Uinta Triangle | Episode 4

Summary

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Cold – Uinta Triangle: Episode 4 "No Trace" (June 3, 2025)

Episode Overview

In episode 4 of Uinta Triangle, host Dave Cawley continues the gripping investigation into the 2011 disappearance of Eric Robinson, an experienced Australian hiker lost in Utah's remote Uinta Mountains. This chapter, subtitled "No Trace," blends present-day search efforts by friends and family with the daunting realities of wilderness rescue, while delving into the turbulent environmental and social history of the region. Themes of anguish, urgency, and resilience permeate as the story weaves together field reports, personal recollections, and cultural context.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Family’s Journey and Emotional Toll

• Rachel Marsden and her mother Marilyn journey from Australia to Utah to join the search for Eric. The journey is emotionally fraught, intensified by setbacks such as chaotic flights and lost luggage.
  • [05:14] Rachel: “It was hideous. They were literally sitting all around us.”
  • [50:36] Marilyn: “I was ready to sit on the floor and, you know, give up.”
• The family grapples with helplessness and culture shock upon arrival.
  • [53:12] Rachel: “We were sort of sitting there drumming our fingers... Like, where do we even start?”
  • Frustrations arise from the differences between Australian and U.S. search protocols, and from the local sheriff’s limited resources and slow response.

The Search’s Complexity and Geography

• Searchers like Julia Geisler and Blake Summers highlight the immense, rugged wilderness and the difficulties faced by volunteer search and rescue teams.
  • [08:35] Julia: “You're like, how far could a person go in a day? ... And that circle, the radius just gets larger every day.”
  • [14:24] Julia: “You just realize how vast it is and how rocky and treed and… it's like a needle in a haystack out here.”
• The county-level jurisdictional issues significantly slow and complicate the response.
  • [10:36] Julia: “I don't even know what number I called…”
  • The transfer of responsibility from Summit to rural Duchesne County, with its limited manpower, becomes a critical turning point.

Hazardous Terrain: Dead Horse Pass

• Discussion of Dead Horse Pass as a focal point—its notorious danger, storied reputation among hikers, and haunting history.
  • [13:02] Host: “Dead Horse was the most likely place for a Highline hiker to have trouble because it's steep and high consequence if you fall.”
  • Historical voices like Dorothy Rutledge’s (1930) and references to pioneers like George Beard add depth and context to its infamy.
• Contemporary hikers Art Lang and Dan McCool, plus Julia and Blake, converge at the pass, sharing observations on snow conditions and the feasibility of crossing during Eric's likely timeline.
  • [63:28] Julia: “It just seemed very vast. I don't remember, like, looking at Deadhorse being like, there's no way he would go over that.”
  • [63:14] Art: “That's a travelable pass with snow on it, but you better be pretty darn experienced.”

Environment, Policy, and "Leave No Trace"

• Woven throughout is a detailed account of the Uintas’ environmental and political history:
  • The impact of sheep and cattle grazing—past and present—on trail conditions and ecosystems. Signs of damage, confusion from sheep trails, and lack of trail maintenance are barriers for both hikers and rescuers.
    • [27:21] Host: “Eric probably hadn't anticipated needing to tell the High Line apart from countless sheep trails.”
  • The founding of the Forest Reserve, the Wilderness Act, and ongoing debates over “multiple use” of public lands.
  • Emotional field reports reinforce the fragility and beauty of the landscape.
    • [42:24] Host: “I'm sorry, that's frickin garbage. There is a responsible, discreet way to leave a food cache. This was not it.”
• The episode connects Eric’s “leave no trace” ethos to the challenges for rescuers—few clues or tracks, outmatched by the scale of wildness.

Uncertainty, Desperation, and Media

• As traditional search options dwindle, the family pivots to media outreach, arranging a TV interview to appeal to potential witnesses.
  • [67:47] Marilyn (TV Interview): “It doesn't seem real… it just seems like he's out, you know, trekking.”
  • [69:13] Rachel: “You’ve not slept for days, your husband’s missing, and this is actually really brave… This is our family member. Yes, he's an Australian, but please help us.”
• The interview triggers a key response: a Scout leader shares an account of seeing Eric far from where he should have been.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the urgency of rescue:
  “At this point, he's probably had an accident of some sort or he's lost and he needs a rescue. And so time's of the essence.”
  – Julia [09:06]

• On the unforgiving wilderness:
  “You're just like, oh, we're, it's like a needle in a haystack out here. How are we ever gonna find somebody unless he's like, right on the trail?”
  – Julia [14:41]

• On the convoluted search process:
  “It felt like we'd come all this way, like we would be really effective to be close, whereas we didn't… in reality, we weren't really that close.”
  – Rachel [53:12]

• On cultural disconnects and suspicion:
  “I think it was hard not to feel critical or questioning of, what are you doing? ... I was naive to the Uintas and to how the local system worked as well.”
  – Rachel [54:43]

• On personal crisis and resilience:
  “I was ready to sit on the floor and, you know, give up.”
  – Marilyn [50:36]

• Powerful emotional support:
  “You know, I think she's not that great at asking for when she does need help… So I think I just had let her know that, you know, I'm here if you need me.”
  – Rachel [50:58]

• On vulnerability in front of the media:
  “When I think about it, you know, I can go to the dark side and what if and where is he and what's happened? ... It's a bit hard to remain positive after four days and knowing the kind of person that he is. It's difficult.”
  – Marilyn [68:40]

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• [04:22] Dorothy Rutledge’s 1930 account sets the tone for Dead Horse Pass’s danger.
• [08:13–09:33] Julia and Blake assess search expansion, urgency, and Eric’s resources.
• [10:45] Jurisdictional handoff from Summit to Duchesne County—key resource gap.
• [14:24–14:41] Julia’s revelation of wilderness vastness and search futility.
• [19:38–20:42] Fears of foul play, and chilling unsolved murder cases in the Uintas.
• [21:14–22:05] Julia and Blake’s helicopter insertion; disorientation on the ground.
• [27:21–30:54] Environmental havoc from grazing, historical context of land use.
• [33:58–35:45] Dorothy Rutledge’s harrowing first-hand experience of Dead Horse Pass.
• [38:27] 1984 creation of the High Uintas Wilderness—policy impacts.
• [42:23–42:24] Dave’s visceral disgust at backcountry litter, the conflict of user groups.
• [49:16–51:42] Marilyn’s exhaustion and near collapse after travel setbacks; Rachel’s support.
• [53:12–54:43] Family’s frustration with search organization and cultural adjustment.
• [55:43] Decision to invite media coverage to widen the search.
• [63:14–63:23] Detailed evaluation of Dead Horse Pass’s dangers, timing, and conditions.
• [67:47–69:47] Marilyn’s TV interview – family’s emotional exposure and call for public help.

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Final Thoughts

Episode 4 immerses the listener not only in the logistical and emotional turmoil faced by those searching for Eric Robinson, but also in the grand sweep of Uinta Mountain history and environmental conflict. It’s a nuanced portrait of loss, hope, fear, and the profound indifference—and beauty—of wilderness.

The layered narrative, rich with historical parallels, personal vulnerability, and environmental critique, ensures that listeners come away with more than just a missing persons story—they gain a deep appreciation for both the heartbreak and the breathtaking scope of the Uintas.

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For more maps, photos, and materials referenced in this episode, visit uintatriangle.com.

Next episode: The search for Eric Robinson continues as new information emerges and the terrain—and time—present ever greater challenges.

Transcript

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

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[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

As we sat around the campfire, I was just thinking of the rough places over which we had traveled when Morgan announced the worst was yet to come, that tomorrow morning we would go over Dead Horse Pass. When I had thought of the five horses that have rolled to their death down that slope, I was not a little worried. Dorothy Rutledge The Deseret Noose October 18, 1930.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

Rachel Marsden couldn't sleep. She was on a plane somewhere over the Pacific. The drone of jet engines filled her ears, punctuated by bursts of laughter.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

It was excruciating, and we were surrounded by a group of Australian young men going to a buck stew in Las Vegas.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

A buck's due goes by another name in the U.S. bachelor party. Rachel and her mom, Marilyn, were flying to the United States on their way to join the search for Marilyn's missing husband, Eric Robinson. They were deep in economy class, surrounded by boisterous young men.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

It was hideous. They were literally sitting all around us.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

Rachel had pulled a flight attendant to the side when they had first boarded.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

I tried to get an upgrade and tell them what the circumstances were. I wasn't very good at that.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

The flight was full and the crew couldn't accommodate an upgrade. To make matters worse, Marilyn's travel agent hadn't been able to book two seats side by side. So Rachel and Marilyn were seated apart. But they eventually managed to talk one of the young men into swapping places. Rachel looked at Marilyn. She had witnessed her mom go through some hard experiences in life, including the breakdown of the marriage to Rachel's own father.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

Having been divorced in a complicated process,

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

she had also watched Marilyn find her independence and discover new love with Eric.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

That made her happy. So really, myself and my brothers, that's really what we wanted for our mum.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

It hadn't all been roses and romance. Eric's drive to hike and his desire to have Marilyn by his side caused friction. As you've already heard, she didn't have

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

the same degree of passion and interest that he did. She would do some, but she still had a lot to give to her career, and she was going to be true to that. She started, you know, having given a lot of her life to her family and her first husband. You know, she had put her own desires and goals on the back burner all second. And so she had commenced that career in the middle of her life. And it was really just building momentum at that time. And I don't think she was prepared to compromise on that. She was very loyal and loving wife, but also she wanted to fulfill her own dreams and goals.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

Now that love and loyalty faced their toughest test.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

It was hard. It was hard. And, you know, you've got that sense of time passing and it dragging super slowly with this sense of urgency, of wanting to be there and in the interim, not knowing what's happening to

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

all this urgency and uncertainty. While every minute that passed only increased concern for Eric. My name is Dave Cawley. You are listening to Uinta Triangle, an audio documentary from KSL Podcasts. This is the fourth episode, no Trace. Time was turning against Eric Robinson.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

We felt it ticking.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

Eric was overdue from his hike on the Uinta Highline Trail. He'd missed his pickup at noon on Sunday, August 7, 2011. It was now dawn on Wednesday the 10th, day three of the search. Julia Geisler and her partner, Blake Summers felt a deepening sense of urgency because the search area kept getting bigger.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

You're like, how far could a person go in a day? 10 miles, 12 miles, whatever that is, 20 miles. And that circle, the radius just gets larger every day.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

Blake had spent the first two days of the search hiking out from the end of the trail looking for Eric. He'd gone to Rocky C Pass, the last of the seven passes Eric would have had to cross on his hike. But Blake had returned with bad news. He hadn't found Eric. It was still possible Eric was just behind schedule, but that seemed less likely with each passing day.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

At this point, he's probably had an accident of some sort or he's lost and he needs a rescue. And so time's of the essence. So I think we were feeling like we gotta just put in the long days on the trail to get out there and search as much as we possibly can.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

Julia had watched Eric pack his bag before starting his hike. She knew he had the right clothing to stay warm and dry.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

Yeah, you always have all the layers, which Eric definitely did. From puffy jackets to rain jackets to all the things Eric carried.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

Extra food, maps, a GPS unit and an emergency beacon. He had tools to navigate if lost and the ability to summon help if injured. But Eric hadn't hit that panic button, which meant he either didn't think his situation was that bad yet, or he couldn't reach the beacon. Julia hoped Eric was still alive. If he was, his extra food would by now be just about gone.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

And like I said, time was ticking, and I think we felt that she

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

needed to find him fast. Julia and Blake were at the headquarters of the Duchenne County Sheriff's Office, ready to join the search. In the United States, responsibility for search and rescue often falls on county sheriffs. Search and rescue, or sar, teams are usually made up of volunteers who operate under a sheriff's supervision. But the Uinta Mountains span more than one county. Summit county covers most of the north side, Duchenne county most of the south. Julia hadn't been thinking about this when she first reported Eric missing.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

I don't even know what number I called, but I would think it had been Summit county because he was supposed to come out in Summit County. That's where the Highline Trail ended.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

She's right. The Highline trailhead, where Eric was supposed to finish his hike is in Summit county, but only just. You can stand in the parking lot and throw a rock, and it'll land in neighboring Duchesne County. Truth is, the Uintah Highline Trail spends most of its time in Duchesne. So the Summit County Sheriff's office decided Eric's disappearance wasn't their case. They handed it off to Duchaine. And that was a consequential decision because Duchene has far fewer search and rescue resources.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

Yeah, more rural county as opposed to Summit, which is definitely more populated.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

Duchesne County's home to only about 20,000 people. That's about half as many as live in Summit. And the demographic differences go deeper. Park City, the beating heart of Utah's ski tourism industry, is in Summit. Park City is also home to celebrity mansions and the glitz of the Sundance Film Festival, which means there's a lot more money flowing through Summit than Duchenne,

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

and we had no idea, you know, of that Going into the search.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

The difference became apparent as Julia looked around the room. She saw the sheriff, his chief deputy, and a handful of volunteers. She and Blake had come dressed like lightweight hikers, fleece nylon trail runners. The Duchesne volunteers were ranchers in thick denim and leather cowboy boots. Julia wondered how such a small team was supposed to mount an effective search.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

Volunteer resources that seemed to be available through Duchenne seemed pretty limited, a problem

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

made worse by the sheer size of the search area. Each of these volunteers knew only bits and pieces of the Uintas, say their favorite fishing hole or a campground close to a road. But the High Line Trail was terra incognita for almost everyone in the room. They hadn't traveled it themselves. Julia's partner, Blake, probably knew more about the High Line than all the rest of them combined. So the sheriff put a map in front of Blake and asked, where do you guys want to go first? Blake said, Dead Horse Pass, the most notorious, intimidating place on the Uintah Highline Trail.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

Blake just pointed to that spot on the map, you know. Using his knowledge of the Uintas and the trail and, like, timing, Blake thought

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

Dead Horse was the most likely place for a Highline hiker to have trouble because it's steep and high consequence if you fall. The sheriff agreed. He'd viewed Deadhorse Pass from the air the day before during his helicopter flight and saw a troubling amount of snow there. They came up with a plan. A helicopter would fly Julia and Blake up to the Highline, dropping them about a day's walk away from Deadhorse. They would follow the trail the same direction Eric was supposed to be traveling, so searching for him. Along the way, they'd go as far as the base of Dead Horse Pass, questioning anyone else they came across. The sheriff gave them until 6pm on Friday to complete their search and report back. It felt surreal to Julia.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

We've never been a part of a search and rescue operation, so it was really nice to have the backing and that he was, you know, receptive to our knowledge of the Uintas and just giving us the resources that he could with the helicopters and whatnot to be able to search. Yeah, I think we're definitely seeing an his experts, especially Blake, with his knowledge of the terrain up there, which was nice. They recognized that because they could have just told us to get lost. To be quite frank,

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

Julia and Blake grabbed their packs and headed out to board the chopper. It lifted off, carrying them toward the forested flank of the Uinta Mountains. Julia peered out the window and the aerial perspective overwhelmed her.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

You just realize how vast it is and how rocky and treed and it's not like, oh, there's the trail.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

She saw an endless number of possible hiding places in a mountain range known for keeping its secrets.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

You're just like, oh, we're, it's like a needle in a haystack out here. How are we ever gonna find somebody unless he's like, right on the trail? Somewhere

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

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[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

You know, you think you're flying over in a helicopter, you're gonna be able to see a big red rucksack, but there's so much blocking of you, you know, boulders, and you just sit down behind a boulder and you're hidden. It's just really hard to see the ground cover from up there.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

The helicopter was crossing terrain in a matter of minutes that it would take hours or days to travel on foot. The interior of the Uintah range is devoid of roads. It's a swath of wild land owned and managed by the federal government as a national forest.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

And the forest service has just thousands and thousands of acres that they're responsible for. And it just shows you how, you know, it is still wilderness. And we are lucky that there's even a search and rescue operation to be had.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

The wood wildness of the place brought up all kinds of fears. Maybe a tree had fallen on Eric. Maybe he had been attacked by a wild animal. Julia even wondered, is it foul play?

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

There are so many humans out there, and if I'm in the woods, I'm the most afraid of a human being than I am of anything else, having spent a lot of time in the woods.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

So, yeah, a murder in the mountains might seem far fetched, but it's not entirely without precedent. In 1983, a pair of forest service workers smelled what they thought was an animal carcass at a place called Christmas Meadows. They went to investigate and found the partially decomposed body of an unidentified man. He had been shot in the back of the head, execution style. This man's never been identified, and his killer has never been caught. A sheepherder traveling through the same area a year later came across a skull and collarbone. These were from a different person, not the John Doe I just mentioned. Dental records proved the skull belonged to a young man from England. He'd also been murdered, but no one's ever faced criminal charges in that case. Julia wasn't aware of any evidence suggesting a stranger might have attacked Eric on the trail. But she couldn't rule it out. That thought lodged in the back of her mind.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

Every human being should have been a suspect at that time of, like, who are we talking to and how are we talking to them? I mean, if this happened in the city, like, how do you do it? I don't know, but it seems like you talk to people in a certain way.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

The helicopter slowed as it neared the spine of the Uinta crest. The pilot circled, looking for a good place to land. Julia wasn't sure exactly where they were, aside from knowing the spot where the chopper landed was near the Highline Trail.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

It's really easy to get disoriented in the Uintas. Like, geographically speaking.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewer / Sponsor Announcer]

I can tell you from official reports they were in the upper reaches of the Lake fork drainage, about 2/3 the way along Eric's intended path. Julia and Blake were going to follow the trail west, the same direction Eric would have been traveling. About a half day's walk would take them to Redknob Pass, which they would cross on their way to Deadhorse Pass. That's the spot on the map Blake had pointed to where he thought it was most likely. Eric could have had trouble. The helicopter lifted off, leaving them alone. Julia and Blake hoisted their backpacks and started moving, going slow while searching through forested areas beside the trail.

[Narrator / Host / Interviewee]

We're calling his name and walking along, but you get separated pretty quickly and it's like, oh, we're going to get lost ourselves if we're not careful here.

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At the same time, Art lang and Dan McCool were continuing their own trek on the Uinta High Line Trail. We met Art and Dan before. They're the two guys who were just hiking the High Line for fun and who started their walk about a week after Eric. They had learned about Eric on Tuesday before crossing Anderson Pass. It was now Wednesday, and they were watching for Eric as they moved along the trail. Walking this trail was not terribly difficult, navigation wise, but also wasn't very risky because it is not dangerous to travel the backcountry as long as you're sane about it, as long as you take some precautions. They'd seen one dangerous spot already, those unexpected snow drifts at Anderson Pass. Now they came to another pass called porcupine, and were relieved to find it was free of snow. Porcupine is number four of the seven passes Eric would have had to cross. It sits way above timberline and it's surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the range. It's very scenic, and that's the whole reason Art was walking the High Line. When I got up there, I didn't say, wow, this is grand, but intimidating. I said, cool, look at, there's Red Knob Peak. Cool, there's Explorer Peak. Cool, look at, I could see right down that drainage, I mean, and so places I'd been before. And it was stimulating and attracting. It drew Me down. I wanted to go get closer and see it. To the west of Porcupine Pass, the Uinta High Line crosses the Oweep Basin. Oweep is a Ute Indian word that means grass. The floor of this basin explodes with greenery and wildflowers during the brief alpine summer that makes it a popular place for sheep herders. Art looked down into the basin and saw a trampled mess. A huge herd must have recently moved through the Oweep, chewing all that grass right down to the dirt. The Highline Trail disappeared among countless paths etched into the turf by hooves. Art's mind went to Eric. He had probably come to the Uintas with an assumption there's a trail and I can follow the trail. And maybe coming from Australia with no Uintas experience, I'd be counting on that. Eric knew a fair bit about sheep. They're a major part of Australia's agriculture economy. Same with New Zealand. And Eric had trekked around sheep in both places. But those ecosystems are a lot different than the alpine tundra of the High Uintas, where vegetation is very slow to recover from the impacts of grazing. Eric probably hadn't anticipated needing to tell the High Line apart from countless sheep trails. But if I got up there and I looked down and there's no trail and it's a braided mess, a braided hot mess of sheep, I would say maybe this is going to be a little more challenging than I thought. Art and Dan descended from Porcupine Pass and began crossing the Oeep Basin. As expected, they soon found the High Line proved impossible to follow. In that case, I had to macro navigate and could go towards a ridge in the distance 10 miles away. And I could just keep aiming for it because I was in alpine tundra or what had been before the sheep got there. They went along this way for a while, finding and losing traces of the High Line before coming to a tall wooden post. Standing alone in the tundra, it marked an intersection where another trail met the High Line. But the signboards were cracked in half. Sitting on the ground, they were illegible, having been worn smooth by the elements. Art was outraged. The Forest Service doesn't have enough money to replace a sign that fell down. No, they don't. The U.S. government Accountability Office issued a report in 2013 saying the Forest Service had a persistent backlog of deferred maintenance on its trail system. It amounted to more than $300 million in work that hadn't been done. That hasn't improved in the decades since. And areas deep within the Backcountry like the Uintah Highline Trail are less likely to see routine maintenance because of how difficult and costly it is. Art realized this dilapidated trail intersection could have confused Eric, sending him off on the wrong path. He made a mental note of the spot. Me, I'm a lot more irritated and concerned about the fact that the ecosystem is so badly damaged that you can't even see a trail anymore, and the fact that the Forest Service can't afford to maintain our trails. Art and Dan kept moving west, following the Highline Trail. But when they could find it, they eventually caught up to the sheep herd at a place called Lambert Meadow. The meadows enclosed on three sides by high ridges, making it a sort of natural corral. The Duchenne county sheriff had seen the same herd during his helicopter flyover the day before. His chief deputy had checked with the Forest Service, which manages grazing in the Uintas, to find out who owned the animals. They belonged to a rancher in Wyoming. But that's not who Art and Dan found tending the herd. The gentlemen that we encountered were Chilean or Peruvian shepherds that had been recruited to be there, and they spoke not a speck of English, and we only communicated with some bad Spanish, but were able to learn some stuff from them. Many of the herders who tend flocks on the forests and rangelands of the western US Are migrant laborers from Latin America. They come to the States on temporary visas and are entirely dependent on their bosses for food, supplies and communication. They have very little contact with the outside world. Art asked if the herders had seen an Australian man with a red backpack. He didn't get a straight answer, but it wasn't clear if the shepherds even understood the question. They would by nature not be going and finding search and rescue or doing anything else. They leave a very secluded existence back there, and they're isolated, completely isolated. And I think part of that may be by design by their employer. I wanted to talk to their employer myself, but he died in 2013, so I have no way of identifying these herders or hearing their side of this story, assuming they are still in the country. All I can say is they showed no interest in joining the search for Eric. But there's a good reason for that. Tending a flock is a 247job, and shirking that responsibility could have got them fired and deported. They also probably wanted to avoid attention because sheep grazing in the Hayuintas is controversial. I would prefer they're not there. I would prefer that nothing not wild is there, maybe even me Sometimes the Hyuentas are wilderness. That's not just poetic language. It's a legal term. But what does that mean? And why are there sheep in the wilderness? The answer has everything to do with a concept called multiple use. And it has its roots in the history of the High Uintas. The Uintas are the ancestral lands of indigenous Shoshone and Ute peoples. The word Uinta even comes from a northern Ute word that translates as pine forest. A band of Utes known as the Uinta Ats hunted and gathered in these mountains for centuries before European contact. But in the 1820s, fur trappers entered the Uintas in search of beaver pelts. They were followed a decade or so later by Mormon pioneers. And so, as we know, every day more and more settlers took up the trail that led into the sunset. On and on they pressed until the

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Far west itself became settled.

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The Mormons were religious exiles who founded their new Zion Salt Lake City, just west of the Uintas. Their numbers swelled, putting them in direct competition with the indigenous tribes for land and resources. Bad blood soon boiled over into open warfare. The Mormons petitioned the US government to intervene. So in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln set aside the south slope of the Uinta Mountains and a vast arid stretch below as a reservation. Ute Indian bands were relocated, sometimes at gunpoint, to this reservation. The interior of the Uintah Range was only vaguely known to Anglo Americans at the time. They didn't start filling in their maps until a series of government surveys in the 1870s. People in power soon realized the range was a rich resource. Tens of thousands of sheep and cows poured into the mountain meadows. For ever increasing numbers of cattle and sheep, the grass could not grow fast enough. They ripped the grass cover from the soil and left it extremely exposed to the ravages of wind and rain. It was here that erosion first began.

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In the Great west,

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the ecological damage went beyond erosion. Ranchers exterminated all of the gray wolves and grizzly bears in the Uintas. Livestock fouled water sources and spread invasive weeds. Something had to be done. So in 1897, the federal government created the Uinta Forest Reserve, one of America's first national forests. The government tried to ban sheep from the reserve at first, but that prompted fierce pushback. So the feds relented and agreed to allow grazing with some limits on when, where, and how many animals were allowed. In practice, almost nothing changed. President Teddy Roosevelt opened the lands of the Ute reservation to homesteaders in 1905, and he seized back the tribe's lands in the Uinta Mountains.

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Our aim is to promote prosperity and then to see that prosperity is passed around.

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That scratchy old recording is actually President Roosevelt's voice from a speech more than a century ago. It sounds terrible because it was recorded on a wax cylinder. What Teddy was saying was the government needed to promote prosperity in rural communities by making farms and ranches more productive. Theodore Roosevelt's often remembered today for protecting America's national parks, prioritizing conservation and recreation.

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Preferred park settings are those which induce complete relaxation and rest, settings in which nature can work her magic of mental and physical healing.

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But President Roosevelt also formed the US Forest Service and gave that agency a mandate to manage national forests for multiple uses, not just recreation. The Forest Service was supposed to balance the competing interests of industry, local communities, wildlife and the environment. The agency immediately started making trails in the Uinta Mountains on behalf of sheep herders, hunters and hikers.

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Splendid views few men have seen because the peaks were inaccessible.

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Now open up. As these trails lead hikers to the mountaintops. By the 1920s, people were also petitioning the Forest Service to provide roads to the most scenic mountain spots, like Mirror Lake in the Hyuintas. Let's have the road through that wonderland, one newspaper writer demanded. The government obliged. It started construction on what is today the Mirror Lake Highway. But some within the Forest Service began to worry. They saw roads were like rabbits, rapidly reproducing. Pavement threatened to pierce every last wild place. One of these rangers put together a horse packing trip into the heart of the Hayuintas in September of 1930. He wanted to define the boundaries of a proposed primitive area where no new roads would be allowed. And he invited his 19 year old daughter, Dorothy Rutledge, to come along.

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I was greatly thrilled when dad offered to take me along on a pack trip in the high Uintas.

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Dorothy wrote this account of the trip read by a voice actor.

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We could see in the distance the blue crown of Kings Peak, the highest peak in Utah.

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I love Dorothy's story because she went out in the wild during a time when that was not expected of proper young ladies.

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Up again. We climbed over a huge rugged cliff, Red Knob Pass, then down a slide rock decline on a narrow trail into a lovely basin.

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This lovely basin is the same place Blake Summers told the Duchesne sheriff he wanted to look for Eric Robinson. The basin below Dead Horse Pass, the quartzite rock of the Uinta Mountains, varies in color from tan to pink to purplish gray. The hues around Dead Horse are Dreary, like the color of a bruise.

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There we made our camp for the night, surrounded by dark forests and great red cliffs that thrust themselves high above us.

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Dorothy started up the pass the next morning. The trail went up the face of a steep rock strewn slope. It did a switchback on the top of a cliff where the quartzite gave way to crumbling beds of blue green shale.

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Slowly we ascended up the foot wide trail, the pack train following. As I clung tightly to the saddle horn and looked down below, I could see where a little lake of robin egg blue lay at the foot of the mountain and the forest beyond.

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At one point her horse slipped on the shale, almost tumbling over the cliff.

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The trail soon got so dangerously narrow and steep that we dismounted and led our horses the rest of the way.

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But in the end, Dorothy made it over safely and she gushed about the whole experience.

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Our trip was over. Eight glorious, busy, sunshiny days spent in one of the most delightful regions of the West. But unknown to most of us.

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Several newspapers published Dorothy's story. Articles about the new Hyaintas primitive area said all forms of business enterprise were to be excluded within its boundaries. But then, in fine print, they acknowledged cattle and sheep grazing would be allowed to continue. The principle of multiple use gave the Forest Service no other choice. A few decades later, in 1964, the US Congress passed a law called the Wilderness Act. It defined wilderness like this.

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Wilderness means an area where earth and

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its community of life are untrammeled.

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That is, man is a visitor who does not remain or does he leave evidence of his being there?

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The new law allowed Congress to create wilderness areas. Wilderness lands were supposed to be places where the greatest priority was protection of the natural environment. And they were more permanent than primitive areas, which could be easily undone. The Forest Service immediately proposed protecting the Hayuintas as a wilderness area. But that pitch went nowhere. For political reasons. Western states that were home to most of the nation's public lands were often hostile to the creation of wilderness areas. Opponents accused conservationists of trying to kill off the sheep and cattle grazing industries. During the 1970s, several Western states even tried to seize control of federal public lands, an effort called the Sagebrush Rebellion. It failed, but the rebellion tends to flare up again every decade or so. The lack of formal wilderness designation didn't stop hikers and horse packers from pouring into the Uintas in ever greater numbers. The Uintas are mostly rocks piled upon rocks.

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Many times it was safer for us and the horse for us to get off and walk. Besides, some parts of the anatomy appreciated. The rest.

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Long distance hiking underwent a renaissance during this same period as equipment became lighter and smaller. But going on horseback never went out of style.

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The most obvious and immediate advantage to

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horse packing is the amount of gear you can take.

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We were in a primitive area where no motorized vehicles are even allowed, even if they could get there. Yet we were equipped as if we'd driven the family station wagon to a neighborhood campground.

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It took 20 years, but a Utah specific Wilderness bill finally made it through Congress in 1984. President Ronald Reagan signed it into law.

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Well, I'm delighted to sign this very worthwhile thing.

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With that signature, the Hy Uintas Wilderness came into being.

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There it is.

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The Hyuenta Wilderness area is almost 500,000 acres of pine, streams and lakes set aside in hopes it will remain unspoiled. The Hyuentas were already spoiled in the eyes of many wilderness advocates, but they cheered having stronger protections against new roads, logging and mining. Still, they didn't get all they wanted from the new law. It didn't restore the native wildlife like gray wolves and grizzly bears that had been exterminated from the range. And the law explicitly said multiple use meant grazing would be allowed to continue. You may be wondering why I've taken you on this tangent about sheep. It's with purpose, I promise sheepherders will come up again later in our story, and I think it's helpful to understand the fault lines that sometimes divide different groups of outdoor enthusiasts. I live in Utah, a state blessed with amazing mountain and desert landscapes. Anyone who spends time exploring those places develops strong opinions on how they should be managed. I have talked to sheep ranchers who see themselves and their families as responsible stewards of those lands. In many cases they are. But I have also seen the impacts of overgrazing in the trail damage, erosion, litter. I even came across the remnants of a sheepherder camp during my hike on the High Line, following Eric's footsteps. This does kind of feel like wandering into somebody's home uninvited. Piles of pine needles in the firings told me no one had been there yet that season. Abandoned junk from summer's past was scattered around. There's a folding chair on the ground in a torn up bag. That's maybe their bathroom. Guess I should take a photo of the garbage. If you have ever visited a national park in the US or camped in a national forest, you've probably seen a sign that said leave no trace. That public relations campaign has roots. The Hyuintas. The Forest Service first Teamed up with the Boy Scouts of America back in the 1980s to teach Scout troops that were headed into the Hyuintas how to minimize their impact on the land. I was one of those Boy Scouts and I took the message to heart. My wilderness ethic is embodied by the slogan take only photos, leave only footprints. But I found more than footprints during my hike on the Uinta Highline. At one spot, I came across a huge food cache. Bunch of ramen, dog food, coffee, potatoes, bunch of beer, hard liquor, frickin rib eye. I wasn't mad at the rib eye or the 24 pack of Budweiser. Just baffled. The meat and alcohol were bobbing in icy water at the inlet of a small lake. The deep in the wilderness. Someone placed it there to keep it cold. It was too heavy to have been carried in by a backpacker, so it must have come in on horseback. But there were no people or horses in sight. Whoever dropped this cache intended to come back for it. But when they didn't leave a note, I imagined they planned to build a big bonfire on the delicate tundra, scarring the earth, leaving their empty aluminum cans scattered about.

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This is garbage.

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I'm sorry, that's frickin garbage. There is a responsible, discreet way to leave a food cache. This was not it. Look, I know I'm giving off old man yelling at kids to get off his lawn energy right now, but I'm passionate about this wilderness matters to me, and not just because I enjoy solitude. We protect these spaces on behalf of other living creatures too. That's the sound of Wapiti, the Rocky Mountain elk. I'm gonna try to sneak up on these elk. You can hear. There they are. I made this recording at a spot on the south side of the Uinta crest. At the time, domestic sheep herds were still far away on the north slope. I wouldn't have caught these elk otherwise because they won't share space with sheep. That is so cool. It was a large herd moving through a lush meadow about 100 meters or 350ft away. Even at that distance, some of the elk were alert to my presence and stood guard, protecting their calves and yearlings. Okay, I'm going to turn down this microphone so you won't hear me talk and just get the elk. Well, this morning was really special. I came across the herd of elk that I'd been listening to all night. And there must have been 50 or 80 elk diverted off trail to try to get closer and record the sound of all of their talking back and forth. All the little babies Squealing. Elk were nearly hunted out of the uintas in the late 1800s. They've rebounded. But a uinta highline hiker is still far more likely to run into thousands of sheep than they are just a few elk. Eric Robinson's outdoor ethic mirrors my own. He intended to leave no trace, but that meant when he disappeared, the people who went out to search for him had very little to go on. My name is Mackenzie and I started

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a GoFundMe for the adoptive mother of

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a nonverbal autistic child.

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The mother had lost her job because she wasn't able to find adequate care for this autistic child.

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So she really needed some help with living expenses, paying some back bills.

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So I launched a GoFundMe to help support them during this crisis, and we raised about $10,000 within just a couple of. I think that the surprising thing was by telling a clear story and just like really being very clear about what we needed, we had some really generous donations from people who were really moved by the situation that this family was struggling with.

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GoFundMe is the world's number one fundraising

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platform, trusted by over 200 million people. Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com that's gofundme.com gofundme gofundme.com this podcast is supported by GoFundMe.

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This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Talkspace, the leading virtual therapy provider, is sharing the message that connection is crucial because good relationships are an essential and sometimes overlooked component of mental well being. If your relationships could use some strengthening, a licensed therapist from Talkspace can help. Therapy can help you communicate better with loved ones, repair conflicts, and understand how to address loneliness and build community. It's easy to sign up. Just go to talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a therapist within two days. You'll meet with your therapist online on your schedule. Plus, talkspace is in network with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. Make personal connections a priority and start today. If you're not covered by insurance, get $80 off your first month with Talkspace when you go to talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. That's SPACE80. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to talkspace.com and Enter promo code SPACE80.

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Mom, can you tell me a story? Sure. Once upon a time, a mom needed a new car. Was she brave? She was tired mostly, but she went to Carvana.com and found a great car

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at a great price.

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No secret treasure map required.

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Did you have to fight a dragon?

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Nope. She bought it 100% online from her bed, actually.

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Was it scary?

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Honey, it was as unscary as car buying could be. Did the car have a sunroof? It did, actually. Okay, good story. Car buying you'll want to tell stories about Buy your car today on Delivery fees may apply, so here's how you can save up to 70% on your favorite brands from rebel.com has everything for your home, family and life, from strollers to skincare at unbeatable prices. Every day, Rebel drops thousands of new products for up to 70% off. It's a constant stream of endless deals from brands like Uppababy, Nuna, Baby Bjorn, Nespresso, Breville, Wilson, Dyson, Caraway and more. Every listing is one of a kind, and the best things go first, so you have to move fast. Save big on your favorite brands. Shop now for up to [e-mail] if

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you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place, from H Vac and plumbing suppl to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock, so your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Marilyn Khulstra didn't sleep on the flight from Australia to the United States, and not just because of the bachelor party boys seated all around her. She felt unsettled about what awaited her. That made the hours stretch.

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It's long across the Pacific because you've got 15 hours to think about what you're going to in that flight.

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Marilyn felt exhausted by the time they taxied to the gate at lax. She and her daughter, Rachel, were among the last off the plane. They went along like sheep in a herd of hundreds of other passengers, all headed toward customs. The line stacked up, meaning Marilyn and Rachel had to wait and wait. As they shuffled forward, Marilyn considered the questions the customs officer might ask. What's the purpose of your visit? Business or pleasure? I'm here to look for my missing husband. What does that count as? How long do you plan to stay in the United States? I don't know. They made it through customs at last, then headed for baggage claim. They needed to retrieve their checked bags and recheck them onto their connecting flight to Salt Lake City. But when they reached the carousel, their bags weren't there. Marilyn had brought a big empty suitcase because she feared Eric might be dead and she would need the space to transport his possessions back home. But that suitcase and her own were nowhere to be seen. She hadn't even made it to Utah yet, and already she felt as if she had failed.

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I was ready to sit on the floor and, you know, give up.

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She sank to her knees. The overhead lights glared off the cold, hard flood floor. Other travelers stepped around her, no one taking notice or stopping to ask if she was okay. But Rachel reached out to remind Marilyn, you're not alone.

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You know, I think she's not that great at asking for when she does need help. So I think I just had let her know that, you know, I'm here if you need me.

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Rachel's encouragement reminded Marilyn of the day she had crossed the Rang La Pass with Eric in Nepal. She heard his words in her head, you can do it. Hen she took a deep breath, stood and embraced her daughter. The two of them then went in search of their luggage. It didn't take long to sort out what had happened. They had taken so long getting through customs that the airline staff pulled their bags off the carousel.

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Our baggage was out in the unclaimed baggage area.

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Marilyn laughs about it now.

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Probably a zombie by the time I couldn't find my bag.

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But she came very close to her breaking point. Marilyn and Rachel were in the air again a short time later, headed for Salt Lake City. They arrived there on the afternoon of Thursday, August 11, day four of the search for Eric.

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We were very disoriented and exhausted, but also we probably landed and we were ready to get going.

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They hadn't reserved a rental car or booked a hotel. They had come on Julia Geisler's invitation alone.

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Mum had been in contact with Eric's hiking friends that he'd met by the John Muir Trail. Julia and Devon.

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Devin had arrived in Utah the day before from San Francisco.

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Devon actually came and picked us up.

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Devon had Julia's car. Marilyn and Rachel got in. Then Devin started the 45 minute drive to Park City.

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Devon was filling in what had happened so far. Julia and Blake were searching and we had somewhere to stay because Julia was house sitting and she had contacted the family and said, look, this has happened. Is it okay if two people from Australia come and stay in the house as well? So we had a base.

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Once we got there, Rachel expected to find a hub of activity at this home base. But the house was empty when we'd arrived.

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They were searching, so we couldn't actually do anything. So we were sort of sitting there drumming our fingers anyway, going, well, how do we now be useful given we're in a foreign country? We don't know anything, we don't know anyone. Like, where do we even start? It felt like we'd come all this way, like we would be really effective to be close, whereas we didn't, you know, in reality, we weren't really that close.

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The nearest edge of the Hyuintas wilderness was another hour away by car up the Mirror Lake Highway. The search headquarters in Duchesne was at least 90 minutes away. They tried to call the Duchesne sheriff, only to be told he was unavailable.

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It was almost like we were like, okay, we're here, let's get going. Like, what have we got? And it just felt really flat then that we couldn't even get the person we needed to talk to on the phone. I remember feeling like they were under activated. Like I felt like, you know, if we were at home and this was the case, they would be gathering all of these volunteer search and rescue people and you would have a big team and they would all be there and it would be organised. And we were sort of probably thinking that a like version of that would have occurred or be occurring. And we didn't get any sense that that was what was happening.

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Search and rescue missions in Australia are usually coordinated at the state level. Rachel didn't understand the American system where it happens at the county level. And she didn't realize rural Duchesne county had such a limited staff.

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So I think it was hard not to feel critical or questioning of, what are you doing? Like, and maybe that because he was a U.S. citizen, that they were perhaps a little less interested or taking it seriously. I was naive to the Uintas and to how the local system worked as well.

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Unlike her mom, Rachel had never met Devon or Julia. But Devon was gracious, offering to help however Rachel thought best.

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But even that was strange. You'd never met this person. And here you are in the midst of this massive family drama. Not drama's maybe the right word, this crisis, really. And you're very reliant on a complete stranger for everything, and you're trying to be effective. I think I felt the weight of expectation on behalf of everyone, okay, we're here now. You know, we've got to solve this problem. We've got to actually figure out, where is he? Like, what's happened here?

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Julia had left contact information for the local news stations. Devin suggested they invite reporters to come interview Marilyn.

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And first off, I was somewhat resistant to being that person who had to speak, you know, off the top of my head because there would be nothing prepared, no speech that I would be writing.

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Her reluctance wasn't just about going off the cuff. She'd almost lost her nerve just a few hours before. Her emotions were still raw. Marilyn, the stoic, didn't want to expose herself like that.

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But Rachel and Devon sort of persuaded me that that was the best way to reach out to the most number of people to get forward any information of people who may have seen him.

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So they called KSLTV and invited them to send a reporter to interview Marilyn. Art lang and Dan McCool left Lambert Meadow where they had encountered the sheep herd on the morning of Thursday, August 11, day four of the search for Eric Robinson. The Highline Trail drops down a hill there and meets the Lake Fork River. The trail then makes a 90 degree turn to follow follow the river up to its source at the bottom of Red Knob Pass. The craggy face of Mount Lavinia dominates the view to the right, rising so abruptly you can't see the summit. From the trail, Art and Dan ran into a group of hikers from Indiana. Somewhere in this area, the Hoosiers were headed the opposite direction. They warned Art to turn around. They said he should shouldn't push his luck by going over Redknob and on to Dead Horse. Dead Horse Pass, they said was too dangerous to cross because of snow. Dead Horse Pass is the most difficult pass on the entire crossing, and it looms large in the minds of hikers on the Uinta Highline. I still remember the first time I set eyes on Dead Horse Pass years ago. It intimidated me. Just the name Dead Horse tells you why. I've literally found horse bones and bits of old bridle leather in the rocks at the bottom of the pass. It doesn't seem like a likely place for a trail. I wanted to find out who first crossed it and who named it. That research introduced me to a figure from history, a Mormon pioneer named George Beard. He came to Utah as a boy in the mid-1800s and started venturing into the Uintas in search of inspiration. I felt only the desire to put such scenery in its true colors on the canvas. Beard was an amateur painter. He and his wife Lavinia often traveled into the Uintas together. Beard later described their first trip in a letter read here by a voice actor. We journeyed to Mirror Lake, where We camped and later climbed Mount Baldy. Atop this peak, I first gained a panorama of the Uinta beauty. They left their mark on maps we still use today. George named Granddaddy Lake a popular Uinta camping spot and one of the highest Uinta peaks. A place I mentioned a moment ago bears the name Mount Lavinia. Beard carried a camera and captured some of the first known photos of the Hyuintas. I've gone through hundreds of them. One shows a group of men leading horses over Dead Horse Pass. Towering walls of vertical rock rise above them. A steep slope falls away below. Beard painted that same scene. The Salt Lake Tribune wrote about the painting, quoting Beard as saying, the person who first forged the trail over Deadhorse left a sign that read 500ft above, 1,000ft below. Tenderfoot, watch your step, or to hell you'll surely go. I'm half convinced Beard made that up himself. I also suspect he might be the one who named Dead Horse Pass and created the mystique that still influences Uinta Highline hikers more than a century later. Everyone that travels early in the year is wondering if they can get over that. And if they can't, they gotta do a long backtrack out of it. That backtrack is no small thing. The group from Indiana recommended Art take a detour that I'm going to call the Granddaddy Bypass. It would involve leaving the Highline Trail and dropping down to the south, looping through the Grandaddy Lake Basin and returning to the High Line near Naturalist Basin. That detour would skip both Deadhorse and Rocky Sea passes, but at the cost of adding significant distance to the trip. We're talking two or three feet full days of extra walking, most of it through mosquito infested forest far from the beautiful alpine tundra. Art didn't like that idea. The Hoosiers were insistent, though. They thought Dead Horse looked that scary. It is steep and it's snowbound for almost the entire year because it's on the north side and the trail, when it's visible, the trail is not in great condition. It does switchbacks up the side of the tailless slope, but then it crosses a steep, high angle talus slope above a bunch of cliffs. So it's notorious. Especially notorious for people that are not skilled in that or experienced. Art waved off the group from Indiana. Then he and his hiking partner Dan continued on their way toward Redknop Pass. They soon caught up to some other hikers. One of them asked Art if he had seen an Australian man who, with a Red backpack by the name of Eric Robinson. At that time, I knew he was missing. The couple introduced themselves, Julia Geisler and Blake Summers. They said they were personal friends of Eric's who were involved in the search,

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mostly hiking the trail, calling his name, using whistles, that kind of thing.

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Art told them his story. How he had learned of the search for Eric a couple of days earlier near Kings Peak. How he had encountered dangerous snow on Anderson Passed. How he had struggled to follow the Highline Trail across the Oweep Basin because of sheep damage. Julia paused every few steps to call Eric's name. She was looking for him right there. So they suspected at Upper Lake Fork for some reason. I'm not really quite certain why. The reason was Blake's hunch about Deadhorse Pass. Blake figured Eric might have reached Deadhorse, seen that it was snowbound, and decided not to risk crossing it. If so, Eric might have then reversed course back over Red Knob Pass into the Lake Fork drainage, looking for another way around. Art, Dan, Julia and Blake were all headed the same direction, going westbound on the High Line, ascending Redknob Pass on their way to Deadhorse. So they walked together and before long reached the top of Redknob Pass, which is broad and flat. You can stand there, look out to the west and see Dead Horse Pass a couple miles away. When I got to Rednot Pass and could see for the first time Dead Horse condition, I felt somewhat relief, actually. Art saw the bottom two thirds of the pass were snowbound, along with a short section toward the top. But there was more bare ground than he had expected. When I looked at it, I said, hey, that's not too big a deal. Art told me Julia and Blake were not so encouraged, but they looked at and said, boy, that's gnarly. I hope he didn't try and do that.

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It just seemed very vast. I don't remember, like, looking at Deadhorse being like, there's no way he would go over that.

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Julia doesn't dispute saying it, but she told me the entire experience is a jumble in her memory. That makes sense. She was exhausted, under extreme stress and hyper focused on her mission. I've stood at that same spot, peered across at Deadhorse, and thought, nope, Dead Horse Pass just looks scary even when it's not covered in snow. From Red Knot Pass, intimidating as heck. From Dead Horse Lake, intimidating as heck even to me. But I knew it wasn't going to be that intimidating when I got to it. A, I'd been there three or four times before and climbed it, and B, I knew that I wouldn't know anything until I actually started up the slope. The two parties made their way down from Redknob into the cirque between Redknob and Deadhorse Passes. They hiked a few miles through a forested stretch of trail before reaching Deadhorse Lake. From the shore, Art looked across the milky blue water and eyed the snowfield stretching up the cliffy slope on the far side. It still looked intimidating, but even more doable than it had appeared. From a distance. It always looks 10 times harder than it really is. So until you walk over to the slope and look up at it, you won't have any indication of whether it goes. Art felt a surge of confidence and relief. He hadn't taken the advice of the Indiana group about the granddaddy bypass Dead Horse would go. We looked at it and were relieved. It wasn't going to be too hard to cry because right now we're in a hurry. Want to get back and start helping with the rescue? We're running out of food. We're on the last two days of our trip. Art and Dan said goodbye to Julia and Blake, who were going to search for Eric around Dead Horse Lake, stay the night there, then hike out the next day. The two parties exchanged contact information and promised to update one another when they'd both returned to civilization. Art and Dan then made their way around the lake to the toe of the snowfield. Art stepped onto the snow. It wasn't soft and powdery, but instead dense and icy. The angle was mellow enough. At least here at the bottom, he could walk straight up the snowfield like a ramp. If he fell, it wouldn't be that bad. He wouldn't slide all that far before coming to a stop. And he'd be bruised up or have some skin rash. But it wouldn't kill you. Probably wouldn't even injure you. But the angle increased the farther he went. Soon Ard and Dan were kicking in toe holds, then leaning forward into the slope to use their hands as well. The most dangerous spot on Dead Horse pass is about 2/3 the way up where the trail runs directly above a band of cliffs. A fall there could kill you, and the danger only increases when that spot's covered with snow. Snow. Steep snow is a little different because you could slide out of control and get some real velocity up when you finally hit the boulders at the bottom. Art remained focused as he approached this crux. He could see it was mostly clear. He reached the top of the snowfield and found the muddy, slippery stripe of the highline trail. The trail there's narrow and off camber, meaning you have to lean to one side to stay upright, but that's still far safer than vertical snow. The rest of the way up was a breeze. Art and Dan made it to the top of Deadhorse safely, but Art wondered how much worse that snow might have been a week or so earlier, when Eric Robinson might have encountered it. That's a travelable pass with snow on it, but you better be pretty darn experienced. So I don't recommend it if it has snow. But for us, for mountaineers, it was relatively easy and safe. But it isn't for people that don't have experience in the high and wild. The glare of a video light shined in Marilyn's eyes, blinding her to the view of a TV news camera pointed at her face. She sat in a leather armchair in a home that wasn't her own, trying not to think about how odd the situation was. A reporter asked when she had last seen her husband, Eric. Here is what she said, straight from the archives of ksltv.

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It doesn't seem real. You know, we waved goodbye three weeks ago at Melbourne Airport, and he told me to behave whilst he was away. And it just seems like he's out, you know, trekking.

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Like he could turn up at any moment and chastise her for causing a scene, just as he had after his delay on the Cascade Saddle in New Zealand. She had been on the floor at LAX just a few hours before, ready to give up. But she gave no sign of that despair in this interview. Now, I was not personally in the room for this interview. I wouldn't meet Marilyn until years later, but I have seen the video countless times. Marilyn smiled for the camera watching this clip. Now, when I know Marilyn well, I see subtle signs of fear etched on her face.

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When I think about it, you know, I can go to the dark side and what if and where is he and what's happened? And, you know, it's a bit. It's a bit hard to remain positive after four days and knowing the kind of person that he is. It's difficult.

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She didn't tell the reporter about waking up in the middle of the night a week or so earlier with an awful sense of feeling alone. She didn't acknowledge having brought an empty suitcase. Rachel watched from the other side of the camera.

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I remember looking at her going, seriously, like, you've not slept for days, your husband's missing, and this is actually really brave thing to do. She sat there and spoke with her whole heart about who he was. And you know what was happening. This is our family member. Yes, he's an Australian, but please help us.

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The TV reporter wrapped up the interview and left, rushing off to put together the story. Marilyn wondered who might see it. Would anyone notice? Would anyone care?

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That went to air that night. And of course, then there was a little bit of response and the scout

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leader came forward, a Scout master with a story about running into Eric far from where he was supposed to be. Uinta Triangle includes immersive field recordings made in real outdoor locations. For the best listening experience, please consider using a good pair of stereo headphones. And if you'd like to build a better picture of the places we visit, you can find maps, photos and [e-mail] that's uinta spelled uintatriangle.com find us on social media using uintatriangle. Bringing you this story has been an effort years in the making to support this kind of work. Please follow the show and share it with your friends. You can also help us by subscribing to Lemonada Premium right in your podcast player. It gets you access to exclusive bonus episodes. Here's producer Andrea Smarden with a peek at the latest bonus the Uinta Mountains

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are ancestral lands of Ute peoples. In bonus episode four, Ute spiritual leader Larry Cespuch talks about his relationship to the Uinta Mountains, the origins of Ute place names you've heard in this podcast, creation stories, and why it's important to know where you came from.

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Uinta Triangle is researched and written by me, Dave Colley. I also did the field recording. Andrea Smarten is lead producer and sound designer with contributing producers Ben Kiebrick and Jenny Amelia. Our main score and original music are by Alison Layton Brown. Additional voices in this episode from Jessica Lowell and Aaron Mason. Uinta Triangle is a production of KSL Podcasts and Lemonada Media. My personal thanks to the following past and present members of the KSL Podcasts team Aaron Mason, Amy Donaldson, Felix Bunnell, Josh Tilton, Kellyann Halvorson, Nina Ernest, Ryan Meeks and Trent Sell. Finally, from me to you. Please remember, wherever your life's trail takes you, none of us ever truly walk alone. Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along. Which is why you should try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com Zip ZipRecruiter doesn't depend on candidates finding you, it finds them for you. Its powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So while other companies might deliver a lot of hay, ZipRecruiter finds you what you're looking for. The needle in the Haystack. See why? 4 out of 5 employers who post

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candidate within the first day. ZipRecruiter the smartest way to hire and right now you can try ZipRecruiter for free. That's right, free at ZipRecruiter.com Zip that's ZipRecruiter.com Zip ZipRecruiter.com Zip it's the Smuckers Uncrustables Radio Hour with round, soft pillowy bread filled with delicious PB&J. Here's your host Uncrustables caller on line three.

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What's eating you?

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No one crust, is that you? Ugh. Uncrustables are the best part of the sandwich. Sorry, Crust. Mom, can you tell me a story?

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Sure. Once upon a time, a mom needed a new car. Was she brave? She was tired mostly, but she went to Carvana.com and found a great car at a great price. No secret treasure map required.

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Did you have to fight a dragon?

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Nope. She bought it 100% online from her bed, actually.

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Was it scary?

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Honey, it was as unscary as car buying could be. Did the car have a sunroof? It did actually. Okay, good story. Car Buying your want to tell stories about Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.

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