looks for her. He found a lost hiker woman but he never found Sam.
Thank you for all your kind words sir!! RESPECT
I am familiar with area for 25 years. My family live up there. Under normal conditions, a hiker cannot get lost there. A child cannot get lost there! But it happens with solo hikers, the reason being that they fall. They fall into a draw or a crevasse by stepping off the trail momentarily to get a better view of something (or for a bowel movement). That is when they slip then fall usually resulting in a disabling injury and roll further in the draw covered by debris. No one can hear them. They succumb to hyperthermia 24 to 48 hours later. Animals scatter the remains. There are other scenarios of course but not prevalent. I have been vocal about this subject for a long time because I am annoyed by the tragedies and the usual associated naivete. Never, never give up the search. Mountain lions are always active and oddly to me the creatures in Wetsern Wash seem to be getting more bold of late. Bears west of the Cascades are not a problem, but always carry bear spray. Personally, I carry a firearm (always and legally) and bear spray. GPS devices for hikers are awesome, but experienced hikers in a group and minimally equipped don't need them. I am also annoyed when I see hikers in the mountains not carrying at least 30 feet of climbing rope, unbelievable. Solo hikers are usually competent and capable, but bad things can happen to the best of us. Three years ago an experienced solo hiker an Army Lieutenant from Fort Lewis was literally running a trail on Mt St Helens, a routine he had done already several times. I've been on these trails and they are dangerous. He was alone and was not equipped, but that didn't matter. He slipped on the trail and fell 200 feet to his death. Hikers and campers who go missing is common enough, but there are many instances that have no explanation. So, always be prepared.
Thanks for your insight! I hope they can find her one day!
This was such a heart breaking situation. I have a daughter about that same age and we both agonized over this. I felt so bad for her Mama.
It truly is such a sad story. It baffles me.
Late to the party here. Just did vesper two weekends in a row. Im not gonna say its impossible to get lost because both times I saw lost people. They found their way, but it happens.
Was she a Cancer victim?
In my area, san gabriel mountains, a hiker last year went missing on a trail a half mile from a road, that hundreds hike every day and she was seen at some points, then not. They searched for 4 weeks before calling it and she/the body, has never been found. I myself have over 40 years hiking these trails and have searched for her at points few realize are even there, cliffs, crevasses and even a old gold mine but nothing. Some are mysteries never to be solved???
Who was the hiker? I would love to read about it! It’s so tragic that she hasn’t been found. :(
Been hiking all over the cascades since 2005, there are trails all over, forest service roads everywhere, lots of people out hiking, one just cannot simply get lost there, unless he/she is trapped or injured and cannot move on their own,
That makes this case even more baffling. Maybe she went off trail like Geraldine Largay?
You've been in the Cascades and say, "one just cannot simply get lost there"?
@@larry811Yeah that's definitely wrong lol
Ive been up this peak 4 times!! People DO NOT go down this way! First off there is no damn trail and secondly this would have put her many many miles away from her car! This area in the cascades is a "hot spot" off missing people who completely vanish without a trace!! I believe 100% in my spirit that she was somehow influenced by an unseen force and at the last second she veered off the right path! Stop and think for a minute, if you were gonna abduct someone the best way to go about it is to isolate them first!! Understanding why she veered of the right path is the "Crux" to solving the case!! She is a 411 case! All the criteria fits this scenario!! This should scare the beejusus out of anyone who hikes alone! Hike with a partner and carry a personal locator beacon and a firearm if you feel comfortable doing so!! Samantha's case is beyond sad an sickening.....
It truly is baffling what happened to her. I haven’t seen any follow ups or new information in the past year about her. It’s so sad!
Sam is not up there!!!!!
Lisa did not listen to locals..
Cold case...
I live in Gold Bar Wa, if she went down the backside of Vesper peak toward Spada lake, there is nothing out there but wilderness no trails etc. she probably fell and died.
That would have been tragic. :(
😢
I live on Whidbey Island and hike the Mountain Loop Highway a lot. I went there to help search for her for two days. I even hiked the whole forest road looking over the edge thinking that may someone may have done something unspeakable but never found any sign of her. I wonder if she was abducted. No proof but I believe it is more likely than being attacked by an animal. The ranger station is in Verlot. I remember the Mother and Daughter who were murdered up near Pinnacle and Bear Lake back in 2006 not too far from this hike.
@@mikemecklenborg5412 Thank you for being one of the people who searched for her!
What poppped into my head, when they said she summited and then went down the other side was something like, "I love this so much, I don't want it to be over. I'm going to go around the long way." And maybe she went too far.
I remember her boyfriend and her mom saying she would never go off trail, especially since she was alone. They could be wrong, or maybe she never would … until now. Maybe she did want to explore in a more isolated area. Maybe she’d gone down that part of the mountain in the past, successfully. It’s so hard to know. 😔
It’s such a mystery and I hope she is found!
People dont go down this way! She knew the way down, something influenced her to do so in order to isolate her!!
There's one other option. She hiked down that way to disappear from what ever was bothering her . And she is still alive and well ..
I cannot believe Sam, nor her remains have ever been found....
I have a friend that helped look for her for a LONG time, so sad
Respect to your friend! So sad she hasn’t been found. :(
Sam's case and Maureen Kelly's case haunt me. Mainly cause there's only so many places to hide.
Her moms cancer came back after that, I wonder if she is OK. I hope and pray for her mom and family.
I pray for her as well!
She is a Starseed. Her star family took her back home to the stars. It's that simple. This happens a lot in National Parks.
I hope so but, almost every National Park in the US has Deep Underground Bases underneath them. They regularly abduct individuals with special DNA resonance and use them in experiments with NHIs that have joint use of the labs. Usually Grays They also create huge cryptids like Dogmen that they test on the surface of these parks.
@@jpslaym0936 She is on the planet Vowrop, outside of the Milky Way galaxy!
I am not saying that this isn’t true but it is definitely the wildest theory I have heard about what happened to Samantha.
@@vazsurvival7539 The guy on Missing 411 said the New Zealand park rangers/police call these cases "Beam me up Scotty cases". I recently saw one of his videos on some hikers that went missing there.
@@jpslaym0936 i believe every bit of that 100 percent something is going on there not telling us
The key is the witness who claimed to see her go down the opposite side of the mountain. 🤔
Her boyfriend Kevin Dares had NOTHING to do with this!!
Great job man. I read about her after you mentioned this the other day. You included everything I read about. I don't think her boyfriend had anything to do with it either. If you read into that search group and some of the lead guys writings, that dude (the bf) is still hoping to find her even when he does the other searches with the group.
Thanks so much for the feedback! I admire her boyfriend’s dedication and determination to find her.
May have wondered 20 miles away....
Я из России. Надо продолжать искать Сэм с южной стороны спуска.
Altitude sickness and just went wrong way or fell down one of them shafts . We have them on our mtn unmarked and big ol hole striaght down
Thanks for the input Tom! Always appreciate your comments. Be careful on that mountain my friend!
@@vazsurvival7539 found out the hard way many yrs ago I got lucky big time
The person that said they seen her going down the mountain the opposite direction. Makes me suspicious. But then again the police would have cleared this person of any wrong doing. Still🤔.
I watched on a different channel that Rachel was found by someone else.
Found by a different person than her boyfriend and the guy from 49th parallel?
@@vazsurvival7539 some volunteer rescue team
If they checked everywhere they would have found her
You can walk past a body a few feet from you in that area and not spot them. It’s that rugged.
@@patriciamccormick9321 I don't care how rugged a place is. Dead people stink. A stink that permeates every pore of your body with the stench so foul it makes the unfamiliar evacuate their food, fluids, etc with such force it hurts we don't need to see bodies. We can smell them. So again I say, of that woman was there dead for days and days, searchers would have found her. Hikers would have found her. By smell alone.
I read she met someone up there and had lunch with him before heading down.
Thanks for mentioning that. I forgot to mention that piece in the video. Apparantly that person was checked out by the law and completely cleared as a suspect. I never saw any other details about that person who had lunch with her.
He was questioned as a suspect and the police found no evidence that he had harmed her or captured her.
NOT ONE TRACE not a chance!!
bc SAM'S not on the MT!!!!!
Naw .. there is a Man or two who knows all about this case
no way
Her disappearing gave here boyfriend a new mission in life.
I would have done the same if it was my lady!
Lesson = never climb in the Cascades alone
She wasn’t climbing, she was on a 6.8 mile both ways pretty light hike
Kevin most certainly did not find Rachel, Bud Carr did. Also, Kevin does not look for missing people with the 49th Parallel, only when they were looking for Sam. A lot of your information is correct but a lot was very wrong. Sam was leaving Kevin and he made her disappear!
In the Seattle times the article stated that Kevin found her. I definitely appreciate the input. That’s why at the beginning of the video I didn’t claim to be an expert and also apologized for any misinformation. However the articles seem to make us believe that kevin found rachel lakoduk when he was searching with Bud carr who I happen to respect and admire. There is a picture of both of them at the site where rachel was found.
How do you know Sam was leaving Kevin?? Do you have inside knowledge?? If so please share!
Kevin absolutely did find Rachel! And he was working with Bud Carr helping Rachels cause as a form of pay back for the countless hours Bud spent helping Kevin scour Vesper peak looking for Sam! This guys info is correct and on point!!