Legendary Wanderer Remains Confirmed Found After 75 YearsMay 1st, 2009
Everett Ruess was the original Utah wanderer. For 75 years his whereabouts have been a unsolved mystery. Through DNA matching Russ's remains have been confirmed.
by Richard Markosian
Ruess is Utah outdoor legend. He spent years wandering Southern Utah canyons with his burro and just enough supplies to sustain himself for months in the desert.
"God, how the wild calls to me.There can be no other life for me but that of the lone wanderer. It has an irresistible fascination.The lone trail is the best for me."
Ruess grew up in wealthy household in California near Beverly Hills. But he wanted nothing to do with the materialism and hob-knobbing society in which he had been raised. Reuss was drawn to the Utah wilderness red rocks in the early 1930s and spent 4 years exploring canyons, meeting Indians, cowboys but always retreating into solitude.
Ruess' story is one of the most interesting found in Western American folklore, and he has inspired many to follow in his footsteps. According to author John Krakauer Christopher McCandless--was something of a modern day Ruess. McCandless' story inspired Krakauer's book and film--Into the Wild.
The Denver Post broke this story.
