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

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inmyhumbleopinion said:
That’s what I thought, too. But after I saw @EllieGato ’s post about Andy “Astro” Lyon yesterday, I read up on him a bit, and I’m not so sure ...:

“YAKIMA — You’re 23 years old with recurring cancer.

Do you withdraw from society? Visit every doctor you can find?

Or embark on an epic adventure?

Andy Lyon chose adventure. In April, the Laguna Beach, Calif., native loaded his backpack and set off alone on the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada.

Now, just 361 miles from the finish in British Columbia and facing the last few weeks of safe weather, Lyon’s Hodgkin’s lymphoma has flared up again. But he’s hoping a new treatment he received Wednesday will get him back on the trail at White Pass by this weekend.

[SBM]

He started April 7 after extensive preparations. He invested in an ultra-lightweight backpack, sleeping bag and tent, which together weigh less than 5 pounds. With food and water, his pack hovers just above 20 pounds.

That’s a good thing, as he has to walk about 20 miles a day through often grueling terrain: The PCT passes through the Sierra Nevada mountain range and the Mojave Desert in California, then through the Cascades in Oregon and Washington.

[SBM]

‘I knew that … whatever happened on the trail, even if I died on the trail, that would be the right thing. That would be my time and my place to go, and what better way to go than on an amazing mountain?’

His mother, who chronicles his journey through a blog and sends him food along the way, is on board.

‘I just want him to be happy,’ said Betsy Gosselin, who came to Yakima to help arrange treatment for her son.

[SBM]” (BBM)
Hiker with lymphoma finds healing on 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail

“There’s a tradition among thru-hikers to take on trail names. Not only do these handles represent membership in the tribe, they’re also an acknowledgement that the things that happen on a long-distance hike transcend normal life.

Andy wants his trail name to be about his diet. Whereas other hikers’ food bags—especially guys his age—contain Snickers Bars and instant ramen noodles, Andy’s is an apothecary of organic foods and vitamins. He wants to be known for running on such premium fuel. Then, a week and a day after leaving the southern terminus, he meets Gourmet.

Andy is already in his tent when Gourmet cruises past on the purple-painted desert flats 75 miles north of the border, rapping about snowboarding. He camps a short distance away, and, the next morning, Gourmet apologizes for the disturbance. But Andy just laughs and asks him to sing the lyrics once again. Gourmet is a 39-year-old musician from Seattle, doing his first thru-hike, but Andy doesn’t ask his real name. Nor does he tell him—or anyone else—that he has cancer. The two become quick friends.

[SBM]

Ten months after finishing the PCT, Andy steadies himself against the railing as he walks to the Crystal Hermitage Guest House at Ananda Village, his spiritual community in Northern California. Four days later, on the morning of August 30, his mother wakes him so they can watch the dawn. It is Andy’s last sunrise.” (BBM)
Gone Hiking | Backpacker
Click to expand...
I guess it is possible, but our hiker had an ultra-heavy pack and walked very slowly. He also hiked fairly long stretches with the same people, and they never mentioned him being sick at all. Even with a disease or illness that would allow him to hike, I can't imagine he would be symptom-free for such a long time. And I haven't seen any concrete proof indicating he knew or wanted to die. As Gardener stated, he had plans for the future.

I really wish the coroner/CCSO would just clear this up already!
 
I started following this story earlier this week. He looks so familiar to me but I don’t know how. I have been all over the internet looking for “clues” and while I can’t pin his identity, I do have some theories. I listened to the podcasts to and from work today.

I don’t think he was terminally ill or in trouble with the law. I think he had suffered from some sort of loss-a break up or the death of a loved one. I think he was looking for a fresh start and enjoyed he opportunity to remain anonymous while hiking. I do think he had future plans hence the coding on the notepad and the energy bar recipes.

As far as the cause of death, I think his knees gave out or he suffered some kind of injury and he got “stuck” in the tent, resulting in him dropping so much weight and eventually starving to death. He had been carrying 50 pounds on his back which is probably why only wanted to do about 10 miles a day.

At this point, until the University of North Texas can link his DNA, social media is going to be the most powerful tool to get him recognized beyond the hiking community. Somebody’s has got to recognize him from his life prior to 2017. Last March, he told a fellow hiker that friends had put his stuff storage before he started hiking. I also think they need to edit one of the photos to show what he looked like without facial hair.

I could be wrong, these are just my thoughts. I hope they are able to find his next of kin or a close friend so that he can finally “go home”
 
UnlicensedPI said:
FWIW, I saw an exchange in the Facebook comments of a post about him. Someone said he told other hikers he was ill and was hiking while he still could. Obsidian (JV) said that DOES NOT sound like him.

I also don't believe someone with a terminal illness could hike for more than a year without symptoms or medical treatment and then suddenly within a few months drop weight and die. Sounds more like a parasite or something similar. A terminal illness just does not make any sense for his circumstances.
Click to expand...

I had no idea Obsidian comented on that! Hmm that definitely makes me doubt everything I’ve thought so far...
I just wanted to add that it’s definitely possible to be terminally ill, be symptom-free for a year or longer and then have your condition worsen horribly fast and die in a matter of months.
I personally know of one person who loved sailing and when he got diagnosed with terminal cancer the doctor told him to sell his boat and use the money to make himself comfortable because he only had about 4 months left to live. The guy felt absolutely insulted by this suggestion and went on to sell his house and properties and decided to sail around the world. He sent a postcard to that doctor from every harbour he visited stating he was still alive and kicking. He lived for another year and a half before he passed away.
The body really is a strange thing...
Again, I’m not sure that he had cancer, I just wanted to add that the circumstances certainly do not make it impossible.

I agree with Gardner, the fact that he was still writing code for games and thinking up recepies for protein bars, doesn’t sound like a man who knows he’s about to die. But then it could be something he did out of habbit. The fact that he didn’t leave a note behind, doesn’t mean anything to me though. Plenty of people don’t leave a note. It’s possible he already said his goodbyes or had noone he wished to say goodbye to, nor cared what would happen with his body when it was found. I would think that you would write a note when you were ill instead. But that’s all my personal opinion and not fact.

In short, to me the most convincing evidence that he wasn’t terminally ill is that Obsidian said it didn’t sound like him (because I absolutely believe her) and that he was still writing code (though it convinces me less than Obsidian).

I’m not sold on the parasite/virus theory... I looked up the most common parasite(s) on the AT. The most common one is Giardia Lamblia which can be found in infected water. Without treatment you’d suffer from diarrhea for a couple of months but it wouldn’t cause you to starve to death. (If -and that’s a big if- he would die because of a severe form of diarrhea, he would have died because of dehydration and not because of starvation/malnutrition). If he was in great health I just cannot see how he could deteriorate to the point of starvation because of a simple virus or parasite. Drinking polluted water would strike me as odd as well because he had been hiking for over a year so surely he must have known he can’t just drink from whatever watersource he found. If he ran out of water, he could have boiled water he found. It would suprise me if he would not think of that.

I would really love to know what was in his backpack because I’ve read people stating in this thread that he had bottles of water in his tent/backpack but I have no idea where that “information” came from or if it’s even true...

Ugh the mystery surrounding the exact circumstances of his death is almost more frustrating than not knowing his identity.
 
Owutatangledweb said:
Didn't they do an autopsy? Surely they would know more about his health, injuries etc if they did. Perhaps a stroke? Couldn't move? Couldn't remember how to eat? They HAVE to know more than we do.
Click to expand...

The coroner declared the cause of death to be malnutrition. I'm not sure we will get any more info than that since it was a natural death and not a homicide. He had no injuries.
 
Well, I feel like I can honestly say...
I have explored every possible idea that has passed before my eyes. I have examined every scrap of info that passes here and scrutinized it's validity. I have told over a hundred stories to find one that holds up to those things I could believe and those I could not. I have read and examined the stories of other people that I thought I might learn something from. I believe, until now, I have remained reasonably objective, despite my public hopes and my very private fears. I have sent out 122 emailed flyers to storage units and gaming buy/sell/trade stores in the NY area between Unionville, Bear Mountain and NYC. I sent paper flyers to Western NC and greater Atlanta areas to people I know who can and have already begun to hang them in strategic places for hikers, holistic relief seekers, hostelers, gamers, and places where others who remain off the grid go. I have scoured maps, read blogs, trail forums, job listings, newspaper announcements, and took multiple 12 minute crash courses on a number of different subjects.
At times, I've been excited about possible breaks and let down by the lack of new information. And honestly, I cried, I've chuckled, I've belly laughed, and then I cried a bit more. And a little more after that.

But all in all, I am pretty much back around to my initial guess, and I agree with many of you. I believe Mostly Harmless set out on his journey after finding himself at a crossroads. I think he was "stuck" and the stress of him being stuck was pushing him to the point where he questioned himself, 'who am i?' 'what have I become?' And he needed to reconcile that somewhere within. I believe MH leaned on 'friends' perhaps early on in his crises, before he departed, but recent circumstances informed him that trust left him vulnerable, a bit of skepticism was healthy, and privacy is something to cherish. I also believe that he had a memory of who he was and who he wanted to be... fiercely independent, good natured, gracious, with a sense of humor and a desire to explore, to create, to move, to experience our beautiful planet that may not be here forever (Douglas Adams), or at least not in this form. And I think he remembered himself being a person who doesn't give up... I think he believed in himself.

Sadly, I also think that his death was entirely accidental and there was no previous diagnosis of a terminal illness like cancer or the likes. I can't deny my suspicions of a possible small mental health crises, but extreme stress can do the strangest things to the even the sanest people, even if it only factored into the tiniest decision to not call out, "help" to passing footsteps nearby.

I have hiked a decent amount in my life, not so much now... at 47 the back aches, the knees grind, and what I need in my pack has grown to be too heavy. My longest camp/hike ever was 10 days near Lake Champlain in summer 15 years ago. Easy peasy. My hardest camp/hike ever was a 7 day trek thru big cypress preserve way back in winter 1999. Before MH, I would push back the fear and panic that returned with thoughts of that trip. It was the only time hiking I ever remember being scared, and I was never lost, only hungry to replace the calories it took to move through the swampy preserve and stay on alert for anything that moved. But I made it out, obviously, and up until last August (and MH) what I remembered most about that hike was the Arbys in Naples and how good it was after making it out, and for me, that's odd. And then there was the hotel in Naples where I stayed for 3 nights to recover before riding 13 hours back home. But the past 7 months I remembered more than the fear and the Arbys. It was a beautiful experience that made me feel alive.

I've admittedly lost any objectivity. All this has an overlay of my own personal experience. I can't help myself. It is the personal connection that brought me here. I have fought it all along.

Dear Ben Bilemy, there are people trying to get you 'home'. Hopefully it's just a matter of time. I am really very sorry you died. I remain hopeful that you found what you were looking for.
Elliegato
 
EllieGato said:
Well, I feel like I can honestly say...
I have explored every possible idea that has passed before my eyes. I have examined every scrap of info that passes here and scrutinized it's validity. I have told over a hundred stories to find one that holds up to those things I could believe and those I could not. I have read and examined the stories of other people that I thought I might learn something from. I believe, until now, I have remained reasonably objective, despite my public hopes and my very private fears. I have sent out 122 emailed flyers to storage units and gaming buy/sell/trade stores in the NY area between Unionville, Bear Mountain and NYC. I sent paper flyers to Western NC and greater Atlanta areas to people I know who can and have already begun to hang them in strategic places for hikers, holistic relief seekers, hostelers, gamers, and places where others who remain off the grid go. I have scoured maps, read blogs, trail forums, job listings, newspaper announcements, and took multiple 12 minute crash courses on a number of different subjects.
At times, I've been excited about possible breaks and let down by the lack of new information. And honestly, I cried, I've chuckled, I've belly laughed, and then I cried a bit more. And a little more after that.

But all in all, I am pretty much back around to my initial guess, and I agree with many of you. I believe Mostly Harmless set out on his journey after finding himself at a crossroads. I think he was "stuck" and the stress of him being stuck was pushing him to the point where he questioned himself, 'who am i?' 'what have I become?' And he needed to reconcile that somewhere within. I believe MH leaned on 'friends' perhaps early on in his crises, before he departed, but recent circumstances informed him that trust left him vulnerable, a bit of skepticism was healthy, and privacy is something to cherish. I also believe that he had a memory of who he was and who he wanted to be... fiercely independent, good natured, gracious, with a sense of humor and a desire to explore, to create, to move, to experience our beautiful planet that may not be here forever (Douglas Adams), or at least not in this form. And I think he remembered himself being a person who doesn't give up... I think he believed in himself.

Sadly, I also think that his death was entirely accidental and there was no previous diagnosis of a terminal illness like cancer or the likes. I can't deny my suspicions of a possible small mental health crises, but extreme stress can do the strangest things to the even the sanest people, even if it only factored into the tiniest decision to not call out, "help" to passing footsteps nearby.

I have hiked a decent amount in my life, not so much now... at 47 the back aches, the knees grind, and what I need in my pack has grown to be too heavy. My longest camp/hike ever was 10 days near Lake Champlain in summer 15 years ago. Easy peasy. My hardest camp/hike ever was a 7 day trek thru big cypress preserve way back in winter 1999. Before MH, I would push back the fear and panic that returned with thoughts of that trip. It was the only time hiking I ever remember being scared, and I was never lost, only hungry to replace the calories it took to move through the swampy preserve and stay on alert for anything that moved. But I made it out, obviously, and up until last August (and MH) what I remembered most about that hike was the Arbys in Naples and how good it was after making it out, and for me, that's odd. And then there was the hotel in Naples where I stayed for 3 nights to recover before riding 13 hours back home. But the past 7 months I remembered more than the fear and the Arbys. It was a beautiful experience that made me feel alive.

I've admittedly lost any objectivity. All this has an overlay of my own personal experience. I can't help myself. It is the personal connection that brought me here. I have fought it all along.

Dear Ben Bilemy, there are people trying to get you 'home'. Hopefully it's just a matter of time. I am really very sorry you died. I remain hopeful that you found what you were looking for.
Elliegato
Click to expand...
That's a beautiful sentiment...and now you have the rest of us crying with you, and laughing at ourselves for it.

I think this is personal for so many of us. I know my theory stems from my own experiences. I think he worked with computers, got disillusioned with life after a decade, and decided to live a polar opposite life. I go through periods of "purging" in my life where I get bored, uncomfortable, or otherwise dissatisfied and I need to change things up in a drastic way to feel better. I work on a computer all day and started doing small hikes because of this man, his incredible journey and infectious joy.

MH is kind of the Everyman, easy to project our own selves onto and representative of us all. I think that's why he looks so familiar to so many, as well.

Ben, you are a stranger to no one.
 
EllieGato said:
Well, I feel like I can honestly say...
I have explored every possible idea that has passed before my eyes. I have examined every scrap of info that passes here and scrutinized it's validity. I have told over a hundred stories to find one that holds up to those things I could believe and those I could not. I have read and examined the stories of other people that I thought I might learn something from. I believe, until now, I have remained reasonably objective, despite my public hopes and my very private fears. I have sent out 122 emailed flyers to storage units and gaming buy/sell/trade stores in the NY area between Unionville, Bear Mountain and NYC. I sent paper flyers to Western NC and greater Atlanta areas to people I know who can and have already begun to hang them in strategic places for hikers, holistic relief seekers, hostelers, gamers, and places where others who remain off the grid go. I have scoured maps, read blogs, trail forums, job listings, newspaper announcements, and took multiple 12 minute crash courses on a number of different subjects.
At times, I've been excited about possible breaks and let down by the lack of new information. And honestly, I cried, I've chuckled, I've belly laughed, and then I cried a bit more. And a little more after that.

But all in all, I am pretty much back around to my initial guess, and I agree with many of you. I believe Mostly Harmless set out on his journey after finding himself at a crossroads. I think he was "stuck" and the stress of him being stuck was pushing him to the point where he questioned himself, 'who am i?' 'what have I become?' And he needed to reconcile that somewhere within. I believe MH leaned on 'friends' perhaps early on in his crises, before he departed, but recent circumstances informed him that trust left him vulnerable, a bit of skepticism was healthy, and privacy is something to cherish. I also believe that he had a memory of who he was and who he wanted to be... fiercely independent, good natured, gracious, with a sense of humor and a desire to explore, to create, to move, to experience our beautiful planet that may not be here forever (Douglas Adams), or at least not in this form. And I think he remembered himself being a person who doesn't give up... I think he believed in himself.

Sadly, I also think that his death was entirely accidental and there was no previous diagnosis of a terminal illness like cancer or the likes. I can't deny my suspicions of a possible small mental health crises, but extreme stress can do the strangest things to the even the sanest people, even if it only factored into the tiniest decision to not call out, "help" to passing footsteps nearby.

I have hiked a decent amount in my life, not so much now... at 47 the back aches, the knees grind, and what I need in my pack has grown to be too heavy. My longest camp/hike ever was 10 days near Lake Champlain in summer 15 years ago. Easy peasy. My hardest camp/hike ever was a 7 day trek thru big cypress preserve way back in winter 1999. Before MH, I would push back the fear and panic that returned with thoughts of that trip. It was the only time hiking I ever remember being scared, and I was never lost, only hungry to replace the calories it took to move through the swampy preserve and stay on alert for anything that moved. But I made it out, obviously, and up until last August (and MH) what I remembered most about that hike was the Arbys in Naples and how good it was after making it out, and for me, that's odd. And then there was the hotel in Naples where I stayed for 3 nights to recover before riding 13 hours back home. But the past 7 months I remembered more than the fear and the Arbys. It was a beautiful experience that made me feel alive.

I've admittedly lost any objectivity. All this has an overlay of my own personal experience. I can't help myself. It is the personal connection that brought me here. I have fought it all along.

Dear Ben Bilemy, there are people trying to get you 'home'. Hopefully it's just a matter of time. I am really very sorry you died. I remain hopeful that you found what you were looking for.
Elliegato
Click to expand...
Thank you for all of your hard work(emails, flyers, etc.) Somewhere, beyond the hiking trails, somebody is missing their loved one. I have hear mention of his sister several times. I’m going to start working that angle.

I keep telling myself-“6 degrees to Kevin Bacon”
 
This story stays with me because I enjoy hiking and being outdoors tremendously. I'm certainly not a hardcharger like Mostly Harmless, taking on the AP trail as a thru-hiker. But I get it. It's also a reminder of how things can change very quickly when you're hiking alone, there are plenty of dangers. MotherNature while magnificent, can be very unforgiving.

Here's to pushing forward and not forgetting about our mystery hiker, Mostly Harmless.
 
Classito said:
They were ruling out people instantly that had no tatoos, DNA, Fingerprints or Dental records in any database...
Click to expand...

It was said in the podcast they are using dental records and fingerprints. Respectfully, how can you know that LE have ruled out people without consulting any records when that info is no longer publicly viewable info on NAMUS? Only LE knows if an MP has DNA, Dentals and Fingerprints on NAMUS ever since the website changed last year. Our hiker currently has his fingerprints and dental records in the system but his DNA is not complete yet according to the podcast. I was surprised at how quickly LE replied to messages saying that a submitted MP wasn't him too, but most likely they had many duplicate suggestions of missing persons and a list of who has been ruled out. JMO.
 
I got a hit from a flyer. The email said to call in tips to the official numbers or websites for tips, however I did include my phone number. So somebody called me and left a message from a blocked number. English isn't their first language. He said he would call back. It is a blocked number, I should have answered. I will, I will. It's obviously from a storage place and i think he was asking if someone was going to pay the fees, if I understood him right. I am wondering if it is legit. He said, 'no name, no name, number only, only number' Hopefully this man will call back soon. I will answer. OMG, please call back.
 
EllieGato said:
Somebody check CCSO fb for any messages in broken English or about a storage unit. I refused to join so I'm not able to see the comments.
Click to expand...
I haven’t seen anything from a storage unit employee or owner in the CCSO FB page and I’ve been on it all morning. I will let you know if I do. If the unit doesn’t get paid it will go up for auction in a few months....
 
EllieGato said:
I got a hit from a flyer. The email said to call in tips to the official numbers or websites for tips, however I did include my phone number. So somebody called me and left a message from a blocked number. English isn't their first language. He said he would call back. It is a blocked number, I should have answered. I will, I will. It's obviously from a storage place and i think he was asking if someone was going to pay the fees, if I understood him right. I am wondering if it is legit. He said, 'no name, no name, number only, only number' Hopefully this man will call back soon. I will answer. OMG, please call back.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen anything about a storage unit. I'm sorry to say this sounds like you had a scam caller. Family members of missing persons often have these type of scam calls and messages where someone says they have info but they want money first. It sounds like you got something similar.
Probably better to only include the LE contact info and let them deal with whatever info they get. JMO.
 
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