A review by jeffmauch
Finding Everett Ruess: The Life and Unsolved Disappearance of a Legendary Wilderness Explorer by David Roberts

5.0

Wanderlust. It's one of my favorite terms and Everett Ruess was the definition of the word. Ruess is the kind of person that typically just gets lost to history, but instead he's become a lasting icon for those who want to be immersed in nature, to see what many will never see, and who are most happy alone in the wild. I was first introduced to him via a magazine article years ago when it was thought somebody finally solved the cold case of his disappearance, but alas, it's still a mystery. So who was he and why is he so captivating to so many? Ruess was an aspiring artist and wanderer in the early 1930s in the southwestern US. At 16 he left his home and family to explore, typically with a few pack animals.  He would go into the wild for months at a time, only occasionally spending a few days in a small, nothing town to resupply or find work for a day or two, before returning to nature. He did this each year through age 20 in 1934 for months at time, sometimes for upwards of 10 months. On his last trek, he disappeared and the mystery of his disappearance is unsolved today. Normally this alone wouldn't be enough to keep public interest, but what makes a lasting impression of Ruess are his art, diary's, and letters. He wrote religiously to friends, his brother, his parents, and other acquaintances, much of which still survive today 90 years later and which includes deep thoughts, poetry, and beautiful descriptions.  Many compare Ruess to John Muir, which is flattering, and makes one wonder what he'd have become had he not disappeared at such an young age. Roberts put together a great history and profile in his book through all the written materials he could gather and probes the disappearance into a page turner.

I have not tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time. I prefer the saddle to the street car and the star sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities.  - Everett Ruess