Thank you for taking the time to type all that out. It is exactly what i would've typed if I had decided to share my own gut instinct on this case.
I've always thought that either he hitchhiked and something terrible happened to him, or he wrecked a bike in the mountains/ near the reservoir/ on the way to Bayfield (were any missing from anyplace or reported missing that day nearby I wonder?).. I keep wondering if all of the possible bike trails between Durango and Bayfield have been really thoroughly checked.. or if they HAD been, before the snow started..
eta: it would be nice of them to go ahead and print a list of items believed to be in his backpack. That way, if he had a fall off a bike and his bag fell some distance and broke open and clothing scattered about somewhere, people might have half a chance of realizing they were looking at Dylan's belongings and would then call someone in to search the nearby terrain.