Kristopher Michael Fowler, known as Kris and by the trail name Sherpa, was 34 when he disappeared while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in October 2016. By October he had covered more than 2,000 miles and was in the Washington Cascades, close to the Canadian border. His last confirmed sighting was October 12, 2016, at a Kracker Barrel off U.S. Highway 12 in Yakima County near the White Pass trailhead; his last cell phone signal was traced to the White Pass area around 5 p.m. that same day.

A fierce storm later called the Ides of October moved into the region the day he was last seen, bringing heavy snow and rain. Family contact had been routine during his hike but stopped in mid-October; a friend reported phone trouble on October 12, and Fowler was reported missing on October 23. An extensive search began but was suspended after two weeks because of the severe weather. Despite repeated searches over the years, no trace of Kristopher or his gear has been found. His family and volunteers have continued to search and later established the Fowler-O’Sullivan Foundation in his father’s memory.

What did readers in the Yakima–White Pass area remember about trail or road activity around October 12, 2016?