Missing 411 | Was Geoff Hague Forced Off Trail?

On February 8th 1970, 16 year old boy scout Geoff Hague stopped for a rest while hiking back to a parking lot after a camping trip in the Great Smokies. Despite just ten minutes passing between when he was last seen and when he was expected to turn up, Geoff vanished from the trail. After days of searching, a strange scene was presented to the rangers. Geoff's gear was found neatly piled on a rock in the middle of a stream. What compelled him to leave the Appalachian Trail, and why did he leave his gear behind? Welcome back to The Lore Lodge...

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00:00 - Cold Open
00:21 - Introduction
05:34 - The Trip
10:33 - The Search
20:22 - The Discovery
24:40 - Questions

[brycealthoff]

This is why the “Buddy System” is pushed so hard in modern scouting. When I was in, you didn’t go anywhere in the wilderness without at least one other person with you.

[Thistle]

As an Eagle Scout I have known some extremely unprepared guys who thought they knew all there is to know about survival. Not all scouts have equal skills, but the worst almost always believe they’re the best.

[FinalFelix]

Nother Eagle Scout here chiming in about that extremely bad judgement call from that Scout Master. Not only the boy on the trail, but also the one left alone back at camp as well? Horribly against BSA standard. My father was Scout Master of our troop for many years, and he always candidly told me his biggest fear was losing a boy and having to face the family. The buddy system can't do its job a mile apart. I find it so hard to believe he really thought that was a good idea, even for back in the 70's.

[amateursnake]

I love how tired, sweaty and drained of life Aidan looks and then Wendigoon just looks like he's glowing. Aidan must have hiked out there with Isiah on his back lol

[Mulchbandit]

Im beginning a one month hike of the Appalachian trail tomorrow morning. I hope you never have to talk about me!

[Sedow]

6:13
"with blond hair"

dang these 70s' photos did him no justice

[philtkaswahl]

"But as the first factor we have to consider..."

Goddammit, I groaned when I realized that was the setup for a Factor sponsorship segue.

[AJOlaks]

as a Boy Scout I have heard stories of just the dumbest people being the most confident

on an unrelated note, one of my favorite stories about the older scouts when I was first entering the troop is our at the time SPL smashing a hole in an cabin with a sledgehammer to kill a cockroach

[OverMagnet]

Him being found with a one boot, a sock, and jacket off leads me to think he took a spill into the creek. He either slipped or was trying to cross and fell in. He might have gotten out on the rock his gear was found on and searched through his pack to find if his matches were dry. Usually when you pack your sleeping bag is at the bottom of your pack and the hard items towards your back. The matches may have been stowed with his cook kit necessitating the removal of some items to reach them, this coupled with a sleeping bag that absorbed water would have firced him to abandon some things but not before he took what he thought necessary. The boot, sock, and jacket could have been taken off in an attempt to wring them out and continue on but exhaustion and hypothermia overcame him and he didn't make it back up.

[SixWingZombi]

On my first winter campout, which also happened to be my first campout with the Boy Scouts, I managed to:
1. Get horribly sick (unrelated to point two)
2. Watch one of the adult leaders turn our entire pot mashed potatoes GRAY with pepper.
3. Learned the sage wisdom of "Never cook bacon with your shirt off."
4. Learned to fire a shoulder mounted PVC potato launcher.

10/10 great experience.

[TBH_Inc]

Wtf were they thinking, if one person stops, then everyone stops. It’s not like they can leave without him anyways. I guess it’s nice being able to chill at the car, but it doesn’t justify leaving someone behind. Just be patient and wait a few minutes.

[ginatulip]

He might have gone off trail to go to the bath room. If it was number 2, he might have slipped while squatting down the ravine. When he said he needed to rest, it might have been a polite way to get some privacy to poop.

[Phoebe-Mariam]

imagine desperately searching for ur missing child in the mountains & all of a sudden franklin graham shows up with 4 dogs 😭

[getnaenaed]

nexpo, wendigoon, and the lore lodge all dropped videos in the past few hours, huge w

[arnehusby]

I'm from Norway. With endless dark and cold winter. I live just outside Oslo. A 10-minute ride on my electric bike and I'm in the endless forests, which stretch like a belt all the way to Siberia. I have a herd of deer and several birds of prey just outside my kitchen window. Fortunately, the forest roads are good for cycling and we have few dangerous animals, but an unnatural beauty just a short walk outside the capital. Outdoor life is part of our lifestyle. Whether it's just a short trip, or a long one. I am 65 years old and have grown up with the wilderness just a short walk from my home. You are most welcome to Norway to experience either a beautiful summer or a really tough and harsh winter. 🥶

[lostineggsaisle]

I don't know who in their right mind ever thought it was a good idea to leave a 16-year-old by himself to rest in the woods. Trailer no trail. Four years experience or not. He was still just a kid. Three miles away is a long way. Whoever did that was insanely stupid.

[JimmieHammel]

These are your best episodes. I love when you use maps and graphics and Google street view pics and stuff to show how an event took place. It makes me feel like I can really imagine the event.

[RallyTheTally]

Imagine your just living your life, your a normal person. And years after you die people online are calling you a idiot for something you did in the woods when you where 16.

[dnkspnk]

Getting a random throwback to Dennis Martin is always weird because it’s my favorite case ever because it’s so strange

[aquaowouko]

13:11 Wendigoon appearing at Aiden's house sounds quite funny in this context