Identified! FL - Big Cypress Natl Preserve, Male Hiker, Denim & “Mostly Harmless” July 2018 - Vance Rodriguez

[cherrymeg]

Tha

From what we know he was new to hiking. He wouldn’t have met these people before. We don’t know that he lied about his life. We don’t know that all the things attributed to him are really about him. You have to remember hikers are trying to remember something said, by someone they may have spent a small amount of time with a year before.
Some of the hikers could just have him mixed up with someone else. I would guess a hiker would guard his private life when meeting someone new just like anyone else would. Think of it like the internet but with fresh air.

That sounds awful. lol.

 

[cherrymeg]

From what we know he was new to hiking. He wouldn’t have met these people before. We don’t know that he lied about his life. We don’t know that all the things attributed to him are really about him. You have to remember hikers are trying to remember something said, by someone they may have spent a small amount of time with a year before.
Some of the hikers could just have him mixed up with someone else. I would guess a hiker would guard his private life when meeting someone new just like anyone else would. Think of it like the internet but with fresh air.

Those pictures are definitely him. I don't know how decomposed he was.

 

[SugarQueen]

I saw a fb comment somewhere saying he bought a burner phone and used it for a short time and got rid of it when he didn’t need it anymore. Anyone else see that?

 

[SugarQueen]

Those pictures are definitely him. I don't know how decomposed he was.

I’m not doubting the pictures, I’m not doubting he started in NY, I’m not doubting he said he worked in the tech field. These are things reported by multiple hikers. I’m just saying we can’t automatically assume every fb post or comment is really, truly, about him.

 

[cherrymeg]

I saw a fb comment somewhere saying he bought a burner phone and used it for a short time and got rid of it when he didn’t need it anymore. Anyone else see that?

Is that weird and sorry to ask another dumb question but do people usually have phones when they hike?

 

[SugarQueen]

Is that weird and sorry to ask another dumb question but do people usually have phones when they hike?

I believe most people carry a phone or at least a gps device of some sort.

 

[cherrymeg]

I’m not doubting the pictures, I’m not doubting he started in NY, I’m not doubting he said he worked in the tech field. These are things reported by multiple hikers. I’m just saying we can’t automatically assume every fb post or comment is really, truly, about him.

This will sound like a bad lifetime movie or conspiracy theory I'm sleep deprived but someone that looked like him couldn't have died and he became them? That sounds crazy.

 

[Valiant]

How is someone using a trail name any different than people using a screen name on these forums?

 

[cherrymeg]

If he had an ID a social security number and anything else could it have been taken before his body was reported. Good credit is worth more that a couple thousand dollars.

 

[cherrymeg]

How is someone using a trail name any different than people using a screen name on these forums?

It isn't. If you hike with people you know wouldn't they use your real name?

 

[SugarQueen]

I think we are getting way off track here. I’m going to bow out for a bit and see if I can come up with anything new.

 

[Tssiemer]

It isn't. If you hike with people you know wouldn't they use your real name?

If you sleuth with people you know do they use your real name?

I happen to because I have nothing to hide. Plus I’m not creative with screen names lol. People have found me on FB and it hasn’t been all fun and games but meh.

I know a lot of people who just like to stay private. Maybe there’s no real mystery. Maybe he was just a private person.

 

[cherrymeg]

If you sleuth with people you know do they use your real name?

I happen to because I have nothing to hide. Plus I’m not creative with screen names lol. People have found me on FB and it hasn’t been all fun and games but meh.

I know a lot of people who just like to stay private. Maybe there’s no real mystery. Maybe he was just a private person.

I do too. I have nothing to hide here. It's too much work to keep track of multiple names and passwords. I have facebook stalker profiles that I can't keep track of. They are devoted to finding the dog my ex stole.

 

[ilovepierre]

Is it normal to give a false name or lie to people you meet on trails?

From what I understand, yes.
Most hikers have trail names and those are the names they use while hiking.

 

[Gardener1850]

Is it normal to give a false name or lie to people you meet on trails?

Trail names are normal and a time honored tradition on the AT. When you think about it, it makes sense from a basic security/personal safety viewpoint not to give your real name and not tell exactly where you live to strangers who are also aware that you plan to not be home for 6-8 months. Many people take the trail in sections or hike only part or may hike for just a day or two. You don't have any way of knowing that the people you meet are honest. They could go back home, look you up online and then go rob your house or steal your car while you hike. Just like you shouldn't post on a public social media account when you are going on vacation for the next two weeks. That's like inviting thieves to case your house. A lot of hikers might make friends and trust someone enough to tell a real first name after a while. Apparently Denim never got that close to anyone. But it's not that unusual, from what I have read, to not tell your real name to strangers on the trail. However, it was unusual that he used an alias at a hostel and had a large amount of cash with him. MOO.

 

[Gardener1850]

I saw a fb comment somewhere saying he bought a burner phone and used it for a short time and got rid of it when he didn’t need it anymore. Anyone else see that?

I've never seen that anywhere. I read he borrowed other hiker's phones at times to make reservations at a hostel when he needed to (or asked people with phones to call a hostel shuttle for him). How would anyone know if he bought a burner phone and then got rid of it later? No one was following him all the way on his journey. I think that might have been speculation about the use of burner phones. MOO.

 

[Gardener1850]

If he had an ID a social security number and anything else could it have been taken before his body was reported. Good credit is worth more that a couple thousand dollars.

Why would someone steal his ID but leave thousands of dollars in cash in his backpack? I doubt he had his social security card on him to hike the trail. MOO.

 

[cherrymeg]

Why would someone steal his ID but leave thousands of dollars in cash in his backpack? I doubt he had his social security card on him to hike the trail. MOO.

I don't know what you should have with you on a trail. If you travel through different states and want to work you could need your social. I know it's a stretch and a half a new identity could appeal to people. Is it possible he had more money?

 

[cherrymeg]

Trail names are normal and a time honored tradition on the AT. When you think about it, it makes sense from a basic security/personal safety viewpoint not to give your real name and not tell exactly where you live to strangers who are also aware that you plan to not be home for 6-8 months. Many people take the trail in sections or hike only part or may hike for just a day or two. You don't have any way of knowing that the people you meet are honest. They could go back home, look you up online and then go rob your house or steal your car while you hike. Just like you shouldn't post on a public social media account when you are going on vacation for the next two weeks. That's like inviting thieves to case your house. A lot of hikers might make friends and trust someone enough to tell a real first name after a while. Apparently Denim never got that close to anyone. But it's not that unusual, from what I have read, to not tell your real name to strangers on the trail. However, it was unusual that he used an alias at a hostel and had a large amount of cash with him. MOO.

That makes sense not telling people your home is unoccupied. Do people carry emergency contact phone numbers with them? Or do most people have cell phones? It seems like people hike alone and with no ID or hidden IDs so if something happens there should be a way to contact someone.
Is there a place that rents lockers or somewhere you can keep your stuff stored safely along the trail? I don't know if hostels need IDs but most motels ask for it even when they take cash. If you stay at a hostel do they want your real name in case something happens to you? Or if you destroy property?

 

[Gardener1850]

I don't know what you should have with you on a trail. If you travel through different states and want to work you could need your social. I know it's a stretch and a half a new identity could appeal to people. Is it possible he had more money?

Most hikers don't plan to pick up jobs along the way. They save up money and do their hike while in between jobs or in between school and starting a career or sometimes they retire and decide to hike the trail. But they are usually not stopping to work places other than a few hostels on the trail that let you stay in exchange for doing farm chores-- but that is not a job where any money changes hands. In general, it is not smart to carry your SS card with you in your wallet at all times. Most of the time you won't need to show an actual SS card, you just need the number. It's safer to have your number memorized and keep your card in a safe at home or a safety deposit box at the bank. JMO.

As for the money-- sure anything is possible. He might have a large bank account that is sitting dormant and he might have children or other beneficiaries that would inherit his money-- assuming it is not stolen. I keep worrying that he might be a fugitive like Jason Derek Brown: Jason Derek Brown - Wikipedia