1 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: In the beginning, before the world was shaped, the earth 2 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 1: lay in darkness, covered only in water. No mountains rose, 3 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:24,080 Speaker 1: no rivers ran, and no people walked upon the land. 4 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: In the vastness beyond the sky lived Chirea, the old 5 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 1: man above, a being of great wisdom and power. One 6 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:38,480 Speaker 1: day he looked down upon the empty world and decided 7 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: it should be made ready for life. He descended from 8 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: its high place, stepping carefully upon a great cloud, before 9 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 1: coming to rest on a shallow reef in the sea. 10 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: With his mighty hands, he gathered stones and earth and 11 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: shaped the first lands. He piled high the mountains and 12 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: carved deep valleys. He traced the paths of the rivers 13 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: with his fingers, and where his hands lingered, water began 14 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: to flow. Jaraya saw that the world needed light, so 15 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: he reached into the sky and brought forth the sun, 16 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: setting it in its place. He took the cold and 17 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: placed it in the mountain tops, where it would rest 18 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: as snow and feed the rivers below. He made the 19 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: trees to hold the soil, the animals to roam the land, 20 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 1: and the fish to swim in the waters. Then he 21 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: created the first people. He taught them how to hunt 22 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 1: how to build shelters, and how to live in harmony 23 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: with the world he had created. When his work was done, 24 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: he climbed back into the sky and returned to his 25 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: home above. Among the mountains he raised, one stood above 26 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: all others, Ui Taku, the White Mountain. In time, others 27 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: came to the region, Klamath, Wintu, a Chumawee, Art, Sugawe, Modoc, 28 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: and Kaho Sadi or Shasta, as they came to be 29 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: known by later settlers to the region, and that mountain 30 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: would eventually take that name too, becoming known as Mount Shasta. 31 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: All agreed the mountain was a sacred place, a place 32 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: of visions and power, and for seeking communion with the 33 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: unseen world. Some even say, if you're not careful, there 34 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 1: are places on the mountain where you can fall into 35 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: this unseen world too. You're listening to Unexplained, and I'm 36 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: Richard mclin Smith. The volcanic peak of Mount Shasta looms 37 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: out of the Shasta Trinity National Forest in the North California. 38 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: Its upper slopes are devoid of trees and often clad 39 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: in a blanket of snow. Tackling. The peak is fraught 40 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: with danger in winter The ascent is slick with ice, 41 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: requiring at least crampons to make the summit. In summer, 42 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: the snow melts to reveal steep slopes strewn with loose rocks. 43 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: Over seventy climbers are known to have died attempting it 44 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: since records began, none of which deterred sixty nine year 45 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: old Carl Landers, who was on a mission to climb 46 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: the highest peak in every county of California. Back in 47 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety seven, Carl made a failed attempt to summit 48 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:50,119 Speaker 1: Mount Shasta. It had haunted him ever since, so naturally 49 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: he wanted to try again. Carl's wife, Bobby, was nervous 50 00:03:55,440 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 1: about its latest adventure. After summitting the mountain, Carl planned 51 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: to climb two more peaks in the area, but once 52 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 1: he had an idea in his head, there was no 53 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: stopping him. It was a warm sunny day in May 54 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety nine when Carl arrived in Mount Shaster Town 55 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: at the foot of the mountain. He grinned widely at 56 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 1: his friends Billy and Milt, who were there to greet him. 57 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:26,479 Speaker 1: The three men became climbing pals through a local organization 58 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 1: for older exercise enthusiasts. Both had accompanied Karl on his 59 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: failed trip in nineteen ninety seven. Being a little younger, 60 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,920 Speaker 1: it was their arrangement that they would walk ahead they 61 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,599 Speaker 1: wait for Karl to catch them up. Back in ninety seven, 62 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: after Barry and Milt made it to the summit, Carl 63 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: failed to appear. They found him on their return down 64 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 1: the mountain, having been too exhausted to continue. They teased 65 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 1: him gently about it that morning, but Karl was having 66 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 1: none of it. This would be the day, he told them. 67 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,359 Speaker 1: The men bought some provisions, then made the winding drive 68 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 1: up to Bunny Flat trailhead, a popular place to begin 69 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:14,600 Speaker 1: the trek to the summit. A gusty wind picked up 70 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: as the men laced up their boots and strapped on 71 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:22,679 Speaker 1: their fifteen pound packs. Karl gazed up to the snowy 72 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,039 Speaker 1: tip of the mountain, a steely intent in his eyes. 73 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 1: This time, he thought, I'm going to get you this time, 74 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: and with that they set off, winding through a dense 75 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:40,239 Speaker 1: forest of fur. The men savored the fresh, tingly scent 76 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:45,599 Speaker 1: of the trees and serenity of the great outdoors. Before long, 77 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: the forest began to thin and the paths deepened, leading 78 00:05:49,839 --> 00:06:03,239 Speaker 1: up into more desolate rock strewn to rain. It wasn't 79 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:06,599 Speaker 1: long after they left the forest that Carl's stomach began 80 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: cramping up, and he was forced to take regular toilet breaks, 81 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: possibly due to the drugs he'd been taking to offset 82 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 1: altitude sickness. By the time they'd reached nine thousand feet 83 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: above sea level, Milt and Barry were stopping every ten 84 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,840 Speaker 1: minutes or so to wait for their friend. They agreed 85 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:27,479 Speaker 1: to carry his pack for him, taking it in turns 86 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:31,480 Speaker 1: to hold it as they trudged on together. Barryon Milt 87 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: then tried walking behind Karl, hoping it might help to 88 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:39,039 Speaker 1: spur him on. Not wanting to hold his friends back, however, 89 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: Karl suggested they go on ahead without him. The friends 90 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: reluctantly agreed and arranged to rendezvous with Karl at their 91 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 1: first waypoint, an area of flatter, snow covered ground called 92 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: fifty fifty, but they planned to camp for the night. 93 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,719 Speaker 1: It was just approaching eight p m. As a hazy 94 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 1: dusk to send it when Barrion Milt arrived at fifty fifty. 95 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 1: The pair watched on as more hikers appeared in drips 96 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 1: and drabs, but there was no sign of Carl. With 97 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: the sun inching closer and closer to the horizon, the 98 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: pair had no choice but to head back down in 99 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: search of their friend. It didn't take long to spot 100 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: him about two hundred yards below, making steady but achingly 101 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: slow progress. Having been worried that his climbing jacket wasn't 102 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: right for the conditions, Karl's wife had lent her his 103 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:37,440 Speaker 1: a bright purple and red number, meaning even in the 104 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:41,559 Speaker 1: low light of dusk, he was easy to spot. Barry 105 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: and Milt moved quickly down to get him, then escorted 106 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: him back up to fifty fifty. The wind had picked 107 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:53,040 Speaker 1: up considerably by the time they arrived, whipping dry snow 108 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:55,760 Speaker 1: up off the ground as they set to work digging 109 00:07:55,800 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: an igloo like shelter to keep it at bay. Once finished, 110 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:02,880 Speaker 1: it took them almost an hour, wrestling with the near 111 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: fifty mile pro hour gusts to pitch their tent inside it. 112 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: Finally nestled inside the tent, the men cooked chicken noodle soup, 113 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: but Karl refused to eat it, worried it might make 114 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: him sick. The following morning, the men awoke as the 115 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: first neon rays of daylight emerged above the horizon. Though 116 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: Carl's stomach hadn't quite settled, he was well enough to 117 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: share breakfast with Barryon Milt and insisted he was fit 118 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 1: enough to continue the climb. Barr and Milt were happy 119 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: to take his word for it. The next stage was 120 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: a two mile stretch across steep but mostly open ground 121 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 1: to an area known as Lake Helen, with only the 122 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: occasional pile of rock and some minor ridges to negotiate 123 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 1: after that. In any case, they planned to make another 124 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:56,959 Speaker 1: assessment at the weather to determine if it was safe 125 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:01,319 Speaker 1: to continue or not. Since they had a fairly unobstructed 126 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: view of the summit, it was agreed that Carl should 127 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:07,440 Speaker 1: go on ahead while Barrion Milt took down the tent. 128 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:10,559 Speaker 1: This way he could get a head start, but they 129 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:12,600 Speaker 1: could also keep an eye on him if he got 130 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:19,079 Speaker 1: into any difficulty. When nearing an especially high summit, climbers 131 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:22,200 Speaker 1: are written often of the strange sense of serenity and 132 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: focus it can engender. The wind house, the snow crunches 133 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: under foot, and the sky feels closer, almost oppressive. Some 134 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:38,400 Speaker 1: describe it like having entered another world. Your mind suddenly 135 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:42,560 Speaker 1: detached from the world down below. Striding out for the 136 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: summit of Mount Shasta is no different. Perhaps something of 137 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:50,960 Speaker 1: that was going through Karl's mind as he stood outside 138 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: the tent that morning, staring quietly off into space. When 139 00:09:55,760 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: Barrion Milt suggested he start walking, he replied simply okay, 140 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 1: then promptly set off up the steep, rocky trail. Milt 141 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:15,080 Speaker 1: was the last of the three to leave, having needed 142 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 1: to make some adjustments to his crampons. About an hour 143 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 1: after Karl's departure, Milt could still see him just about 144 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: among a steady line of fellow climbers. He was slowly 145 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: edging higher up the mountain, stopping to rest briefly every 146 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: five paces. Barry, meanwhile, was some distance behind, but quickly 147 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:40,120 Speaker 1: closing the gap. But when Milt caught up with Barry 148 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 1: soon after, he found him looking pale and feeling unwell. 149 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:49,239 Speaker 1: As a wind picked up, the pair sensed stormy weather approaching. 150 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,120 Speaker 1: With both of them now also struggling with the effects 151 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:57,200 Speaker 1: of altitude sickness, they make the difficult decision to abandon 152 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 1: their effort to reach the summit. The stronger of the pair, Milt, 153 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:06,000 Speaker 1: volunteered to fetch Carl, while Barry headed back down to 154 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: the Bunny Flat trailhead, where they'd part their car. With 155 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: only one path to take, Milt soon arrived at Lake Helen, 156 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 1: surprised not to have yet caught up with Carl. Seeing 157 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: another group of hikers there, he asked if they'd seen 158 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 1: a man wearing a bright purple and red jacket on 159 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:29,079 Speaker 1: their travels. Thankfully, they had, as one of the group 160 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 1: explained the man had asked him for advice on how 161 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: best to reach the summit. He told him about the 162 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: two possible routes he knew of. One was a lot 163 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 1: harder than the other, which he discouraged him from taking. 164 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: Wilt gazed up toward the easier route to the summit, 165 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 1: where he could see around twenty people winding their way 166 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 1: up to the top, and on the harder route, he 167 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:58,960 Speaker 1: saw one single climber wearing what seemed to be a 168 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:03,679 Speaker 1: bright purple and red jacket, stopping to rest briefly after 169 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:10,080 Speaker 1: every five steps. Dismayed, Milt promptly took off after him, 170 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:13,720 Speaker 1: trying to keep the man in his sight. Milt suddenly 171 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:18,240 Speaker 1: lost him as he disappeared behind a small ridge. When 172 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 1: he finally arrived at the same spot. He saw then 173 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 1: that the footprints of whoever it was merged with a 174 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 1: number of others, suggesting the solo man had in fact 175 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:32,560 Speaker 1: been walking with a group. Milt realized that this climber 176 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:35,720 Speaker 1: was also moving way too fast to have been calm, 177 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 1: Dangerously tired and despondent, and with no sign of his friend, 178 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: Milt had little choice but to head back down the 179 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,679 Speaker 1: mountain in the hope that he might yet pass Karl 180 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 1: on the way back At fifty fifty, where the men 181 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,560 Speaker 1: had camped for the night, there was no sign of 182 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:58,160 Speaker 1: his missing friend, and a few hours later he was 183 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 1: back at the Bunny Flat trailhead, but only Barry was 184 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:06,640 Speaker 1: there waiting for him. By the following day, Karl had 185 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 1: still yet to return. On hearing that her husband was missing, 186 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 1: a distraught Bobby was quickly on hand to assist. She 187 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:25,240 Speaker 1: insisted to police that she and Karl weren't experiencing any 188 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:29,560 Speaker 1: financial or marital difficulties, or anything else that might suggest 189 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:33,559 Speaker 1: he'd intended to go missing. The police wondered also if 190 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:36,840 Speaker 1: Karl had any enemies, but Karl was well liked in 191 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: his local community, and though Barry and Milt agreed he 192 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:44,080 Speaker 1: could sometimes be stubborn and bad tempered. They'd never seen 193 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:48,840 Speaker 1: him have a violent disagreement with anyone, though poor weather 194 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 1: had moved in across the region. Since Carl was an 195 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 1: experienced hiker with enough provisions to survive the coming days, 196 00:13:56,920 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: there were reasons to be optimistic that he would soon 197 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:04,599 Speaker 1: be found. But one day turned to two, then three, 198 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:10,160 Speaker 1: and four. A week after he disappeared, more than seventy 199 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:14,800 Speaker 1: people were searching daily for any sign of him. Trails 200 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 1: stretching down from the summit were scoured, and the rest 201 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:23,320 Speaker 1: of the mountain meticulously searched using a systematic grid. Even 202 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 1: cadaver docks were deployed to help, but they found nothing. 203 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: What Barrion Milt couldn't understand was how Carl could have 204 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: disappeared within such a short time window, during which he 205 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: would not have been out of view from either themselves 206 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: or other hikers on the trail for more than a 207 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:46,280 Speaker 1: period of thirty minutes, which at the pace he was moving, 208 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: would have made it near impossible for him to venture 209 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,160 Speaker 1: off track without being seen. And if he had been 210 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: overcome by fatigue and exposure, where could his body, in 211 00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:00,960 Speaker 1: its brightly colored jacket be on wide open slopes with 212 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:06,640 Speaker 1: no dense vegetation, cliffs or crevices to conceal it. The 213 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: searchers didn't find any traits of Karl's clothing or equipment. 214 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: It was, as one rescuer described it, like the mountain 215 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 1: had just opened up and swallowed him. On June third, 216 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety nine, the search to find Karl was called off. 217 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:32,400 Speaker 1: There was simply nowhere else to look. Entry nine five 218 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 1: six three seven is still up on the US National 219 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:40,800 Speaker 1: Missing and Unidentified Person's website. The entry has a picture 220 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 1: of Carl Herbert Landers as he was shortly before he disappeared, 221 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: a man on the cusp of seventy with receding white hair, 222 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:54,520 Speaker 1: a hand and somewhat weather beaten face, and a rye grin. 223 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 1: If he was still alive today, he would be ninety 224 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:11,440 Speaker 1: six years old. Carl Landers is just one of many 225 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,840 Speaker 1: people who have vanished without a trace on Mount Shasta. 226 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:19,560 Speaker 1: Back in July nineteen sixty five, a much more experienced 227 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: mountaineer by the name of John Nez had set off 228 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: up the mountain one bright summer day. At eighty years old. 229 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: It might have seemed foolish for Nezer to go alone, 230 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: but he'd climbed the mountain many times before, summitting successfully 231 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 1: no less than forty times. So confident was Nezer of 232 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 1: the weather and his abilities that he left a lot 233 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:45,920 Speaker 1: of his equipment at a cabin below the tree line, 234 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: expecting to summit and return the same day. When he 235 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:55,040 Speaker 1: failed to return, a search was initiated. Two snowslides were 236 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: spotted on the mountain, while a buzzard circled ominously overhead, 237 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 1: but like landers, Nesser's body was never found. It's hard 238 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:08,879 Speaker 1: to find solid numbers of just how many people go 239 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:13,760 Speaker 1: missing in America's wild places every year. There's no mandatory 240 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:18,400 Speaker 1: centralized repository where search and rescue teams must file reports, 241 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:22,879 Speaker 1: but in twenty twenty one, nearly three thousand, four hundred 242 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: people needed help getting out of the wilderness in u 243 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 1: s national parks alone. In his twenty twenty book The Cold, 244 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:36,880 Speaker 1: Vanish author and journalist John Billman researched the people currently 245 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 1: missing in North America's wilderness. He found that most of 246 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 1: these disappearances were likely easy to explain, caused either by hypothermia, falls, avalanches, 247 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 1: or attacks by wild animals like mountain lions or bears. 248 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:58,399 Speaker 1: But Billman is most fascinated by vanished without a trace 249 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: cases that defire conventional logical explanations like that of Karl Landers. 250 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:10,040 Speaker 1: In his book, he says these happen more often and 251 00:18:10,119 --> 00:18:16,199 Speaker 1: a lot closer to human habitation than most people realize. Unexpectedly. 252 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:20,480 Speaker 1: During his research, Billman found that often the most reliable 253 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:26,800 Speaker 1: information comes from bigfoot hunters. Their database of disappearances occurring 254 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 1: under what they call mysterious circumstances was set up by 255 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:34,840 Speaker 1: the founder of the North America Bigfoot Search, David Paul 256 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:39,920 Speaker 1: Idy's in twenty eleven. According to this data, it's likely 257 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:44,480 Speaker 1: that there are currently around sixteen hundred people missing across 258 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:49,440 Speaker 1: North America's wild lands in circumstances that are hard to explain, 259 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:56,679 Speaker 1: but Mount Shasta is among the stranger regions for inexplicable disappearances. 260 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 1: For years, Mount Shasta has been at the center of 261 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:10,800 Speaker 1: numerous myths, legends, and every kind of paranormal sighting, from 262 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 1: bigfoot to UFOs and even ghosts. The mountain's ice clad peak, 263 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:23,920 Speaker 1: steaming fumaroles, and actively eroding shape shifting surface or contribute 264 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:28,480 Speaker 1: to its eerie mystique. Some have speculated that the rare 265 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: mysterious portals to other dimensions hidden around the mountain, which 266 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:38,400 Speaker 1: the disappeared to have stumbled into, adding to its mystique. 267 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:43,800 Speaker 1: It turns out that significant electromagnetic anomalies have been recorded 268 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 1: around the mountain, leading some to wander if the mountain 269 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:51,600 Speaker 1: has become a repository for the phenomena of X points. 270 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:56,159 Speaker 1: X points are formed when the magnetic fields of the 271 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,879 Speaker 1: Sun and Earth cross each other, suddenly joining to create 272 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 1: openings in the combined magnetic fields. These openings can propel 273 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 1: uninterrupted jets of charged particles at high speed from the 274 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 1: Sun's atmosphere to Earth. Invisible, unstable, and elusive, these electron 275 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:21,439 Speaker 1: diffusion regions, as they are called, appear to open and 276 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:27,800 Speaker 1: close without any warning. Observations by NASA have suggested that 277 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 1: these magnetic portals open and close dozens of times each day. 278 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:37,719 Speaker 1: Most are small and short lived, but others are vast 279 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:43,400 Speaker 1: and sustained, during which time tons of energetic particles can 280 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:49,160 Speaker 1: flow through the openings, heating Earth's upper atmosphere, sparking geomagnetic 281 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 1: storms and igniting bright polar auroras. Typically, X points are 282 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,639 Speaker 1: located tens of thousands of kilometers above Earth, where the 283 00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:04,960 Speaker 1: geol magnetic field meets on rushing solar wind. So far, 284 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 1: it's not known whether large magnetic anomalies on Earth, like 285 00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:13,840 Speaker 1: the one known to extend underneath Mount Shasta, have any 286 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:19,520 Speaker 1: interaction with these invisible and elusive magnetic portals out in space. 287 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:25,480 Speaker 1: Scientifically speaking, this is highly unlikely and far less likely 288 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,399 Speaker 1: that these points would create pockets in space and time 289 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:35,920 Speaker 1: through which someone might fall. We hope. To the Modoc, 290 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,399 Speaker 1: a Native American community local to the area, the volcano 291 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:43,800 Speaker 1: is home to a creature they call the matter Cagmi, 292 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 1: their word for Bigfoot, a race of giants who they 293 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,679 Speaker 1: consider to be the keepers of the woods who have 294 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 1: existed as long as their own people, and modern sightings 295 00:21:55,040 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: of Bigfoot are rife around Mount Shasta. Back in eighteen ten, 296 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:04,960 Speaker 1: twenty six European traders arrived in the area. They introduced 297 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:08,920 Speaker 1: cattle ranching and lumber practices, which were used successfully by 298 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:13,720 Speaker 1: incoming settlers and the Native American communities alike. But as 299 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:18,800 Speaker 1: conflicts between local communities and settlers grew, the Native Americans 300 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:22,720 Speaker 1: were eventually forced to seed twenty three million acres of 301 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:27,840 Speaker 1: their land and moved onto reservations. Then the new settlers 302 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: began to weave their own folklore around Mount Shast None 303 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:37,719 Speaker 1: were stranger than the tale of a British geologist called J. C. Brown. 304 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: In nineteen o four. J. C. Brown was said to 305 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:50,760 Speaker 1: have been hired by the Lord Cowdry Mining Company of 306 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:54,159 Speaker 1: England to prospect for gold in the Mount Shasta area. 307 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,679 Speaker 1: During his explorations, it was said that he discovered a 308 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:03,159 Speaker 1: large tunnel hidden beneath a rock, which sloped downward for 309 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:07,919 Speaker 1: eleven miles into the mountain. According to Brown, at the 310 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:11,840 Speaker 1: end of the tunnel was a strange village like complex 311 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: of caverns which contained machinery of fortune in gold and copper, 312 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:22,280 Speaker 1: and twenty seven giant skeletons, some of them as much 313 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:26,440 Speaker 1: as ten feet tall. Two were said to be shrouded 314 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,520 Speaker 1: in robes and appeared to be a queen and a king. 315 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 1: Brown was reported to believe he'd found Telos, the City 316 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:39,440 Speaker 1: of Light, or that remained of an ancient lost kingdom 317 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:45,160 Speaker 1: called Lemuria, first proposed in eighteen sixty four by zoologist 318 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:51,040 Speaker 1: Philip Sclater. Lemuria as a hypothetical lost continent that supposedly 319 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 1: sank somewhere beneath the Pacific Ocean. Brown seemed to believe 320 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:00,080 Speaker 1: that the remaining le Murians had fled and established the 321 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:07,280 Speaker 1: city under Mount Shasta, but then Brown disappeared. What happened 322 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:11,360 Speaker 1: over the next thirty years is unclear, but in nineteen 323 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:16,320 Speaker 1: thirty four, in Stockton, California, the local newspaper reported that 324 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:20,359 Speaker 1: a man calling himself J. C. Brown was in town 325 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:25,639 Speaker 1: preparing an expedition to go back to Mount Shaster. Eighty 326 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:30,680 Speaker 1: local men signed on to join the expedition after attending 327 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:34,920 Speaker 1: a series of daily lectures apparently given by Brown, who 328 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: they described as a cultured gentleman with white hair. Brown 329 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 1: told them there were incredible treasures waiting inside the mountain, 330 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: and so on June ninth, nineteen thirty four, the men 331 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:52,400 Speaker 1: assembled at Stockton Harbor, ready to board boats they hoped 332 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:56,119 Speaker 1: would take them north to help Brown excavate his discovery, 333 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,360 Speaker 1: But J. C. Brown didn't show up and was never 334 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:07,720 Speaker 1: seen again. To this day, people continued to disappear inexplicably 335 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:12,720 Speaker 1: on and around the mountain. As recently as July one, 336 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,080 Speaker 1: twenty twenty four, a new missing person's case was opened 337 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:20,720 Speaker 1: after a grandmother and her daughter failed to return to 338 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:26,840 Speaker 1: their home in Chico, California. Deloras Sakamoto eighty four and 339 00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: her daughter Vivian Luna sixty four were reported missing by 340 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:36,200 Speaker 1: a neighbor for some unknown reason. The pair had apparently 341 00:25:36,359 --> 00:25:39,680 Speaker 1: rushed from their house to go somewhere, leaving food out 342 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 1: on the kitchen counter. Police investigations revealed that on the 343 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 1: day of their disappearance, Luna had taken money out of 344 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:52,120 Speaker 1: an eight m in Susanville, a two hour drive from 345 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:57,040 Speaker 1: their home. Two days later, California Highway Patrol issued an 346 00:25:57,080 --> 00:26:02,240 Speaker 1: alert for Luna's black Lexus car. The last trace of 347 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 1: the pair came from a cell phone tower near Mount 348 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:11,240 Speaker 1: Shaster Ski Park. Despite a multi agency search effort, including 349 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:16,880 Speaker 1: the use of airplanes, elliicopters, deputies, and sniffer dogs, no 350 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:28,200 Speaker 1: trace of the two women has ever been found. This 351 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:32,119 Speaker 1: episode was written by Diane Hope and Richard McLain Smith. 352 00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:36,600 Speaker 1: Diane is an audio producer and sound recordist in her 353 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: own right. You can find out more about her work 354 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 1: at Dianehope dot com and on Instagram at In the 355 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:49,360 Speaker 1: Sound Field unexplained as an Avy Club Productions podcast created 356 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:53,040 Speaker 1: by Richard McClain smith. All other elements of the podcast, 357 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:57,200 Speaker 1: including the music, are also produced by me. Richard McClain smith. 358 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: Unexplained the book and audiobook is now available to buy worldwide. 359 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:06,919 Speaker 1: You can purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, and 360 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:11,359 Speaker 1: other bookstores. Please subscribe to and rate the show wherever 361 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:14,000 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts, and feel free to get in 362 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:17,560 Speaker 1: touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories you've 363 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:20,320 Speaker 1: heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation of 364 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:23,080 Speaker 1: your own you'd like to share. You can find out 365 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:26,840 Speaker 1: more at Unexplained podcast dot com and reach us online 366 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:32,000 Speaker 1: through Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com, 367 00:27:32,040 --> 00:30:31,440 Speaker 1: Forward Slash Unexplained podcast O, passsssssssssssssssssssssssssss