The Bizarre Disappearance of the "Naked Hiker Girl"... What REALLY Happened? 

I was in the Army statationed at JBLM. I called the Sheriff's office on Wednesday and offered to bring 75 Sappers, Rangers and Engineers from Triple Nickel to assist in the search. I was told they had plenty of help. I was pissed when they cut the search short because it was too dangerous when a search dog split its paw and they only looked across 3 square miles. When I questioned this was told she was barefoot. I responded she is from the islands she has been walking barefoot over terrain her whole life, and I was ignored. Since we didn't have a formal invite or request, we could not participate.

I have a hard time understanding how the police could so easily dismiss foul play etc. I mean, let’s be honest… she was young, pretty, and walking around naked. Her tracks stop at the road. You mean to tell me that there’s no possible way someone lured her into the car, took, hurt or killed her?!?!

With 23 years in law enforcement I would be suspect if tracking dogs would lose the scent of someone who is walking barefoot ... I think the scenario where she was picked up on the service road is likely the best lead. Tragic all away around.

A young girl walking naked anywhere near an access road and in an altered state of mind is a predators wet dream.

As a hippie who knew many hippies that acted just like Anu, someone taking hallucinogens, getting naked and going into the woods barefoot is not uncommon in that culture. Teenagers lack a fear of mortality. She probably thought "mother earth" would take care of her and didnt know the area at all. Her friends probably felt the same and were probably all trippin ba**s. I am certain she got lost/stuck and died of hypothermia. Im guessing authorities didnt do the best job of looking for her. Scavengers probably scattered her bones as mother earth took her home. Id say it was a "stupid hippie" mistake, but really, she was a beautiful, very young girl who must have been so loved and secure, she took a leap of faith in the universe and danger never occurred to her, until it did. I am sure she is in a better place now.

I grew up with Anu. I wasnt close with her as we got older but id known her my whole life nonetheless. I frankly always felt she got picked up by someone with dark motives and it was weird to me how quickly that idea got swept away. This whole case is extremely sad and confusing. I appreciate the video immensely.

I’ve been on hundreds of K-9 searches and when the track suddenly dries up at a road, it normally means the person got into a vehicle. Sometimes other variables, but usually they got a ride out of there.

That's absolutely the behavior of someone on psychedelics. In the mid 90s when I did a lot of them and I wasn't the walk away naked sort of trip buddy but they were always around. One bad trip was enough to scratch that kind of activity right off of my list of trip activities. It would be terrifying to start peaking way too hard in the dark woods all alone. NOooooooo thanks

Shrooms.... the fact she stripped naked to go on a "spiritual journey" in the middle of the wilderness leads me to believe this. As for her disappearance I would say she was picked up on that forest service road.

I knew her. She was a student in my class at Lewis and Clark High School.. She had interesting tendencies. She went by the name "Anu." She played music all the time at school. I could see her "going on a quest" as she seemed to have a "pure soul.". She was overly trusting of people in general so I can see her being picked up by someone driving on the road. I know that she mentioned joining a commune as well while she was attending Lewis and Clark High School. I have hiked a lot in that area. A number of roads in the area have been closed due to vandalism so her being picked up on the road is certainly not out of the question. There are quite a number of intersecting trails in the area so it would also be easy to find your way out. Signage is good so finding trails out to a trailhead shouldn't have been too difficult.

Its a miracle most of us survive.our teen years and early 20s. We all wanna be so free, individual, and do all the things we have been told to never do. We have " itcanthappentomeitis". Only when we stumble our way to actual adulthood do we shudder at our own behavior. She didnt make it. And im so sorry for her family. I hope they have found a sliver of peace.

I got hypothermic during a trail run - even though I was wearing appropriate clothing- it began to rain and I became chilled without realizing it - then I became confused and ended up way off the trail. I was fortunate in that I stumbled upon a hunting cabin in the woods. The people took me in, gave me a blanket and let me sit by the fire, then helped me find my way back. I can easily see how that could’ve ended up other me passing out and dying in the forest

There are dangerous people (and other things) in the woods, all kinds. The wilderness is not a playground, it's not Fern Gully, it's a very dangerous place. A naked and attractive woman strolling through the wilderness alone (and probably on lsd or shrooms) is a disaster waiting to happen. That poor woman...

Being naked and lost, she could easily die of exposure even in the summer.

No way those dogs lost her trail on something so easy as a road...she was picked up...if her trail ended at a creek somewhere remote then yes she wondered off but the trail ending at the road means only one thing no matter what those police say!

As bizarre as her walking off naked may sound, I actually have a friend whose daughter did this as well (including her shoes) while out with a group of other young adults. They were a spiritual group, and this exercise of exposing yourself to the elements was supposed to enhance your meditative process, as it was explained to me. My friend’s daughter was found dead the following morning not far from camp, having died from exposure in a snow drift. She was the only one of the kids who actually stripped naked and wandered out into the night, and everyone there thought it was bizarre but did nothing to stop her either. It was a horrible tragedy, and I can’t help but wonder what schools of thought are influencing these young people to attempt such risky behaviors.

There was another guy who left from Vancouver, Wa, that survived for over a week on backside of Mt St Helens with flip flops and no supplies at all. He went on a hike to Blue Lake, which was less than a mile from his car. He was found in a ravene nearly dead over a week later, but he survived. A rescue helicopter had to pick him up because of his condition. . The person who found him said he was lying in the ravene, letting bee's sting him and picking them off for food. He still had his flip flops on, over a week later! Apparently, he doesn't remember much after the first day. Only that he walked a lot and lost his small backpack after falling down a hill. The backpack was found eventually too. We searched for him for seven days and we were on the last day when he was found.

So glad you're covering this! We lived in WA when this happened and it practically disappeared from the news circuit soon after. It was so sad nobody cared enough to look for her!

Played football with her in middle school at discovery middle school! She was one of the best players on the team

15:36 the mushroom hemp necklace and the glassy eyed stare in this picture, combined with the drug rug she's wearing in another picture, and the fact that she walked off naked into the woods to go on a "spirit journey" all kinda points to her probably tripping when she disappeared. I could totally see her friends just saying no drugs were involved because they also might have been on or had drugs, she might have had drugs on her as well, and they just didn't want anyone to get in trouble.The information that she was on drugs at the time really doesn't do anything to help in the search anyways, it's not like the cops knowing she was on a 10 strip of acid would have pointed them in the direction she was heading or told them where she ended up. To me it makes more sense then just randomly getting naked around all your friends to go venture off into the woods alone, this whole thing just sounds like something someone would do if they were tripping balls.

It may seem strange that she walked off with no shoes, but as a former hippie (who also happens to live in Western Washington), barefooted hiking (and just walking barefoot outside in general) is EXTREMELY common. My friends and I used to hike the Lake Sylvia trail, as well as Wynoochie and various other parks barefoot all the time. In fact, we hardly ever wore shoes unless we were going into a store. There's something about being able to feel the dirt and grass beneath your feet that makes you feel more atuned to the wilderness. Eventually, we got to the point where we could walk on rocks and sticks without feeling any pain whatsoever. The bottoms of your feet start to toughen up, and it feels really comfortable. I never thought about it before, but I guess it would sound pretty weird for someone to walk barefoot in the woods! 😂 Just extremely common where I'm from to go without shoes.

Walking naked through the Gifford Pinchot at night? Here's a crazy guess -- hypothermia.

I've gone camping on X and Shrooms on different occasions. We had to stop one of my friends from doing exactly this. Girl got messed up on something and decided she wanted to be one with nature or something like that, then found herself in trouble because she was lost in the beauty of everything and stumbled into some kind of dangerous situation. Her friends were probably equally messed up and thought it looked like a good idea at the time. Either that or they're just TERRIBLE friends. Like I said, we were all on the same substance and still had the sense to stop the one of us who wanted to go wandering around the woods in their birthday suit. The friend we stopped was a dude, so the desire to not see that fool naked might have helped.

The biggest oddity to me is her trail ending at the road. Either she had someone waiting for her and was planning to disappear, or she got lost and found the road, then flagged down a passing car, who ended up being a not so nice person. From the way it sounds, this road was probably not heavy on traffic. Just happening across someone driving doesn't sound likely. So it makes me wonder if she planned to disappear, and the person waiting on her tricked her into pulling this stunt, and did something devious in the end. Pretty girl. Young. Influential. She could have thought she was going for a mysterious tryst, and ended up in the hands of a trafficker.

Washingtonian here, naked hippie hikers aren’t totally out of the norm. Disappearing naked hippie hikers aren’t so normal though

I frequent that area almost every weekend and every time i drive past the campsite she dissapeared from i get chills. So sad 😢

Look at Jason Landry missing in Texas a couple of years back. He wasn’t really on a hike, but the circumstances are similar-naked-drugs? - cold night- hypothermia? - body never found!

When I was living in Northern California it was common to hear stories of people who were tripping on Hallucinogenics, like mushrooms or acid, going out into the forest, getting lost for days. One young man tripping on something hallucinogenic, went off into the woods naked, and cut his own testicles off, thinking the devil was in them. I am a little disappointed by whoever she was with that let her go off like that, without a guide… Typically, if you take enough Hallucinogenics to trip like that, someone is always with your to ensure your safety. We can only guess that the friends at the camper also tripping, I’m not able to watch over her. One can only assume at this point. Thank you for your reporting 🙏

I know this area well. The campground is still open for camping but it is not maintained. The main road getting to the campground has washed out and is not going to be repaired. It is a beautiful area but very wild and dangerous if you are not familiar or aware of your surroundings.

In Australia , Hiker's who die on a Trek are Eaten by Razorbacks , Hogs , Wild Pigs . They Leave Nothing Behind .

She would have been powerless against a wolf, a cougar, a coyote pack, a bear, a leg-breaking fall, a predatory man or men, hypothermia, etc. etc. etc. Such a bad idea, such a pointless tragedy that could have been averted with the right gear, some training, a sober mind, and a couple of reliable, experienced, friends -- not to mention some tech designed for just this situation. Rest in Peace.

When people are exposed to the elements, rain etc, im sure some of them search for some nook to crawl into and keep warm and out of the rain (i know i tried to...) She may not have been found yet cuz she is squirreled away somewhere.

I think she was picked up.

Her name is ANU! (Pronounced like awe-nu!!)She was one of the kindest souls on this planet and this truly still breaks my heart thinking of all the loose ends trying to find her. Wish she was back home with friends and family.

I think there is also a possibility someone came across her and there was some foul play, walking naked alone (possibly on drugs) in an unpopulated area probably greatly increases the chances of someone trying to victimize you.

You're so real for 10:00 people are always saying "I would've done this, I would've done that" but guess what? You weren't there, you weren't involved, it's so easy to sit and judge from the outside...

I've been all over the Gifford and I'll tell you you can easily get lost if you don't know where you're going

What a mystery. It seems like there were a lot of things that went wrong, but it started with a bad decision, to leave an established camp site with zero supplies and without telling anyone her plan.

I know that area. Lotsa unmapped lava caves. I've lived in and hiked the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest extensively. In my opinion, the Pacific Northwest is more deadly. At first glance, it's topography seems less rugged and it's temperature range feels less extreme but this can lull you into a false sense of security. Make no mistake, though, if the cougars and bears don't take a nibble, hypothermia will take a whole bite. It's cold and damp every night of the year and if you don't know what you're doing, you're a wet corpse faster than you can say, "I can't get a signal!"

She fucked around and found out that the entire world isnt Disneyland smh.

Nudism/Naturism and Wicca's "Sky-Clad" philosophy are unto themselves not really all that big a deal. A lot of people feel that a remote woodland setting is an appropriate locale for non-sexual activities lacking clothing; they're neither exhibitionists or voyeurs.

I wanted to say that your coverage of these incidents is great. I subscribed last month and I’ve been able to take a lot of tips from your channel for when I want to resume hiking. Crazy things can happen!

The western side of Washington and Oregon unfortunately have several of these just missing without a trace in the woods, hikers, hunters, children and adults alike it’s the twilight zone.

On almost every video of her she seems high. Going naked in the woods is telling me that she was either really high on something, extremely stupid (along with her friends), or just planned the whole thing where someone was waiting for her on that road. Of course, the evidence is telling us that she was taken on that road; otherwise the dogs would have no problem finding her, especially so soon after the disappearance.

Hiking naked! You could get mosquito bites and ticks in places unmentionable 😱

I went on a "spirit quest" when I was younger. It's typically associated with native American religions. It doesn't always involve psychedelic drugs, but a lot of the time it does. The concept is to wander a parcel of land until the spirits speak to you and tell you where to settle down for the night. You set up a protective circle and stay in it until dawn. The stripping of her clothes may have been to feel closer to mother Earth. I just did it barefoot but still with clothes. Mine was a little safer because we were taken in a van out to a parcel of land and told where the borders were, and in the morning they did a roll call to ensure no one went missing. I suspect she misstepped or got lost in the forest. Maybe she fell wrong while on drugs. This is a sad story but I'm not surprised she went missing given all the context.

I mutually knew anu in high-school. This still haunts me a bit. Hope they find something out one day.

How do we know her friends were telling the truth?

This was always just too suspicious to me. They called off the search way too early, refused help from the local military base and the National Guard, etc, like they knew something we don't. They said they don't believe foul play is involved, but I think they know it was, and don't want to spook their suspect until they can find evidence. I wish we did have a way to bring closure to her family.

I think it's possible that this woman didn't perish at the time of her disappearance, because of the possible footprints, that could have stopped where a car might have picked her up.

I think it's very possible that she was picked up,or abducted if you will, on that forest road. Especially if that's pretty much where they lost her prints.!?

She disappeared almost 11 years ago, but given the fact I (and many people i know) spend a notable amount of time in and around the Canyon Creek area, as well driving FSR 54 and the innumerous miles of connecting forest service and logging roads, its Crazy to think this is SOOO close to home...

I'm local and I remember this being a wild one. It was all over the news and many people went out to search. Canyon Creek CG was relatively remote even back then before the FS decided to quit repairing the road that washed out every few years. The camp ground is "closed" but still usable by back country folks, its just not maintained by the FS. That whole Canyon Creek stretch is pretty rough woods. It's a Creek in a Canyon as the name would imply, so travel off track is nearly impossible. The forest road parallels the creek from the west, crosses over to the south side and winds its way through the Cascades heading east towards the PCT. (I believe the PCT crosses FR54 at some point, but I could be mistaken. It's a rats nest of logging roads on that side heading towards Carson, WA/Mt Adams and I haven't been in that particular area in 10 years or more.) To be on foot out there would not be easy travel. There's only a few roads and fewer established trails. Lots of places to get lost and never found again out there, much of the woods off the roads and trails have quite possibly never had a human footprint set in them. The whole terrain is ancient volcanic in origin, so it's rocky in parts, steep in parts, trees jutting out the sides of slopes. Before the road washed out it was relatively heavily trafficked for a forest road, so it's possible she got picked up by two-legged wildlife. There's also plenty of four-legged wildlife out there, too, black bear, mountain lions. Edit: after looking at a map, FR54 stays to north of the creek and it's FR37 on the south side with the camp ground access from 37. So she crossed the creek to get to the 54 road. Also, neither road intersects the PCT. The PCT runs to the south and juts east before the termini of both roads with FR30.

She was missing all right - missing clothes, companions and common sense. When she says "spiritual" sounds like shrooms to me. ☮

Hey Kyle -- WA state hiker here. Disappearances in our forests are not that unusual due to the number of large carnivores that we've got here. Particularly with the lack of any clothing or gear, there's just not much to be found that -- and I'm trying not to be insensitive to her family or friends who may read this -- would not be of interest to hungry animals, which would include bears, mountain lions, and coyotes. I remember this happening and I remember hearing that she'd taken mushrooms the night of and wandered off, which would explain both her decision to do so and the inability of her friends to stop her. It's possible that it all seemed fairly reasonable at the time. It also might explain the unwillingness of some people to risk their lives to look for her, because this IS remote, difficult terrain and searching is not without risks. This is a sad story and unfortunately illustrates how unforgiving the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest can be to people who are unprepared and do not treat it with the proper respect.

It’s also important to note that her being a beautiful Indigenous girl makes her case one of many MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women). Indigenous women go missing all over the country every day and the fact her footprints disappear at the roadway and the police deny foul play is pretty typical of MMIW cases.

I'm from NY but now live about 60 miles away from there. Just so scary 😮

Over 10 years how sad This poor young lady made a tragic mistake 😢

Absolutely bless all that loved her. Their loss and no answers are unimaginable. Too say the least.

OMGosh I remember when she disappeared and I scoured the news trying to find information about this young woman… it has disturbed me since! Im So Happy you’re shining a light on her disappearance! Hopefully maybe it’ll make someone give it another go!

I would bet she found herself in someone's basement. It's a very troubling story.

Spirit quest in this context is code for taking psychedelics in nature, and said psychedelics increase the desire to be barefoot when in nature and also make walking barefoot through the forest way easier. It’s really not so mysterious.

Wow, 40 degrees, rain, and naked...

Don't they have nude hiking on the Appalachian Trail? Sadly, they won't find much except scattered bones, if that. With no protection from the elements or predators, she wouldn't have lasted long. Plus, walking naked along a road, she could gave become a murder victim who was dumped far away. Rest in peave Anu.

I think I remember this being covered in Outside magazine. She had been wanting to go on a vision quest for some time, as it was part of her heritage. Not sure if part of that tradition is to get all F'd up and walk buck naked into the woods. If they tracked her to that forest road, her body was most likely curled up under a log somewhere within a mile of that location. RIP beautiful😥

I appreciate you putting her friends choices into perspective. It’s so much easier to judge and assume when you know the outcome. If they were in a secluded area with no other campers being around it wouldn’t seem like as big of a deal having her wondering around. If that was not unusual for her or anything.

Why would anyone stand by and allow that thinking anything but disaster could follow. That sucks man. You HAVE to stop her, especially if you were there with her.

I've never heard of this case before. Thank you for bringing this case to my attention.

My experience during the mid sixties to 79;s. People were tunning in tunning out! This behavior was very classic taking LSD. Mushrooms or STP! Many were on spiritual quest. Many insane ideas some made it and others did not! True as a young person you are not apt to deter them!

I think that it is outrageously irresponsible to allow your friend to go off into the woods. We are supposed to be looking out for one another to just sit around and wave goodbye as somebody descends into the wilderness just seems like a very irresponsible thing to do.

Dude, I have done massive amounts of magic mushrooms when camping, hiking, fishing, blah blah blah. I mean massive doses. I never once found myself wondering naked in the middle of nowhere. Hallucinogens don’t work that way.

That must make searches difficult A lot of people who’s remains are found are identified by their clothing or tents Which she didn’t have

Sounds like Peyote. That psychedelic is closely associated to spiritual quests as well. It turns your world upside down. Forget where you are, who you are, what you’re doing. It is an intense experience. Shrooms unless you are going for hero dose usually aren’t that extreme. Granted people react differently to everything. Even with a compass if she didn’t know which direction she came from then she couldn’t get back. Sad, and my heart goes out to her family.

Like previous comments, the first thing that came to mind was the whole "spiritual cleansing with hallucinogens" thing. I may be old, but I remember my 'experiments', and the naked thing definitely sounds like hallucinogens could have been involved. I mean, as a woman, I would not have stripped off all my clothes unless I was high as a kite. If you take that as a given, a young woman roaming around in that area naked, under the influence of drugs, only God knows. An evil person, a bear...a sad end to a life that had lots of potential.

Very well spoken ,hoping for some closure for the family❤

used to live in washington, it would be extremely easy to get lost in the woods..

How sad that a good time with friends ended so horribly. Chances are she will never be found but I hope that her family and friends have found some peace. Thank you for trying to bring attention to her case.

Kyle, I have watched almost all of your videos. I just want to say that I LOVE how respectful, sincere and caring you are when discussing these stories. You're very fair in the way that you phrase difficult points that could be offensive to some, but ARE NOT because of the way you present them. Things that many of us may be thinking but don't want to belittle or judge the person who's found themself in such a tragic circumstance. On other, less serious topics/videos your sense of humor is great! Keep up the solid job you're doing and thank you for making these! 😊 Do you have a Patreon account?

So... was she instrumental in deciding on the destination / location of the camping trip? Did she suggest or promote it? That could be suspicious and point to her having a plan, or something in mind, for that location.

So sometimes mental health issues such as bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia cause people to begin thinking about spiritual quest, spirit guides, signs from the spirits, I personally had 2 acquaintances that this happened to. One was picking up roadkill and carrying it around believing it was carrying a bigger message for her, and another thought that any time an animal crossed her path that it was the spirit of her dead child bringing her messages... A mutual friend got through to the latter by telling her that honestly it was just a dear in the road and it was time to talk to her shrink about her grief and get on the right combination of drugs and grief counseling... Which was successful to a degree. Don't blindly support these beliefs just because you don't want to be a buzz killer.

❤ these stories and the way you tell them!

Thanks for these videos and the research that you do. I love watching them and the way you share the story. I am still amazed that in some of these cases that bodies are never found. We should have the technology now to do a better job at searching for lost or missing, especially on the trail. Wishing the best for her family

i hope you bringing more attention to this helps. you’re right that we can’t blame anyone … that wilderness is vast from what i’ve heard

This is a horrible story. And if they lost her on the road I think she was abducted by someone. And if she was on Hallucinatgentics her friends would have not let her go alone. Because anything could happen. And just her being naked shows she was not thinking clearly, weather she was on drugs or not! I really think she was abducted! That’s the only thing that makes sense. My prayers are with her family!!

Glad you posted this video. Interesting but short lived in media.

God bless this family and friends with all your grace and mercy... RIP sweetie

It's so crazy how humans need clothes or shelter to not die of hypothermia pretty much everywhere on Earth outside of the tropics at sea level.

Ever heard of someone ever taking a "spiritual quest", without taking psychedelic drugs? Seems obvious what happened to me.

I cannot imagine the horror she would feel when she finally comes to her senses, realizing she is in the middle of a forest she's not familiar with, during the dark night, with nothing, not even clothes, to protect herself.

I found your channel and I can’t stop watching!

I’m guessing she tucked herself up under a log or rock outcropping and passed away. People are great at tucking themselves away when hypothermia kicks in. It doesn’t make the search easy and you’d be surprised how small a full-grown adult can be when curled up.

I am from sw WA, Lewis County. MT. Adams, Randle, Packwood, Morton, if you know,. You know. Worked in the logging industry for almost 30 years. I got more time taking a shit in the woods than most ppl hiking in the woods. Going naked, and barefoot in the foothills of the cascades is the perfect recipe for death. I have no mercy on anyone who does not take into consideration the level of multiple dangers of the foothills of the cascade mountains. If you have never been there, you have no right to open your yapper and comment. You have absolutely no idea how steep the ground is, let alone how vast it is. You play a stupid game, you get a stupid reward. If you're from the city, you have no business being out there, because your ignorance will get you killed.

It makes me feel sick to my stomach when ever I hear about people's disappearances! But I pray for them and they're families! May God bless them!!

I live in Vancouver and remember this incident very well and thought it was so strange when it happened. The fact that they never found her was sad but I had a feeling drugs were involved and she probably died from the elements but nothing was ever said!

This is really a bizarre story that I've never heard of before. Being the father of two adorable girls, it scares the crap outta me of what became of her. I really feel for the parents especially knowing the circumstances of her disappearance. Thank for giving me many sleepless nights from now on. 😟

Hippie makes terrible decision to walk naked in the woods and none of her friends follow her to make sure she’s safe because they are hippies too.

First time viewer, love the way you take care of the case... And yes I subscribed 😊

So sad. Sending my condolences to her family and friends.😢

back in my day walking around in the woods high as hell naked was common place and it was just in NC. I spent a year in the lower MI peninsula with a group of kids that were all very free people. it was a different time but people are people and i see alot of young folks that want to emulate those experiences.

This case has always puzzled me. Somewhat close to where I live and I have to imagine she was kidnapped due to the circumstances.