The remains of Everett Reuss, the poetic vagabond who disappeared in Southeast Utah in 1934 at age 20, have been found on Comb Ridge west of Bluff.
Reuss spent years wandering the Sierra and the desert Southwest, accompanied most of the way only by a horse or burro. He wrote evocative descriptions of his adventures and made woodblock prints of the landscapes he disappeared into for months at a time. He was photographed by Dorothea Lange, corresponded with Ansel Adams, and inspired Chris McCandless of Into The Wild fame.
He was last seen in Escalante, UT in November 1934. After that he rode down the Hole-in-the-Rock road toward the Escalante River, camping in Davis Gulch. That was the last anyone saw of him until now.
I always envied Ruess's freedom and self-sufficiency when I lived in the Southwest. He made it sound so easy: just pack up your burro and go. His story is worth a read, even though the mystery that made him a legend has been solved.
I shamefully admit that I don't check your blog out that often, although I think that's pretty clear considering this post is from April and it's already late June, but I found there was something very coincidental about my visit today - almost instinctive. I'm currently reading Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild and no more than two hours before visiting your blog I read the chapter on Everett Reuss and his time in the Davis Gulch. I just found it slightly ironic that on today of all days, after reading that specific chapter, I decided to check out your blog. I almost feel required to learn more about Reuss now, and likely will read-up on him. Just thought I'd share that with you... see you in a couple days!
Posted by: Shane Fox | June 24, 2009 at 12:20 PM