[pct-l] Missing '99 PCT Hiker

[troubadour@pcthiker.com (Stephen Martin)]

Hello All,

A visitor to my website PCTHiker.com just sent me a message regarding a
missing hiker from '99 that he is trying to track down. I will post the note
below. (And, yes the thought that this may be some kind of hoax did pass
through my mind, but it seems legit.) If you happen to have any information
please contact the author of the note at this email address: tim@icglink.com


Troubadour

-------------------

Hello,

I have a friend who went to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in late 1999.  He
started from the north, and has not been heard from since.  I have a
webpage with a picture at http://www.amyandtim.com/joel.html  Obviously,
the "not knowing" is tearing his family apart.  Joel has had his share of
personal demons (I think hiking was his way of cleaning up), and it is not
unthinkable that he is still alive and totally out of it...or that he
managed to land in a Mexican Jail...or who knows what.  It is also
possible, of course, that he was a victim of the trail or the
elements.  I'm hoping to help his family find ANY information that might
help them learn what happened to him.

Recently, his mother received two staticky phone calls about a week apart
asking for "Seņora Beth".  The calls were subsequently cut off...but it has
given Joel's parents and me reason to hope.  She doesn't have any Spanish
speaking friends in New York, and she was addressed by name.

Would it be possible to post a message to visitors of your site who may
have seen him along the trail?  Specifically, it looks as though Troubador
was hiking in the opposite direction during the same time period and could
have crossed paths with him.  Is there any way for me to get in touch with
Troubador?  We know that Joel made it as far as southern Oregon...so it is
entirely possible that someone might remember him.  Also, any ideas you
have that might help us would be most appreciated.  For example, if someone
were to make it to the Mexican border and decide to continue into Mexico,
is there a trail that continues to the south?  If so, where would I be able
to find a map of such a route?  Thanks in advance for any and all help you
can give us.

best regards,
Tim Duggan

Tim Duggan
ICGLink, Inc.
Phone - (615) 370-1530
Fax - (615) 370-9997