stringofpurls
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- Aug 15, 2017
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He went to DragonCon. Before this year, I'd attended for the past 12 years. Our paths may have crossed and we'll never know.
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He was a fan of Rage Against The Machine. I'm sure he would have been happy to see their reunion, whenever that is.He went to DragonCon. Before this year, I'd attended for the past 12 years. Our paths may have crossed and we'll never know.
Nah. He was wearing denim shorts.He has. And now that it's official I believe his original Trail Name was also a giant clue that was mis-interpreted by us / attributed to other hikers as a nickname due to him possibly wearing "blue jeans" (did he actually do that? Is that factual?).
Denham Springs, Louisianna.
"Denham" --- pronounced or misheard as "Denim".
So thankful that those who love him have him back and that his identity is known.
Nah. He was wearing denim shorts.
Yes, except I think they were shorts.IIRC another hiker(s) nicknamed HIM that after seeing him in jeans on the trail.
A company called Sandpiper Films is shopping a documentary on Vance. What do you guys think? I think it is a huge mistake. How can they accurately portray anything when even now, after we know his identity, so much of it is a mystery? He was alone so much, particularly that last 3 months of his life
A company called Sandpiper Films is shopping a documentary on Vance. What do you guys think? I think it is a huge mistake. How can they accurately portray anything when even now, after we know his identity, so much of it is a mystery? He was alone so much, particularly that last 3 months of his life
A company called Sandpiper Films is shopping a documentary on Vance. What do you guys think? I think it is a huge mistake. How can they accurately portray anything when even now, after we know his identity, so much of it is a mystery? He was alone so much, particularly that last 3 months of his life
We were lucky enough to know the good side of Vance. The mostly harmless side. I’m eternally grateful for that. I hope those who knew the other side of him find some solace in all this. I think maybe there are some people who feel a sense of freedom now. Including Vance. I hope he’s resting peacefully.
A company called Sandpiper Films is shopping a documentary on Vance. What do you guys think? I think it is a huge mistake. How can they accurately portray anything when even now, after we know his identity, so much of it is a mystery? He was alone so much, particularly that last 3 months of his life
I can see now why Vance went to the lengths he did to leave his identify, among other things, behind when he set out on his hike. I think in a way he may have been trying to leave behind the self he’d become because even he didn’t like that self. I’m sure he knew that with or without his physical ID, no one was going to be missing him for awhile. I suppose that’s a bed he made for himself, but it’s still a heartbreaking truth.
Maybe he thought a thru hike, something way out of his comfort zone, would cure his hopelessness and helplessness. What he had been doing wasn’t working. Or maybe he knew that’d never happen and he just left. He may have known the day he left that he’d never be returning or he may not have had a clue what would happen. Just that he couldn’t be where he was in that moment in his life. I’ve been there.
There’s something deeply saddening about knowing now how he certainly was suffering in his final days. And I don’t mean physically. Physical pain is often times easier to live with than psychological pain. And it sounds like he had been fighting a great battle within himself for quite sometime. I can only begin to imagine how he felt.
I think those who say he looked happier on the trail are probably right. And due in part to the short term nature of the relationships he formed. We didn’t know him personally, but a picture is worth a thousand words. In hindsight you can see the pain in his eyes still, but there is an almost childlike smile on his face in most of his trail photos. Like he’d barely began living. I’d like to believe that he was experiencing a type of joy and carefreeness that he hadn’t felt in awhile, if ever at all. I don’t doubt that he felt remorse, for lack of a better word, for the bad things he’d done to others.
That year of happiness is a long time for someone who suffers greatly from mental illness. Again, I’m speaking from experience.
Vance’s story will stick with me for a very long time. It didn’t turn out to be the romantic love story we’d conjured up, but it is a compelling one nonetheless. I think it’s a story we all can relate to in one way or another. It’s complex, it’s mysterious, it’s good, it’s evil...it’s life. However flawed it was. We all have one. We all have stories to tell.
We were lucky enough to know the good side of Vance. The mostly harmless side. I’m eternally grateful for that. I hope those who knew the other side of him find some solace in all this. I think maybe there are some people who feel a sense of freedom now. Including Vance. I hope he’s resting peacefully.
(These are simply my own thoughts and opinions)
A company called Sandpiper Films is shopping a documentary on Vance. What do you guys think? I think it is a huge mistake. How can they accurately portray anything when even now, after we know his identity, so much of it is a mystery? He was alone so much, particularly that last 3 months of his life
That's the first time I've heard of him wearing shorts, especially considering he started his hike in New York state. Also it sounds like his preferred mode of dress according to his friends was a bit Goth.Nah. He was wearing denim shorts.
A company called Sandpiper Films is shopping a documentary on Vance. What do you guys think? I think it is a huge mistake. How can they accurately portray anything when even now, after we know his identity, so much of it is a mystery? He was alone so much, particularly that last 3 months of his life