The Missing 411 series by David Paulides defies explanation. Paulides is a former police officer turned author/investigator. He seeks to document the alarming number of missing persons cases in the United States' national parks/federal & state land. Yosemite, where I once visited and was never not surrounded by multitudes of people, has more than 50 missing persons, the largest cluster. Throughout the United States, there are more than 1,600 of these cases on park land (and new cases all the time), where the parks simply refuse to investigate.
Missing 411: The Hunted details the many questions surrounding missing hunters on federal land. I watched this documentary twice and still can't wrap my head around the baffling strangeness. Paulides does not offer explanations; he simply asks questions, and those questions hang in the air without any answers. As human beings, we are used to having solid answers for everything. Cause and effect. We love knowing. But, sometimes, events defy logic. This movie haunts me. The answers simply aren't there. It is important to point out the government is not required to investigate or keep track of those missing on federal land, and oftentimes they resist investigations from the outside, as well, as strange that that may sound. It is almost like they don't want these missing folks to be recovered or the grieving family members left behind to have peace. The FBI is not required to be involved, though in some of these cases, they will monitor the investigation, which is yet another unanswered question. Why monitor but not help? Hunters are traditionally very capable outdoorsmen. I am a (semi-capable) hunter. I hunt alone. This movie got to me because these guys could be me. I'm not even nearly as capable as they. I have my own theories as to what is going on. It comes down to answering two questions. Clearly, something big and unexplained is happening on park land. But was the land set aside because of the incredible spiritual power in those areas or, rather, did the power migrate to those areas after it was set aside? I believe the former. Someone knew those areas are hot spots and set them aside so there would be no future development. Someone who is tapped into the power of those areas had it figured out. Simpletons just see the playground for themselves and future generations. The powers that be see something much bigger. I live in the Black Hills in South Dakota (they also extend into Wyoming). Sometimes I call them the Bleak Hills because there is a tremendous, oppressive power here. When I leave for a length of time and come back, I feel it especially strong. It is dark and heavy. It is an evil, oppressive power. Consider the fact that the plains Indians who lived here before the white man said the Black Hills was where all creation came from (it is, after all, extremely old mountains). The Lakota even said they came out of the ground (Wind Cave, now a national park), born of the buffalo. As a Christian who spent most of his life embroiled in spiritual warfare, I am attuned to changes in the spiritual, having been attacked many times. As a young boy, I learned to attack back. But, what happens when you live in an area that is clearly cursed and pumps out some seriously bad vibes? You keep your guard up. I will say this. Native American witchcraft is the strongest I have ever come across. And I know some of the satanists who live in the Black Hills. Still, nothing is stronger than Indian witchcraft. If you think I'm alone in my assessment, one of the persons interviewed about a disappearance in the Crazies, a geologic uplift in Montana, also blamed the disappearances on Indian curses. It's not the whole explanation, but it's a step in the right direction. My point is that the spiritual aspect is overlooked. We know how God feels about statues and graven images. Just up the road from where I live is the home of what will be the largest graven image in the world (if ever completed), Crazy Horse Memorial. And, if you think I am picking on Native culture, I won't neglect to mention Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which idolizes our Masonic Founding Fathers (actually, I think Lincoln was a Rosicrucian). These graven images curse the land, which was already cursed by Native Americans when it was stolen (yes, it was indeed stolen) by the white men because it was rich in gold. And, before that, the land was fought over many times by Native American tribes who, no doubt, cursed the victors. Battle Mountain in Hot Springs is named so because the healing, warm springs (they aren't actually "hot") were fought over so many times by the tribes. That town is contentious and depressed economically even to this day. Cursed. What does that have to do with missing people? Clearly, something extraordinary exists in these hot spots. I'm just pointing out my own experiences in this area and applying it to others. We go through our lives ignoring the tremendous power and weight of the spiritual realm, which is like the unseen part of an iceberg. I don't know how these things function, but these spiritual hot spots are a magnet for bad, often explainable events. Call me crazy, but I know the power of the unseen. I can literally feel it. The Black Hills is essentially a very large (1.2 million acre) tree farm. It is logged extensively and has been for more than 100 years. The land bears the scars of that function. And, as with all agricultural hegemony, the richness of the ecosystem is destroyed. Walking through mile after mile of this landscape, I'm surprised by the deadness of it. Often I see no life for mile after mile. Its purpose is to grow trees to be cut down and processed for lumber, etc. Its secondary function is a playground for tourists and the like. They don't know it is a tree farm. They just enjoy bombing their ATVs down the Forest Service trails. But this place is also the spiritual home to the Lakota, who will never let us forget this place was theirs first. They never lived in the Black Hills and never stayed in it overnight, as it was said to be the home of the "Thunderbird." But they claimed it as their own, nonetheless. A lot of people think they know a lot about Native American lore. I'm not extremely knowledgeable, but I have picked up a lot of stuff over the years. And, one of my adopted cousins is a descendant of Black Elk, who is perhaps the most famous of Lakota shamans. What is my point in all of this? I believe these areas — these national parks/federal & state land — were set aside by some very spiritually-knowledgeable people to preserve the power that exists there. And, it may be, something unexplained lives in these remote areas, too. Watch the documentary and tell me what you think. You can watch it for free at tubitv.com, just sign up for an account and watch on nearly any device. It is also free on Amazon Prime. Another documentary you may be interested in is also by Paulides, found here, viewable for free on YouTube. If you are thinking I'm saying Bigfoot lives here, I think that is simplistic. Something lives here. Whatever we call Bigfoot has a spiritual component, which is often ignored. People approach it and chase it like it is a physical being like you and me. There is a reason many of the sightings are on reservation land. There, this being, whatever it is, is protected and honored. I will say this about the Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti stories: they are remarkably consistent across decades from people who come from all walks of life, even the settlers and the Native Americans who came long before us told similar tales as what folks document today. The United States government has been working on creating new creatures, sometimes human/animal hybrids. But, whatever these things are, they also existed long before all of that. I think of the black-eyed kids videos you can still probably find on YouTube from a few years back. Maybe there is something to all of that, and maybe not. Some of this stuff is being created right now, and some of it existed before settlement of this country. I was familiar with Paulides' work before watching this documentary (going back maybe 10 years) and only realized it was indeed him about halfway through. His tireless investigating is commendable. There is so much room for speculation with missing persons cases. I really hate speculation, but you almost have to with stuff like this. Whatever is going on, it clearly baffles many very intelligent, experienced investigators and fascinates people like me, too. I will leave with this thought: the search and rescue (SAR) folks are incredibly dedicated and brilliant at their work. Rarely do they go out and not at least recover a body. I recall hiking one day around my birthday last year on a 7-mile hike, the same day a fellow hiker disappeared from the same trail. It is possible we even passed on the trail. They recovered his body soon after his disappearance was noted. Search and rescue is highly coordinated and effective. If they don't find you, you probably don't exist. (Many of the cases in the documentaries above involved SAR combing an area many times before remains or items were later discovered at those previously looked-at locations, which makes no sense at all.) Near where I live, we have the disappearance of Serenity Dennard still haunting us. She disappeared from the Children's Home not far up the road from where I live. SAR and searchers from far and wide combed the hills looking for something, anything that could explain what happened to her. She seemingly vanished without a trace. But nothing happens in this world without an explanation. Just as I prayed for the return or recovery of Serenity, I pray for the return or recovery of these other missing people. I can't think of much that would be more heart-rending than losing a child, for instance. Much of the commentary from the public involves looking at the parents of those who disappear, for instance, and that is necessary but very hurtful. I can't even imagine being in that position. We pray for those missing, but we should also pray for those left behind. Their trauma, seemingly, never ends. Whatever it is, I may never know, but it is something real, that much is undeniable. Anyone who simply dismisses the legend of Bigfoot (and I'm not saying it is responsible for this) as a hoax is a fool. I'm just saying there is a lot we don't understand and am using Bigfoot as an example. Right now, the world is witnessing many things previously held secret being revealed. God is revealing many things. Maybe this is another of those things. Truly, it may not matter, as our world is increasingly chaotic and evil. But, where will people go to hide from the coming indignation? Maybe to places like the national parks. God says the woman (His church) will hide in the wilderness for a while. So, maybe we should be aware of what else lives there. And, of course, it will matter to me if I ever walk down those trails and come face to face with something I'd rather not. Though what is out there is likely outside the realm of my understanding, I know it is not outside God's, and given my position and authority at the right hand of the Father in Jesus Christ, even though it is unknown to me, it is under the authority of Jesus Christ and, therefore, of me. The Bible says all things hidden will be revealed. Someday we will know, but I think we can know now, too. Amen? Thank you for reading, and God bless.
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