Why the HELL aren't people talking about this Hiker's Nightmare death? 

I was a member of the hunting party that found David but didn’t go on that trip, because my friend and I had decided to do an archery hunt there earlier, in Sept. When they returned, we were stunned to hear the details! The worst part of what we heard was that one of the rangers that returned to help with the recovery had read the journal at the site and burst into tears when David’s entry said that he could hear the planes looking for him but they could not see into the dense forest, and the ranger also realized that he was still alive after the search was called off! Ugh! Horrible all the way around.

I just found a missing neighbor face down in a brook behind my house. He was missing 14 months. Somehow searchers missed him in just a few acres of woods.

For some reason the canceled fireworks is really messing with me. All things came together to kill this poor man. And as if his life wasn't miserable enough. I hope he is at rest.

I lived in the ADK's for 30 years, not far from where this happened. IMHO, Boomhower made 3 mistakes, and I wish everyone who went into the wilderness would learn from them: 1) Like many people who are not locals, he underestimated the ADK's and just how remote they are 2) It's good advice to stay put and wait for rescue - up to a point. Yes, you can make things even worse by just wandering off in random directions, but he failed to either retrace his steps or to bushwhack in a direction that would have intersected the trail he had left, which brings us to his most important mistake 3) a failure to learn basic map & compass skills. Today I use satellite navigation and I am grateful to have it, but I also carry an old-fashioned map & compass and that has gotten me out of trouble more than once. Had he set off in one direction that would at some point intersect a trail (a basic map & compass skill) he could have re-oriented himself and at least have known which trail he was on & which direction to head. BTW, one other thing he might have done but apparently didn't: build a smokey, messy fire and keep it going. Boomhower's tragic death is a cautionary tale for anyone who goes into the wilderness alone.

As part of a wilderness living skills school, my 5 person class did one 3-day "survival" trip with nothing but the clothes on our backs, and our knives. We did really well as a group, and I'm thankful for each of them for what they contributed. Even in a group with training and preparation, the energy depletion of simply walking to gather by day three was noticeable. Most of the success was made on our first day of shelter building, creating a fire by friction, creating pine bark containers to carry/rock boil water, and explore the area for wild edibles. Being so used to eating and drinking whenever I want was a shock to the system once without those luxuries. I admit I did not really fast in preparation, like some others, and it showed. Just standing up at the end of day two made me dizzy. I was never more happy to see food at the end of our trip.

These stories are so mystifying for me. I've been hungry on trail before, I've been tired and dealing with injuries. I've never felt like getting off the trail and making camp somewhere was the best option. If you're on a trail and you don't feel you're able to keep walking? Absolutely stop and make camp right there on the trail and someone will find you. If you're lost? Follow a drainage to a road until you find humans. It takes more than a month to die of hunger, and most of that time your body is capable of moving at least a few miles a day until you can be rescued. Follow the path of least resistance, (downhill, following a drainage or water source). You're within 10 miles of a road almost anywhere in the lower 48 at all times. Nowadays you can buy a PLB for less than you paid for your backpack or tent and push a button to ask for help. Most places you hike this will have no negative repercussions for you at all, because sending a couple rangers to a known location is so much cheaper than having 100s of people looking for you for two weeks.

Not an expert by any means, but it seems to me that stay and wait for help only works when you're in a predictable area at a predictable time and people know you're missing soon after you go missing. I've watched a lot of your videos, and a lot of them involve someone who changes course - and - there's a significant time delay between when they get lost and when people realize they're missing.

"in 1990... But I wasn't even born yet" _cries in old_

I find it scary just how long he lived even after he really thought he was gonna die until he actually did. It would be so hopeless

Stories like these are why I always carry a compass. You do a genuinely great job at telling these stories with respect. Very few can do that

Your videos always reinforce to me just how good an idea my spot GPS was. The location GPS system was implemented in 1998 so indeed this poor gentleman did not have it as an option at any price or weight point. The gps locators are such a safety revolution.

So sad that Dave didn’t realize/accept that he was too depleted, had too little provisions to continue at the time he encountered the man fishing. I think sometimes it’s due to the indomitable human spirit to not give up, but it seems there’ve also been studies that show an actual physiological reason for one’s judgment being affected when the body is deprived of adequate nutrition.

We are always told to stay put. I think of Geraldine Largay who went hiking on the Appalachian trail, got lost and waited for a month for help before dying of starvation and exposure. So many others. But then what about all those that the searches kept missing because they didn't stay still?!? Idk the right answer anymore.

In his last entry saying he was violently ill, I wonder if they did any sort of autopsy on him to find out if he'd picked up parasites from the water or something

I know you said in another video not to carry a map but I'm old and I always have a paper map of the region along with a compass with me. I like to "feel" the topography of the area and I've had to either detour due to bad weather or flooding or terrible trail conditions before. I know phones can work but they are so small. With a map even in the ADKs there's roads and things you could make your way to. In my case no one will come look for me and my ex husband and I have discussed that if we ever get lost we'll try to hike out. Poor Dave he just wanted some space to think and this is what happens. Thank you for taking the time to talk about his story he is definitely in my thoughts.

I'm doing my fourth thru of the NPT in August. I always think of David Boomhower when i pass by the sucker brook trail intersection. I have friends that were involved in this search. A couple of additional details that may help with a question people may have....The reason they didn't really focus too hard on the Sucker Brook trail is that it climbs pretty aggressively up Cellar Mt before reaching Lewey lake. No part of the entire NPT climbs that steeply or that high. In addition, if he wanted to bail from the NPT there was a Ranger Station located at Cedar River Flow just a few miles further on the NPT. Back in 1990 it was fully staffed all summer (it no longer is, sadly) and he could have got a ride or made a phone call there. The searchers figured if he wanted to bail he would have just kept going on the relatively flat NPT instead of climbing a mountain to hike an even further distance to Lewey Lake campground. He was known to have had paper maps with him and the ranger station was clearly shown on all NPT maps at the time. To this day it's a mystery why he hiked up the mountain to the east instead of just continuing on the NPT. Perhaps by the time he started planning to bail he already wasn't thinking clearly. That's the best explanation I guess.

I served in Desert Storm in 1991 and we had at battalion level an early version of a sat phone. It worked fantastic but much too heavy and likely expensive for backpacking. We also had a civilian version of GPS intended for boats that could have been carried but they were very unreliable. If I was David I would have carried topo maps and a good compass

How is Garmin NOT Sponsoring these videos yet???

Being an ADKer. I remember this story vividly. You covered it well. The book you reference is a great read. Ironically I am headed up the NPT in about a month....yes I have a satellite communicator and a map and a compass. I have tremendous respect for the wilderness!

your b-roll, lighting, and editing is great. the stories are unique and entertaining. your channel should blow up in the upcoming months.

The first mobile phones were “bag” phones. Not small enough to carry with you. They were in a bag that used your car battery for power. I got one of the first ones sold in Missouri in 1993. I commuted on a daily basis and it eased my family’s anxiety during tornado season and winter when roads here can get extremely dangerous from ice and snow.

You told Boomhower's story well. It's sad that he was so close to the campgrounds but too weak and disoriented to get himself there. His story reminds me to: -bring extra food -sign the logbooks (and even write "low on food" if that were true) -pay extra attention where I'm going when I step off trail -If I find myself lost, realize that staying put MIGHT not be the best choice. -carry my satellite communicator. I wonder if he had any maps with him. 🤔

As a New York City resident and a USPS worker this story hits hard

Given that he had gone off his chosen trail I’m surprised he thought rescue was a realistic probability. What a sad story!

r.i.p Uncle Dave...You are flying high and at peace. You also saved other lives with your story regarding what not to do while hiking.

Poor guy. Hope he found a moment of peace at the end

This Was so sad. Those journal entries just heartbreaking 💔😢😞

What a tragedy! Fortunately, today we do have personal locator beacons!!! IF YOU HIKE ALONE, PLEASE CARRY ONE!!!

This reminded me of a time I had to detour around some beavers and flooding in the Wild River Wilderness NH. I was backpacking and aiming for IMP Shelter site. I had gone so far off trail, I couldn’t find my way back…or so I thought. I find a place to put up my tent and settled down with my map and compass. Before I went to sleep I knew which way would bring me to trail. I ended up just a quarter mile off trail and quickly bushwhacked to it the next day. I’m not sure what he had, but maps and compasses save lives.

I have read about this in In at he PerilOf The Mountains. Living in the ADK and having hiked the NPT, I don’t think many people appreciate how remote some parts of the Adirondacks are now let alone 30+ years ago. I think the NPT saw such little traffic then and with no social media, let alone internet, this story was almost forgotten. You’re doing a good job with this kind of content on your page.

PLB’s existed back then, but they were large, heavy, expensive, and highly regulated. You pretty much found them in aircraft & boats - very few hikers/hunters carried them…

Never been on a legitimate hike, this would probably seem like an eternity when you realize you’re lost and running low on food.

Along with a locator beacon, always carry a map of the area, if available and a compass. If he had a map of the area he likely could have navigated his way out.

This really shows how important survival skills are. Yet the most important is map and compass skills. One must remember about this story in 1990s the gear wasn't nothing like nowadays. I wonder if he was sick from dirty water. Back then filters were expensive an not very good. I don't understand how someone could starve in the summer.

Guessing we haven’t heard this story because it goes against the rule of “stay put” that survival instructors consistently preach. To each there own, I’m no expert, but my advice is set camp, and work in straight lines to eventually make a circumference, know what is around you. Set a ton of identifiable markers (breaking branches, pulling bark, crossing sticks) so you don’t lose your camp. May even forage some treats while out!

At that time the only GPS was used by the military and they were fairly big. Also, I think a little training in land navigation and a small compass can help to at least get you back on trail if you wander off.

1990 you were lucky to have “the brick” aka the DynaTac 8000x cell phone

This is a pretty good review of what I can remember about this hiker. The media kept saying that David was an experienced outdoorsman. I'm sure he had some experience, but clearly far from being described as 'experienced'. I've hiked the N-P-T about five times and it's not a place where you want to wander far from the marked trail. This was probably his number one mistake, leaving what others were told was his planned hike.. When sick or injured STAY ON THE TRAIL, I'd even go as far to say set up your tent next to the trail. Someone will come along. The other thing we heard that he was drinking untreated water and had gotten giardia (beaver fever). There were about six of us hiking the N-P-T that year and there were fliers (like the one you showed in this video) everywhere. That is a huge area for rescuers to search. Help those who may be searching for you , don't leave the trail. I appreciate your video(s). John, adk (4295)

Boomhower should have been okay waiting for rescue. It's like wearing a seatbelt: staying put when lost is the right thing to do 99% of the time. How many stories do we have where if the lost person had stayed put, they would have been found? But that 1% still exists where it's the wrong choice. RIP Uncle Dave, the whole world did you dirty, my friend.

I must be a morbid individual bc these are some of my favorite videos you do. You do an awesome job

My thoughts and condolences to Dave’s family and their loss. Thank you for telling his story here. Dave was clearly beloved as everyone searched with great dedication. It can be hard to sense accurately how exhausted we are especially when multi-day hiking. The wilderness area looks quite remote and much more so 33 years ago!

Your actual experience on these trails adds so much to your credibility. Thanks for sharing your personal experience and thoughts.

Thank you for posting these videos on back country accidents. Really learn a lot

Your perspective as someone with the experience you have really does add insight to the stories you tell

I don't know HOW many people sent me Boomhower's story when they learnt that I was planning to solo thru-hike the NPT! By the way, the NPT has been extended into Sacandaga Park. There's only 3 miles of roadwalk at the Northville end (and those 3 miles are now required for the patch). NPT is fairly easy, technically. But you're right that it's _remote_ - for my money, more remote than the Hundred Mile Wilderness. And it's _wet_. Guaranteed that you'll be bushwhacking around beaver activity _somewhere_. I don't think I know anyone who's done the whole thing who didn't end up at least thigh-deep in water somewhere, somehow - ;having to wade, or falling off a bog bridge (I had a stringer collapse under me a little north of Plumley's Landing), or just falling in a stream. And there are a couple of fords - particularly West Stony Creek in the new section - that are really sketchy at high water. It's no joke! Yes, I carried a PLB when I did the NPT. And a whole deck of maps covering the most likely escape routes. And I got into some trouble, but I self-rescued successfully without needing to light the PLB. I sprained a knee between South Lake and Spruce Lake - which is just as far out as Boomhower was. I managed to hobble to Piseco - wasn't sure that there'd be any help at Sled Harbor, which was the only closer way out. Heading for Lewey Lake was a horrible mistake - Wakely Dam is closer and a lot easier hike, and there are always people on Cedar River Road in the summer. "Stay put and wait for rescue" is fine advice for eleven-year-old boy scouts who are likely to be missed in 15 minutes, or if you have a reliable method of signalling for help and being found. Too many people never get past it, and don't learn to get UN-lost. I left the NPT several times during my thru-hike, either because it was impassable or because I lost it (I wound up a couple of times going a short distance down some private trail that wasn't on the map. The owner of Lapland Lake, whom I met in a Stewart's, told me that he and his wife were practically the welcoming committee for NPT hikers, so many of them made a wrong turn onto a Lapland Lake X-C ski trail! But 'lost' for me was "I know where I am - I just don't know where the trail is!" Which is not a panic situation if you're confident in your ability to navigate.I could either backtrack to where I lost or abandoned the trail, or find a landmark on a map that the trail went to, and bushwhack for it. Which worked out fine for me, at least.

This channel just keeps getting better and better. You deserve your growth on here! What a tragic, extremely sad story with so many lessons. Thank you for telling it, especially from the perspective of someone with your experience and expertise.

Always carry a topo map and compass (and know how to orient), a fire kit, knife at a minimum. Lots of other gear that I typically carry. Surprising to hear these stories and very few talk about attempts to build a signal fire.

Great storytelling. Thank you for sharing this sad story.😢

I really enjoy your tales of hiking and surreal occurrences. Thank you. Have you ever done any stories from the Arizona Trail? It runs from the northern to southern Arizona border. I've got some stories but believe you could do a fantastic job relating those hiking stories. Be well. Happy Trails!

Damn sponsored by AG1!? Buddy made it! Remember watching you at 15k subs

I hiked this trail with my daughter about 20 years ago (Sucker Brook). I had no idea of this story at that time. Thanks for sharing it with us.

I love your channel, Kyle! You and Bryan’s Mysteries and Adventures on Trail have both provided me hours of fascinated viewing. The compelling and well-scripted stories, breathtaking backdrops, and authentic energy, respect for the victims and their loved ones, and the powerful nature in which these sagas unfold, make your channels two of the best I’ve found, and may have birthed a sub-genre in the annals of mystery/true-crime: Terrible-Tragedy-in-Stunning-Surroundings Stories. 🙏🏽✌🏽💙 and Happy Holidays from Minnesota

as a kid on camping trips in the Sierra Nevada mtns, i often went off thebtrail into the forest because im like a homing pidgeon. Even led group of horse riders out when we got 'lost'. Now, ive only read about this ability in one book by Stewart E. White, who spent weeks in the forest. I do get turned around in town though.

New fave YT channel. Great narration and vid quality. Keep up the good work! 👍

My brother in law was lost in GA back in December. He thought the gps on his phone was enough. If he wouldn’t have survived another night out in the cold wet weather. Pls carry gps and communications. It’s worth the investment

You're right... I had never heard of him or this incident... Thanks for sharing it!

My dad has done the NPT 11 times and has always commented on how remote the West Canada wilderness is but also his favorite part of the trail.

Your wife dumps you for your BFF, and the HE moves in to your house, and you’re dead in a tent! Hope Karma gets both of them. Poor poor man.

What a sad story, thank you for sharing.

Glad u showed that sos device.

Geez this really is a sad story. RIP David 💕 I sincerely hope your ex gf & bff never have a peaceful night's sleep!

Just did Phelps, Tabletop, and Colden Wednesday via South Meadow to Marcy Damn truck route. About .3 to .5 miles before the split off to Phelps I jumped a bear sleeping on the left side of the trail no more than 30 yards away. Luckily it just took off up the mountain but what I’m getting at is how rare ppl say it is to see one on trail but they are certainly out there.

As always, love your content!

I really like your presentation style and well accompanied with photographic & videos 😊

Great video, Kyle. Keep on rockin’ man!

Great vid, thank you.. Also came for the comments, always learn from them. Thank you all!!

This popped up randomly in my feed, Wow not what I was expecting, Damn tragic story. Great video

So thoughtful of you to point it out, there are such enormously ignorant brutes! Do they consider it more masculine to harass those who are weaker?

I’ve been to the Adirondacks, I’d hate to get lost in there. It is absolutely one of, if not THE most remote area in the state.

the fact that he was so close to a trail makes me wonder about the search. it seems like these on-foot searches literally never yield anything, are they just spread too far apart so theyre just making grid lines as they search rather than comprehensively covering the space? cuz 1/4 mile from a trail is too close to miss

The strategy of sitting down to wait for help is a good one. But not if you’ve completely left the trail you intended to hike…that was, in my opinion, his fatal mistake. He had no way of letting anyone know that he was deviating from the planned trail. Of course that’s where they were looking! Why would they consider that he has gotten lost off a completely different trail? Why he didn’t ask that man for help or turn back the way he had come I have no idea. Honestly anything would have been better than abandoning the trail he told everyone he was going to be on…

Love your content, keep it up and thank you.

Love your stories Kyle!

Very interesting story!! Thanks for posting.

Welp, you've done what pretty much all channels do when they grow. Your thumbnails and titles are suddenly pretty clickbait'y.

Excellent advice on the satellite emergency device! Thank you!

I can say exactly why its not too heard of, it's because he was found decently quick after his disappearance

I have no expertise in this but it seems like the "stay put and be found" strategy would work best if you do it very soon after getting lost rather than after you have wondered way off the path. Sad story.

When I was about 8 and my cousin was 5 (both females) were up at my uncle's place in the winter in the country, very wooded area. We went for a walk in the late afternoon.. and got ourselves lost. Turns out we were lost for 2 hours and my young cousin was almost panicked and crying and I was trying to remain calm for us both. Finding our footprints in the snow hoping it would lead us back to his home. Eventually I stopped when I hit a our footprints at one point going in 3-4 different directions. We were cold, tired and starting to really panic! We sat in the snow. And after about 15 minutes my uncle finally found us. Turns out they noticed rather quickly and were trying to find us. Including my other uncle, whose snowmobile wouldn't start, and of course, only began working once we got home. I definitely learned a lot that day, thankfully it never deterred me from being outside in the woods again!

I'll have to keep this in mind when I hike the npt this year

I used to hike in the 90's. There were some rudimentary devices - as well as cell phones - but without much service in parks and such, you relied on your skills on how to read trail maps with topography, compass, etc.

I've hiked up in that area and it is challenging in remote areas. There are parts of the trail where you are walking on the root masses of bushes with running water under them, bogs, mud, streams, high tree foliage, thick bushes and steep slopes. In June, it can be extremely rainy, wet and unpleasant. The communications in 1990 would have been very limited, since cell phones were mostly hard-wired into vehicles and had almost no service in the wilderness to begin with. GPS was rare and inaccurate at that time, with most devices being bulky and the signal intentionally up to 30 meters off, due to a military security limitation at the time. Also, any GPS device would not have had transmit or receive features. I ALWAYS brought topographic maps of the area and a professional compass. If I got lost, I would have collected white birch bark and damp grass or moss and built a "smudge" fire to signal to aircraft, then kept it going 24/7. Camping in an exposed area would have helped. The forest canopy makes the ground practically invisible from the air and underbrush makes you almost impossible to see from the ground.

Great vid man!! Terrible tragedy!! Holy smokes! Hey… i heard your pod this afternoon. Are you goin with flossy?

Why would you wait that long? Staying at the same place where you’re lost at works if you’re a child but when you’re an adult, your best shot is to make a push for it especially if you end up living for weeks.

I've watched a few of your videos. Well done by the way. One thing I noticed... The lack of a whistle of any sort. A low energy way to make noise to signal for help/scare away wildlife.

Total speculation but water filtration has come a long way since the 90’s. Then iodine tablets would have likely been it. So something like giardia would be a possible cause.

This is tragic story! He was SO close to the trail! Also, there is so many details that just sealed his faith which could been the other way! 😢

This is so sad and even more so because of his heartbreaking marital situation. I've been in a similar situation and it's the worst thing I've ever been through so far. May he RIP with the Lord.

In terms of what was available for safety when you were hiking in the 80's, for years "Rambo" style "survival" knives were marketed to supposedly keep you alive out on the trail. They had a compass on the pommel, and the handle was full of supposedly helpful things like fishing line and a hook, matches, etc. Satellite phones were something basically only rich people had. You were expected to have basic survival skills, to pay attention to the location of the sun, and to always carry a compass.

Kyle is the man , met him in Bangor .

That's so sad. What happened to him I hope He finally found peace

Weird. I just sat down to watch this while drinking my AG. Been using it for 3yrs. Good stuff. Also, nice video, thanks. :)

In scouts we teach stay put and wait for rescue. We also teach kids to carry a whistle and to read a map and compass though. Once lost in the woods like that it's super easy to walk the wrong direction and end up in worse shape. Also, in 1990 cell phones were in their infancy, were insanely heavy, and insanely expensive

I know it's not exactly hiking but adjacent or accidental hiking but have you heard of the Kim family? They accidentally took a mountain road in November not realizing how bad conditions would be. They made some not-so-great decisions a few times and ended up lost with their car stuck. They had a baby and a small child. Bears circled their vehicle at night. The mom breastfed the kids to keep them ok. On the final day the dad left to hike out. He was not seen alive again. It's an insane story and harrowing as hell. Might be an interesting look into what not to do when stranded in the woods or what to always carry in the car just in case

Wow such a tragic story. I feel for him and his family.

Even back in 1990, people had compasses. Did he not bring a compass because he assumed he would stay on the trail?

Land based plb's (personal locator beacons) were developed around 1982 but again probably out of the price range of a lot of hikers of that era and probably no where near as reliable as alternatives today, so unfortunate and so scarey, its one of my personal nightmares especially living in Australia the remoteness of most of our country both scares and exhilarates me.

Personal locator beacons that beacon out on 406mhz were used expirementallly in the state of Alaska from 1995 - 1997 before they were finally brought into common use by hikers, rafters, etc. I remember clear back in 1992 long before Handheld GPS become the norm for navigation, you could purchase a handheld Loran unit to navigate with. That's just totally wild and I'm sure the younger folk out there have never heard of that.

Always seems to be that way; hikers, even experienced ones, found in do-able distances from the saving trail.

"Allegedly in good spirits" made me laugh.