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

[RickshawFan]

Looked at some "HOW TO PACK FOR AN APPALACHIAN TRAIL THRU-HIKE" lists and came up with this.

Tent
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Warm coat
Rain jacket
Shoes/Boots
Socks
Change of clothes & socks
Bandana or beanie/warm cap
Gloves
First Aid kit
Water filter
Water bottle
Stove
Food: Energy bars, nuts, dried fruit, beef jerky
Cook-Kit
Toiletries: toothbrush/paste, soap, hand-sanitizer, razor
Towel
Potty kit
Light w/batteries
Compass
Trail maps
Knife/Utility tool
Matches/Lighter
Bear Cannister
Bug Spray
Duct tape/nylon rope
Water-proof bag/s

Seems kinda' hefty when you pack it all up. But, it's very possible he didn't pack all of these items and/or maybe he shared/left items for others along the way. Either way... he didn't have all these items when found.

Bwahaha! Someone is jiving you. That's not how a thru hiker packs for an AT thru hike. That looks like a list from someone who is FANTASIZING about doing an AT thru hike, and has made a shopping list based on a youthful boy scout overnighter.

Let's see: ditch the towel, the extra outfit, the "potty" kit, the "light", the bear cannister, maybe a tarp not a tent, trail maps, cook kit, first aid kit (use duct tape), "warm coat". But you also need FOOD (calculate 2 lbs per person per day)! Not snacks! More than one water bottle, a headlamp, a stove and a cup, long underwear bottoms, a lightweight puffy jacket...

Also, many of these items are much smaller than you'd imagine... The food bag is generally very large, however.

Most thru hikers aim for a weight of 20-30 lbs including food and water, weight of pack, sleeping bag etc. A 50 liter pack is plenty. I got down to a 35 liter pack with my cold-season gear.

This hiker's pack looks to be a 70-or so liter Gregory Stout.

 

[RickshawFan]

This is the pack, I'm pretty sure. It's a Gregory Stout. See how the belt buckle has a male half that's cream colored and a female half that's grey?

GREGORY Stout 75 Pack

OR (I can't tell exact volume from hiker's photo; although from the way it towers over him, I would say the 75)

GREGORY Stout 65 Pack 

IIRC, the included pack cover for that pack is red. The hiker's cover may look overly baggy because his pack is not very full.

Incidentally, that's not an expensive pack, but it's very well made and fits ALOT of people very well. It's not that heavy. It is a good choice for a long-distance hike (if you get one in a practical volume), unless you're focused on eliminating every spare ounce.

 

[fred&edna]

Bwahaha! Someone is jiving you. That's not how a thru hiker packs for an AT thru hike. That looks like a list from someone who is FANTASIZING about doing an AT thru hike, and has made a shopping list based on a youthful boy scout overnighter.

Let's see: ditch the towel, the extra outfit, the "potty" kit, the bear cannister, maybe a tarp not a tent, trail maps, cook kit, first aid kit (use duct tape), "warm coat". But you also need FOOD (calculate 2 lbs per person per day)! Not snacks! More than one water bottle, a stove and a cup, long underwear bottoms, a lightweight puffy jacket...

Also, many of these items are much smaller than you'd imagine... The food bag is generally very large, however.

Most thru hikers aim for a weight of 20-30 lbs including food and water, weight of pack, sleeping bag etc. A 50 liter pack is plenty. I got down to a 35 liter pack with my cold-season gear.

This hiker's pack looks to be a 70-or so liter Gregory Stout.

I was raised in the Appalachian mountains but spent very little time "roughing-it", and I was a Girl Scout but not a very good one... I think it shows

 

[RickshawFan]

*******

I think the camping in Bear Mountain park for two weeks could be ominous, if he were homeless/living rough versus just out to hike. Not a lot of people who are capable of meaningful employment would choose to do that......

Ummmmmm... there's no relationship between camping and being unemployable. I used to camp on business trips, just because it was more relaxing for me at night. And I wasn't the only one emerging from the restroom in a suit at the crack of dawn!

Camping is great if you're between apartments, between jobs, between relationships, between employment and retirement....

One year, I camped 100 nights while full-time employed.

There are people out there camping year round! Another example that you might not have thought of but could look forward to? When you turn 62 you can get a National Parks Pass that will give you half price camping at federal campgrounds (yes, several thousand campgrounds). There are a whole lotta 62 year olds out there for months and months and years, and it's not that they're unemployable!

So forget about unemployable and camping.

 

[Gardener1850]

This is the pack, I'm pretty sure. It's a Gregory Stout. See how the belt buckle has a male half that's cream colored and a female half that's grey?

GREGORY Stout 75 Pack

OR (I can't tell exact volume from hiker's photo; although from the way it towers over him, I would say the 75)

GREGORY Stout 65 Pack

IIRC, the included pack cover for that pack is red. The hiker's cover may look overly baggy because his pack is not very full.

Incidentally, that's not an expensive pack, but it's very well made and fits ALOT of people very well. It's not that heavy. It is a good choice for a long-distance hike (if you get one in a practical volume), unless you're focused on eliminating every spare ounce.

Yes, I think that is his pack. Good eye. The white buckle shows it was made that way originally.

 

[RickshawFan]

Thanks for the info about people leaving things behind for others. I think he could have picked up the trekking poles this way-- either from another hiker or at a store along the way. They are cheap and available at Walmart, unlike the rest of his main gear. The tent, hiking pack, boots and coat are more expensive items that I would not expect to be given away.
Some estimated values:
Brooks Range tent retails around $350-$400
Brooks Range Mojave Down Jacket around $150-$300
Gregory hiking pack around $200-$280
Salomon Boots $150-$175

By contrast, the Outdoor Product trekking poles he had only cost $15-$20 at Walmart. Better quality trekking poles sold at the Mountaineer store in Keene Valley range in price from $75 to $160.

If he had one expensive item like the tent only I might be able to believe it was given to him or he got it second hand but all the expensive items together (that happen to all be sold at an upstate New York hiking store) makes me think he purchased them at a time when he still had plenty of money or money wasn't a concern. JMO.

I'm thinking he bought them second-hand, maybe lightly worn from a thru hiker who left the trail, or eBay, or Craigslist.

I don't believe the Brooks Range tent in the photos is the Foray (which has been reported); the Foray is bigger and has a fly. See my comments upthread on Brooks Range. I am extremely underwhelmed except by the outlandish price.

The Salomon "boots" are very worn. They should have been replaced many miles ago. Actually, they may have been discards.

The Gregory pack is <$200.

 

[RickshawFan]

Yes, I think that is his pack. Good eye. The white buckle shows it was made that way originally.

At first, I thought the white buckle was a jury-rig, but I realized that pack must be the Stout, I looked it up, and voilà, a white buckle, which is really kind of odd.

 

[RickshawFan]

I also want to know what was in his backpack that made it so heavy.

Water?

How do we know it was heavy?

 

[Gardener1850]

How do we know it was heavy?

His pack weighed 53.5 pounds according to a hiker (KEV) who weighed it and took a picture of the pack on the scale. They were stuck in a hostel in Damascus, VA for 2 days due to a hurricane. She tried it on and almost fell over from the weight. This was in Oct 2017. His pack may have lightened as he went, but others who met him along the way also reported his pack was on the heavy side.

 

[eucalyptuz]

Snipped for focus:
I don't believe the Brooks Range tent in the photos is the Foray (which has been reported); the Foray is bigger and has a fly. See my comments upthread on Brooks Range. I am extremely underwhelmed except by the outlandish price.

I know that Brooks Range also make (or has made) a fly-less tent in the same color called the invasion tent but its structure is on the outside of the fabric. To me, the tent shown in the sheriff’s photos has a fly, had the Brooks Range labeling and was identified as the Foray by LE.
Comparing the sheriff’s photo with others of the same model I feel pretty confident that it’s the Foray...

 

[Gardener1850]

I know that Brooks Range also make (or has made) a fly-less tent in the same color called the invasion tent but it’s structure is on the outside of the fabric. To me, the tent shown in the sheriffs photos has a fly, had the Brooks Range labeling and was identified as the Foray by LE.
Comparing the sheriff’s photo with others of the same model I feel pretty confident that it’s the Foray...

I agree and I think the tent actually says "Foray" on it. Somewhere I saw a clearer photo of the actual tent where the writing was in focus, but I can't seem to find that photo again.

ETA: This is not a photo of the actual tent but a manufacturer photo that shows clearly the word Foray is written on the tent:

 

[Gardener1850]

This website reviews the 2 person Foray Tent in a post from 2012: Brooks-Range Foray 2P Tent Review - Backpacking Light

It sounds as if it was new on the market in 2012.

 

[j_in_c]

Brooks Mountaineering (used) to be a boutique enough brand that most people ordered their stuff online. Anyone reached out to the company through their online sales to see if they have records of a tent and sleeping bag purchase from 2017 - or perhaps an email exchange looking for recommendations for a tent? Clearly a long shot and it is more likely he purchased in person, but if there are very few stores that carry it in New England, he may have just ordered online after researching online and deciding that would be the brand he wants.

 

[GraceG]

Something I can't figure out.... How would a coroner conclude that the guy weighed <90 lbs? Can you accurately get the weight of a corpse that's been decomposing for a few days?

If the body has not reached stage 3 of active decay (muscles and organs liquifying) the ME can do a quantitative post-mortem computed tomography assessment of anasarca (swelling of the skin due to effusion of fluid into the extracellular space). This means that typically autopsy body weights of such remains are elevated in part due to peripheral edema/anasarca. So althought it's not as exact as body length they can get it fairly close but if it's in error it's usually a bit on the high side. For his height, his weight would indicate severe illness or starvation.

 

[eucalyptuz]

re weight:
I found the 83 pounds to be alarming. Of all of photos we have seen of this guy, I haven’t seen one where’s he looks to be less than 100+
I wonder if he had some kind of severe gastric bug like an ecoli infection that he couldn’t beat.

 

[eucalyptuz]

Just posting this here as a possible resource:
NYC's Top 100 tech companies
Introducing NYC's Top 100 tech companies

 

[LeenC]

@RickshawFan

Couldn’t his shoes be that worn down by wearing them for over a year and hiking in them?

 

[Bigmike17]

I'm not sure about Salomon shoes and boots but with my Oboz I was able to register the boots' serial # with Oboz for a warranty. A great number of hikers purchase their equipment at REI because they are well known for their customer service and thorough records that go back for years. REI accounts are linked to email addresses and phone numbers that make returns super easy, even sending replacement items for Hikers to pick up on trail. I wonder if an investigator could complete a DB search at REI and match up the specific items purchased down to the the pack and shoe size, to narrow a field of possible contacts.

 

[reasonableguess]

My neighbor has through-hiked the AT in both directions. He mailed himself replacement boots along the route.
MTA ...not both ways in the same year

 

[RichardRyder]

There have been several messages doubting the UID Adam Patterson (Namus ID 42783 at link: Missing Person's Commentary: New to NamUs - Adam Christopher Patterson (MP #42783)) but I am new and got a little carried away. I have found some additional info and pictures that I couldn’t ignore - some of which is admittedly very circumstantial.

Can anyone who has submitted the name to Collier please confirm? I am not really comfortable doing so like some of you more experienced users. Some of you also may quickly be able to debunk my findings.

Here are some photos for comparison:
Mostly Harmless: Imgur
Mostly Harmless collage: https://www.websleuths.com/forums/attachments/adfdff76-9b0d-41e6-af3d-7b5c081946d1-jpeg.143471/
Adam Patterson: Imgur

Of interest to me:
1. AP has very little social media presence - followed less than 100 accounts - but did follow many android/microsoft/google app development accounts - although his professional life did not seem to use it (captain of charter boat/water taxi)
2. Followed a “big” developer from Brooklyn NY, first name Ben, last name not with a B
3. He and most all of his friends are VERY into hiking and camping (several started lifestyle brands in the industry). Can find several trips he was on but not ususally in pictures. Did not see any of the same gear from Mostly Harmless, but that is expected based on the nature of his disappearance
4. There was no visible drop off in normal activity prior to his disappearance other than the news article that said there were marriage “problems” 10 days before disappearance. Was involved in big projects and normal work.
5. Strangely - none of his close friends posted any sort of concern about his disappearance or memorial type stuff. Several, including SO, were out camping with friends just days after.
6. One close family member, 6 months after his disappearance, made a post about going through hard times and asked “What would anyone do if they knew they only had 365 days left to live? Would you tell loved ones, act like nothing was happening, or make a big change?”. The message does not seem to be related to anything else in their own life. (yes major assumption on my part)
7. Looks-wise, there are a few big things for me.
NOSE - The changing of the nose based on different angles - when you compare similar pics it helps. At similar angles the nostrils are very similar.
TEETH - in the pics at the link I posted, the teeth are VERY similar to the “composite”, which we know is very likely a direct photoshop of the body’s actual teeth. The Namus page also notes the quality of his teeth - a good justification for his young age (33) but his otherwise quickly changing appearance probably due to illness.
BEARD - beards are a huge tell for male identities. The pattern of where hair grows on a face does not change quickly, and more “bare” patches below the lips are a big match, as well as more filled in particular areas, like the mustache and directly below the bottom lip. The presence of a beard on his face also changes his general look pretty drastically.

Anyways, I realize a lot of this is probably just me looking for a match and I hope I didn’t break any rules. Both cases really drew me in and I feel like this community is doing a lot of good. Thanks for reading.