I think it's hard for people that live on the east coast and mid America to comprehend how vast some of the wilderness areas are in the general Rocky Mountain area. It's even worse if you go off trail. Yellowstone National Park is 2.2 million acres alone. The Grand Tetons are only about 40 miles or so from Yellowstone. And those 40 miles are mostly wooded wilderness.
Why hundreds of people vanish into the American wilderness
In April 2017, Jacob Gray rode his bicycle during a rainstorm into Washington state’s Olympic National Park and vanished. The 22-year-old’s bike and camping gear were discovered near the Sol Duc Ri…nypost.com
Even people out hiking that get any incapacitating injury face possible death without intervention. Summertime, the night lows are in the 40s. Then add in the huge number of predator animals out looking for an easy meal. Bears will often cache any excess food by burying it so they can come back and eat it later.
Speaking from experience, it takes a unique personality to be able to live in close quarters with someone for weeks at a time. They were a few months into their trip. From what I saw on the police body cam, those 2 weren't good candidates for that type of living. The closeness will expose the relationship weaknesses quickly. Once the pressure built, it seemed like they weren't able to diffuse the situation and their coping techniques only made it worse.
So to imagine that at some point he got fed up with her nonsense. Convinced her to go on a hike. Somehow incapacited her. Then left her someplace he felt confident she would never be found. Because until there's a body, she's a missing person. It isn't a crime to refuse to talk to the police. But if her body is found, then I think it will be game over for him.
