Thomas Carleton, a 44-year-old psychologist from Skaneateles, New York, vanished after setting out on a three-day solo hike into the High Peaks on October 9, 1993. He left home at 6:00 a.m., planning to use lean-tos rather than carry a tent or stove. An experienced hiker and Adirondack Mountain Club member, he was last seen in Newcomb wearing either a beige wool sweater or a maroon Gortex coat, olive military pants or navy Gortex overpants, a red wool cap, hiking boots, and carrying a teal-colored backpack.

Two hikers who shared a lean-to with him on the Indian Pass Trail reported he said he was heading up Indian Pass. Poor weather that day—rain turning to snow overnight—created hazardous conditions. Searchers found his signatures in logbooks at two points on his route but no clothing or gear was ever recovered despite an extensive search by state police, park rangers, and volunteers. His wife and young daughter were left without explanation. The prevailing theory is that he became lost or was injured in the severe weather, but the complete absence of physical traces remains unexplained.

Did anyone hike or camp on the Indian Pass Trail that week who remembers seeing Carleton or his teal backpack?