This isn't a book review, this is posted here because this is definitely news worthy. Before I go on, I am providing a few links to give you all the background on this matter. Please read the articles before you express your thoughts on the matter.

About David Paulides (the author):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Paulides

About Missing 411:
http://www.canammissing.com/about_us.html

http://thenightsky.org/parks.html

If you would like to hear about some of the cases, from David himself, go to YouTube and type in Missing 411 or David Paulides and you can listen to those on there.

Now, I hope you all click on those links and kind of got the back story to what this topic is about. I will briefly tell you what this topic is about.

David is a retired law enforcement officer. He was visiting a National Park to do research on another topic. Later that night, when he went back to his room, two employees from the National Park service knocked on his door and told him that they had been working for the National Park service for years, and in more than one National Park location. He had someone he knew, research the stuff these people conveyed to him and later told him that there was something there and he should definitely look into the matter.

After tons of research, he came across something strange. He was noticing that there were a big number of people disappearing in National Parks. Now, the cases he rules out are those who may have mental illnesses and are suicidal, he also rules out any cases of drownings and people who would likely disappear on purpose. The cases he focuses on are highly unusual. The people that disappear are either highly intelligent or have some kind of disability like dementia, etc. Some are even children from the ages of 2-6 years old. In some cases, the missing person will be with a large group of people. They will be walking on the trails with their group, and somehow they get separated or get just out of sight of the group and then they completely vanish. They don't hear any sounds like screaming or yelling and they don't see anything unusual or suspicious.

Some cases, there are highly athletic and experienced hikers, and I am talking about survivalist types of people. They will have emergency supplies with them in case they get lost and have to wait to be found. These disappearances make absolutely no sense. A lot of the time, during the search and rescue efforts, heavy rain or snow will hit the area immediately after the person disappears or within hours of the person disappearing. Some people will be found in locations that make no sense, they are found in places that would be hard for even an experienced hiker or tracker to get to.

David Paulides is actually a friend of mine. I came into contact with him back in 2013 when I start hearing about this matter. Now, I haven't read the books as of yet, but believe me, I plan on it. However, I have done a LOT of research on the topic, and I have listened to every single interview David has done in the media. He is even starting to find similar cases in urban areas. I honestly want you all to delve as deeply as you can into this. It's not a matter to be taken lightly and even I am baffled as to why or how this is happening.

David has even come across some road blocks because the higher ups in the National Park service doesn't seem to want to let people know about what's going on. You can get a good idea of all that David has faced during his years of research on this subject if you listen to his interviews. He never gives his opinion on what he think is causing it, he just states the facts and lets us, the public, come to our own conclusions.

The reason I posted this, is because I think as many people as possible need to know what's going on. Just a side note, David has said that the National Park service has their own law enforcement agency, and they are the best of the best, trained better than our local law enforcement agencies. Why they are keeping it hush, hush is a mystery to me. Some people have told me they think it's because they know what's going on and don't want anyone to know because they would lose money and they're afraid tourists will not visit the National Parks anymore. Like I said, I don't know what's going on. But I do know I want to bring awareness to this matter. Not only to let the public know so they can try to keep themselves safe, but also for the families of the missing people. Not knowing what happened to their loved ones or why they went missing must be killing them.

I appreciate your time in reading this post. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the matter.

That is just very bizarre. I don't even want to go to one. I am uneasy about hiking and things as such.

SunflowerGaming : With the description you've given, it sounds like something that belongs in a fictional novel, but the disappearances are real. Is there anything consistent about the disappearances, aside from intelligence and disabilities? Does anyone have a guess as to what is going on behind all these mysterious disappearances, or is it all just a mystery to everyone?

I have spent a lot of time out in the real world and, newsflash, it's not bubble-wrapped for your protection.  National parks are often without amenities and people get hurt, get lost, and die for a variety of reasons.  

Poor training - I've seen obese people attempt the Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon.  They don't have the fitness required to pursue a majority of the offers available at National Parks.

Dehydration - Parks are in a lot of dry places, whether in the desert, like Moab, Utah, or in Alaska, where everything is frozen and there's no access to fresh water.  People go out, get thirsty, and waste away.

Poor planning - People go out and get lost.  They 'explore' and realize they're from the suburbs where real exploring doesn't happen.  Then they die.

Over-confidence - THis is the one that got Chris McCandless, or whatever his name was, and that guy from 128 Hours, or however long it took to cut himself loose.  People think they can because they're in great shape or they're prepared and then they make a mistake or something happens.

National Parks aren't walking in the city or being on the beach.  Everything out there can and will try to eat you.  End of story.  These people were unlucky or morons.

jlove92 : Yeah, after listening to the radio show interviews the Author was on, I felt the same way afterward as well.

NovemberJoy : That's a very good question. I can't really answer those questions too well since I haven't had a chance to read the books, but from listening to the radio show interviews, I know that a lot of the people that disappear are either very athletic and healthy people, ones that you would never expect to get lost and are real survivalists. Or they're mentally disabled. Some are children, some are the elderly and some are in their 20's. As for what or who could be causing this, it's truly baffling, I don't think anyone knows for certain. Some are found alive but can't remember what happened to them, mostly children. Others are never found, and the ones that are found dead, they can't find a cause of death. I am honestly baffled. I'm not even sure after I read the books if I will have an opinion on this or not.

Ghostbear1111 : Some of the cases could be the things you mentioned below, but like I wrote in my first post, if you at least listen to some of the radio interviews and even read the books, a lot of the cases aren't that simple. Like I told NovemberJoy, the ones that are found alive can't remember where they were or how they got to where they were found. The ones that were found deceased, they can't find a cause of death. And some are never found. It's really a baffling mystery. If you have a chance, listen to the interviews. It really is intriguing.