Case file · Anomaly hotspot
Kris 'Sherpa' Fowler, Pacific Crest Trail
A thru-hiker from Ohio who left White Pass, Washington, on the Pacific Crest Trail in October 2016 as winter set in, and was never found.
2016 CE · 46.64, -121.39 · status: unexplained
The account
Kris Fowler, trail name 'Sherpa', had walked from the Mexican border. He was last confirmed at White Pass around 12 October 2016; two hunters later said they saw him further north. Searches by several counties were suspended in November as snow fell. His family offered a reward and volunteers kept searching the trail and side trails for years. The Washington State Patrol still lists him as missing.
The sceptical view
Hikers continuing late into the season in the North Cascades face storms, snow-covered trail and dangerous stream crossings.