Lankford visits the Lieu Quan Retreat Monastery on Chihuahua Valley Road, the Buddhist temple where Chris was supposed to meet Min. She puzzles over Chris’s timeline: He left Anza on February 12 and called Min four days later, yet the section should only take two days to hike. She searches the quiet temple grounds but found nothing.

Chris’s mother, Nancy Warman, shares details of her addiction and providing a stable home during Chris’s childhood. Chris’s father died from an overdose when he was young. As a teenager, Chris attempted to die by suicide, but treatment had helped him. Friends describe him as a “stand-up guy” with “a vagabond spirit” who loved the outdoors (252), though he had depression and could be belligerent when consuming alcohol.

Min Kim explains that tensions over finances strained their friendship before the hike. When Chris called asking for a ride from the temple, Min’s weary tone may have angered him. Min reported Chris missing on February 24, 2015, after no one could reach his borrowed cell phone. Min expresses frustration that detectives never disclosed what items were found in Chris’s pack.

Chris’s ex-girlfriend, Tory Strader, recalls their spontaneous move to upstate New York with only backpacks, suggesting Chris might be living on a beach somewhere. In 2006, when Chris was 19, he and Min spent 26 days traveling through Costa Rica without contacting family, unaware they had been reported missing, until Costa Rican detectives tracked them down.

Lankford introduces search theory, pioneered by William Syrotuck and expanded by Dr. Robert Koester, who determined that despondent and/or potentially suicidal subjects do not go into thick underbrush, meaning their bodies are usually found readily. After searching the monastery, she hikes to Combs Peak, finding excellent cell reception, then searches the burned forest near Chris’s gear site. At Mike’s Place, Josh McCoy rejects a death by suicide theory, arguing ravens or search dogs would have found Chris’s body near the trail. Despite her reservations, Lankford cannot rule out voluntary disappearance, noting that if the “Man in Brazil,” a Canadian fugitive who resembled Kris Fowler, could cross international borders without identification, Chris Sylvia could too.

In late 2017, a reporter tips off Cathy that a trail angel named “Hillbilly” has a photo of David O’Sullivan. When David’s brother Niall confirms the photo is not him, Cathy discovers there are two trail angels called “Hillbilly,” both mistakenly believing they gave David a ride. Three other witnesses report seeing a sick hiker with an Irish accent at a hostel in Wrightwood, but the timeline is inconsistent, and the witnesses admit to being inebriated at the time. Cathy investigates but finds no evidence that David was there.

Lankford concludes that most witness sightings of the PCT Missing were mistaken, though the bartender’s account of Kris at the Naches Tavern continues to haunt her. Cathy remains skeptical, arguing no thru-hiker would refuse a free sandwich, while Sally is more open-minded about the sighting. If true, the claim would make Kris’s search area impossibly vast.

On November 1, 2016, the day after Kris’s story aired on television, a search team had found 10-day-old southbound tracks on the PCT north of Chinook Pass. That same day, a bear hunter called authorities, claiming he saw a hiker matching Kris’s description near Blowout Mountain on October 22. After Morgan Clements proved the hunter was at a football game that day, the hunter changed his story multiple times. His friend, whom he claimed was with him, told deputies he was not there and knew nothing about the sighting. In April 2018, the bear hunter admitted he was alone but let the false story “roll” to avoid trouble. He passed a privately administered polygraph, but Sally was furious that hundreds of search hours were wasted on Blowout Mountain based on his lies.

In September 2017, a southbound hiker confesses that his initial statement was inaccurate. He now remembers glimpsing a northbound hiker on October 13 but cannot identify him. He explains he was frost-bitten and experiencing mental ill health. The main value of his statement is in confirming how severe the weather was on October 13, the day after Kris’s last confirmed cell phone ping.

Lankford notes that Kris and David have numerous reported sightings, while Chris Sylvia has only one. A volunteer’s poetic Facebook post prompts two new false sightings, including a witness adamant she saw Kris on September 25, 2016, a date when Amber Johnson’s journal confirmed they were together in Portland. After multiple false leads, Cathy and Lankford now adhere to the principle “Unus testis, nullus testis,” a Latin motto meaning “one witness is no witness” (268). Lankford theorizes the bear hunter conflated a news report with an old memory and continued the ruse for a sense of importance. The most egregious harm from his lie was planting the image of a hunting accident in Sally’s mind.

In summer 2018, during Washington’s wildfires, Lankford escapes smoke by driving to California while Cathy heads to Montana. Sally messages them with a promising tip: A hiker has found abandoned gear under a rock alcove near Spectacle Lake. The gear—a blue tarp, sleeping bag, and emergency blanket—appear to match items Kris Fowler carried. Sally is hopeful as she recognizes some descriptions. Morgan observes the location matches the 2017 trail runner report so Cathy turns her car around in Montana to return to Washington.

In a private message thread, Lankford expresses skepticism, noting the sleeping bag straps are wrong and the damaged sleeping pad suggest a novice hiker discarded it. Corporal Ellis Nale of the Kittitas Sheriff’s Office sends in a team to retrieve the gear, confirming it did not belong to Kris. The letdown is crushing for everyone: Morgan feels responsible for raising Sally’s hopes, while Lankford and Cathy worry they are making it harder for the mothers to accept likely reality. They discuss the concept of “a hope hangover” (272), the exhausting cycle of pursuing leads that repeatedly prove false.

Undeterred, Pam Coronado returns to the San Jacinto Mountains to search for David O’Sullivan with Cathy, while Jon King hikes the PCT with a GoPro to look for the boulder from Pam’s earlier vision. Pam’s pendulum pointed them to the location of Suicide Rock but the women have a dangerous and fruitless search. Lankford details the context. On the morning of their search, Cathy had pulled an angel tarot card reading “Signs from Heaven” (274), which depicted white feathers. On the trail, Cathy repeated the phrase “signs from heaven,” and a fluffy white feather floated down and landed on the trail. Inspired, they searched the area but found nothing. Pam suggested David’s mother might not be ready for him to be found and urged Cathy to encourage her to “release whatever it is she’s holding on to” (275). When Cathy relayed this advice, Carmel O’Sullivan was deeply hurt, asking if it was her fault David had not been found.

In November 2018, two years after Kris’s disappearance, Sally Fowler expresses her exhaustion and desire to move on. She is dealing with disgruntled Facebook group members who criticize her for withdrawing a reward and demand accountability for her GoFundMe account. Sally drafts an angry response but deletes it to avoid conflict. Despite her own burdens, she spends considerable time advising the other families of missing hikers.

Sally has been helping relatives of Gavin Johnston, a 20-year-old who went missing at Stevens Pass in October 2018. The family was slow to investigate, believing he would show up. Eight months later, in June 2019, Johnston’s body was found in his tent near Glacier Lake. A note indicated he survived lost for at least 25 days, though he was within three hours of a highway. The medical examiner ruled accidental hypothermia.

Lankford attends a grief course with David Kessler, who discusses how “magical thinking” leads families to believe persistence will bring their loved one home. Kessler explains that cold cases are more often resolved by accident. Lankford learns about Dr. Pauline Boss’s work on “ambiguous loss,” the frozen grief of not knowing. Boss advises that to cope, one must learn to live without closure while walking a tightrope between the desire for control and the need to endure the unsolvable.

In December 2018, Cathy emails Lankford about Dr. Arpad Vass and Paul Dostie, who are still working cases, concerned about their behavior. A friend claims Vass found four bodies in Florida but could not provide names. Lankford researches Vass and finds a website for his patented device, “the INQUISITOR,” making extraordinary claims and charging high fees. She discovers several law enforcement agencies have hired Vass, including for the cases of Jessica Hamby in Alabama and Arieanna Day in Virginia. A police chief had favorably compared the device to a bloodhound.

A Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee’s Forensic Anthropology Department tells Lankford that consensus was that Vass’s claims were unscientific. Dr. Monte Miller reviews the website and concludes the claims are scientifically impossible, noting that DNA from fingernails is problematic and a drop of blood exposed to elements for 20 years will have completely degraded. Lankford writes a detailed blog to warn families and law enforcement. 

In 2021, investigative journalist Rene Ebersole reports in The Marshall Project that Vass taught dowsing to law enforcement agents. Vass responds on his website, calling the article “fake news” and renaming his device the “QUANTUM OSCILLATOR.” His supporters, whom Lankford nicknames “the believers,” exhibit cultlike loyalty and attack skeptics online. A new website appears praising Vass and attacking Lankford and Cathy. While initially infuriated, Cathy learns to tune out the noise and continues searching for David, though she has a moment of emotional realization that they will likely find him dead, not alive.

On May 27, 2019, Theresa Sturkie receives an email suggesting she use Dr. Arpad Vass to find her missing husband, John. She ignores it. 

John, a 55-year-old electrician from Oceanside, California, went missing on January 4, 2019, in the San Jacinto Mountains. The initial police response was dismissive. When Theresa investigated herself, she discovered a 911 call from January 5 made by off-roaders who saw John stranded in a snowstorm. They offered help, but he refused. The call was forwarded to authorities, but the response was canceled because John himself did not request assistance.

Frustrated, Theresa turned to Jon King, who introduced her to Cathy Tarr. On March 15, King found John’s Toyota stuck between rocks and half-buried in snow, 12 miles from the road. Official searches were suspended on April 11 after finding no clues. 

Funded by Carmel O’Sullivan, Cathy and Theresa begin searching the treacherous Black Mountain Road for signs of John. During one trip, Cathy’s vehicle gets stuck in the snow but is freed by hikers. During a volunteer search, someone spots a sock, but Theresa says it was not John’s. Later, Cathy finds a matching sock under the truck’s front seat with a blood stain, suggesting John used it as a glove after injuring his hand. The sock’s location indicates his direction of travel. After Theresa pressures them with this new evidence, Riverside County sends a 50-person search team on June 29. The team quickly finds a boot, and then John’s body two miles from his truck. GPS trackers show two of Cathy’s volunteers had walked within 30 feet of the body. Theresa insists on informing Carmel O’Sullivan and Sally Fowler before the news becomes public. The discovery brings complex emotions to the other mothers—grief, relief, and jealousy. At John’s memorial, Theresa reflects that you never realize what a gift a funeral is until you cannot find your loved one.

Six months later, in December 2019, Morgan Clements is reviewing drone images from the search for Paul Miller, a Canadian who went missing in Joshua Tree National Park in July 2018. After scanning about 100 photos, Morgan spots what appears to be a bone. He sends the image to Sarah Francis, who finds more possible bones and an object Morgan identifies as a hydration backpack. Cautious due to past false alarms, Morgan sends coordinates to park rangers. They hike in and find human remains, later confirmed to be Paul Miller. Professional searchers had previously walked within 30 meters of his body without seeing it.

Lankford cites a Purdue University study by William T. Weldon and Joseph Hupy, which found that human image “squinters” were faster and more effective at finding clues in aerial photos than computer software. She argues that Morgan’s successes also vindicate the technique and the dedication of the volunteers.

In summer 2016, Amber “Ultra Violet” Johnson met Kris “Sherpa” Fowler on the PCT in California’s High Sierra. They began hiking together but attempted to climb Mount Shasta separately. Kris got lost in the fog, called 911, and safely descended the next day. Kris later told Amber he planned to get a dragonfly tattoo to celebrate finishing the PCT. In Washington, as cold weather set in, Amber decided to leave the trail and urged Kris to come with her, but he was determined to finish. They parted ways casually on October 6, 2016, planning to meet in Colorado for the holidays. A month later, Amber flew back to help Sally search. Her initial optimism faded as she confronted the harsh reality, and she felt heavy guilt for leaving him. Sally comforted her, pointing out that Kris did what he wanted to do. Amber later withdrew from the intense social media activity.

In August 2019, as Sally contemplates closing her Facebook group, a new lead emerges. A volunteer searcher, Ron Buermann, has found a ditty bag stuck in mud at a campsite 35 steps from the PCT. Inside are toiletries and a bag of pink powder. Sally shows photos to Amber; she cannot recall specific toiletries Kris carried but confirmed that he used red electrolyte powder. Sally and Morgan use lot numbers to determine whether the items’ manufacturing dates were consistent with Kris’s timeline. Dr. Monte Miller tells Lankford that recovering usable DNA from the soiled toothbrush is highly unlikely. Hopeful, Sally asks Cathy to coordinate a volunteer search.

The day before the search, Sally and her friend Marcia O’Rourke drive to Packwood. Sally is overcome with emotion, and Lankford comforts her. Sally meets the search team and displays a fun-loving persona, though her underlying distress is evident. They visit David and Marilyn Linder, whose hospitality had meant so much to Kris. David offers an emotional prayer for the searchers. 

The group of five women drives to White Pass, Kris’s last known point. On the PCT, Sally spreads some of the ashes of Kris’s father and her ex-husband, Mike Fowler. At 5:43 pm, the time of Kris’s last cell phone ping, Sally receives a text about a blue item found south of Chinook Pass, raising her hopes once again.

Sally and Marcia arrive at Chinook Pass to meet volunteer searchers. Cathy and Wayne Frudd brief the volunteers, who are divided into teams to search south along the PCT. Sally and Marcia take a helicopter flight over the search area, paid for by Marcia. From the air, Sally is struck by the vastness of the terrain, understanding why Kris had not been found. On the ground, Lankford leads a methodical line search while Sally watches the orange-shirted volunteers from the helicopter, moved by their efforts. The search yields no clues related to Kris, and a four-day backcountry search of the ditty bag area is also unsuccessful. The team begins doubting that the bag belonged to Kris.

That evening, the core group of women shares camaraderie, laughter, and rum at a hotel picnic table. Sally feels guilty for being happy but resolves not to apologize for it anymore. On Sunday, Sally flies back to Ohio without Kris, a painful experience tempered by her new perspective and acceptance of the difficulties. Sally embraces her role as “Trail Mom,” continuing to post safety advice for PCT hikers. Sally describes her second trip to Washington as “magical” and “worth a million dollars” (317).

In Autumn 2020, Cathy deals with a diagnosis and surgery for breast tumors and also cares for her sister after she is violently attacked. In October 2020, a weary Cathy meets Lankford in Idyllwild. To distract her, Lankford suggests they scout the last known point for Rosario Garcia, a 73-year-old with dementia missing since July 2020. 

Revitalized, Cathy organizes a drone search with Western States Aerial Search for January 2021. WSAS pilots fly for a weekend, capturing thousands of images. Morgan Clements’s analysis quickly finds what appears to be clothing and a purse and then human remains within 500 feet of Garcia’s car. After a delay due to snow, Riverside County recovers the remains, which are confirmed to be Garcia's. Garcia’s daughter-in-law praises Cathy as an “angel” who did what the county could not in three days. A Riverside County spokesperson dismisses the finders as “trekkers.”

Cathy believes the technique she and WSAS used is repeatable but requires more resources: machine learning programs, trained drone pilots, skilled image squinters, fit ground searchers, and flexible government permits. She attributes their success to “divine timing,” suggesting the search for the PCT Missing has taught SAR lessons that will help others in the future.

Lankford’s plan to meet Chris Sylvia’s mother, Nancy Warman, in spring 2020 is canceled by the pandemic. In September 2020, Nancy dies from complications related to alcohol addiction. Sally comforts Lankford, saying that in death, Nancy will now know what happened. Lankford has Chris’s tattoo professionally translated, finding it means “to intentionally give up” (326). This translation strikes Lankford as being like a Zen koan about the human struggle to find unfindable answers.

Three years after Kris disappeared, Amber Johnson gets a dragonfly tattoo in his memory. When Sally shares this story on Facebook, an algorithm-driven ad shows her a dragonfly necklace with a comforting inscription about the dead being at peace. Sally buys it as a sign. She has found peace viewing photos in hiker groups, feeling Kris is surrounded by beauty, but still wants to bring her son home to Ohio.

Lankford reveals that Pam Coronado’s previous psychic reading on Kris revealed a vision of him sliding down fast and being covered by earth or snow, with minuscule odds of being found. Pam admits she was careful with her words when telling Sally, not wanting to take away hope. Sally acknowledges her heart would not let her stop searching. Carmel O’Sullivan still prays for answers, unable to move on but also not wanting to put others at risk to search for David.

Lankford reflects on her growth since her unsuccessful 1995 search for Gabriel Parker at the Grand Canyon and now believes it is okay for families to stop searching when it becomes too much to bear. She recalls giving her husband an advance directive to stop searching after one year if she ever went missing, preferring a wilderness resting place to prolonged family suffering.

A woman who had been gaslighted by Vass’s supporters approaches Lankford about starting a nonprofit, leading Cathy to create the Fowler-O’Sullivan Foundation with grant writer Susi Banes. The foundation’s mission is to assist families of missing hikers, provide vetted resources, facilitate searches after official efforts end, and support prevention initiatives. The successful January 2021 search for Rosario Garcia, organized by Cathy, is the foundation’s first official case. A later drone search for Chris Sylvia proves unsuccessful, but the work continues.

Lankford reflects on her friendship with Cathy and her own exhaustion from the cases. According to Dr. Pauline Boss, resilience requires holding two opposing ideas simultaneously. Lankford feels the PCT Missing may never be found, or someone might discover them tomorrow. Lankford accepts she may never learn what happened to Chris Sylvia, Kris Fowler, or David O’Sullivan. However, she finds comfort in the enduring spirit of the PCT itself and in knowing that those men answered the call of the wild, experiencing the same joy she did while immersed in the natural world. She believes their legacy lives on each spring when new hikers embark on their own journeys along the trail’s magnificent 2,653 miles.