Lecture Notes

Overview

• The story involves a missing hiker named Mike Turner.
• The lecturer finds the story personally upsetting but significant.
• The moral revolves around valuing family while they're present.
• Style: Strange, dark, mysterious stories, uploaded weekly.

Introduction

• Date: August 2, 1998
• Main Character: Mike Turner, a 48-year-old hiker
• Location: Fitzpatrick Wilderness, Wyoming
• Physical Description: 6'6" tall, highly skilled, reverend at a Christian church in Idaho.
• Accompanied by: Family dog named Andy, a Black Lab mix

Fitzpatrick Wilderness

• Notable for being visually striking, with extreme natural features: 13,000 ft peaks, glaciers, lush fields, streams, and lakes.
• Largely untouched due to difficulty of access.
• Mostly visited by experienced outdoors people, like Mike.

Mike's Journey

• Planned Hike: 9-day solo hike, 60 miles off-trail.
• Reason for Hike: To feel closer to God, de-stress from his job responsibilities.
• Altered Plan: Diverted from original route to avoid icy paths for Andy's safety.
• Lack of Communication: No way to inform family of route change.

Tragic Turn of Events

• Incident Date: Fourth day of the hike.
• Event: Andy runs off towards a lake through a boulder field; Mike follows.
• Accident: Mike gets trapped between two 800-pound boulders, feet shackled.

Attempt to Survive

• Used all his equipment to try and free himself but failed.
• Documented the experience in his journal.
• Ran out of food and water, attempted to drink urine mixed with Crystal Light.

Resilience & Decline

• Mike's writings reflected his faith and growing despair.
• He felt a deep connection with God but also extreme loneliness.
• Began wondering about his family's future without him.

Final Days

• Continued journaling about his family and faith until he could no longer write legibly.
• Placed his wedding ring on a rock so his family could find it.
• His final entry indicated acceptance and readiness to die.

Discovery of Mike

• Search Efforts: Failed to find him initially; continued despite challenges.
• Found Andy: 17 miles from Mike’s last known location after the official search ended.
• Hiker Brian: Stumbles upon Mike’s remains, contacts authorities.

Aftermath

• Andy was leading the family close to Mike's location but didn’t make it in time.
• Found Mike’s body, his journal, and his final note to his family.

Emotional Note

• Mike’s wife, Diane, received a bouquet of flowers from Mike after he had already left for his hike with a touching note.
• Heightened the emotional pain and brought closure to his last thoughts.

Merchandise Note (Unrelated to Main Story)

• Announcement of new merchandise available for sale.

• Note: This section contains promotional material and does not pertain to the central topic of Mike Turner's story.