Dry Boot on the Kiosk: He Came Back Missing Five Days Later
Show notes
Dry Boot on the Kiosk: He Came Back Missing Five Days Later
A single dry, double-knotted Salomon boot sat upright on a rain-soaked kiosk ledge while the concrete around it was soaked from a 0.75-inch storm-an ordinary sign that didn't belong to the canyon or to panic. That boot led searchers across roughly 200 square miles of canyon terrain and left one haunting unanswered question: why was a prepared, experienced field technician found five days later alive yet missing the explanation that boot seemed to deny?
In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine Wednesday phone call at 9:14 p.m. to a Saturday morning volunteer finding the boot, through a multi-day search-and-rescue across Rimstone Canyon that ends with a survivor found 4.5 miles from the trailhead and puzzling details that refuse closure. How did a man who knew the land and carried working gear end up separated from a dry, carefully tied boot?
Person: Bruce Wells
Date: June 12-18, 2019
Location: Rimstone Canyon, Mesa County
Status: Found alive after six days
Equipment: Salomon X Ultra 3 men's size 10.5 boot; daypack with two full water bottles and a working GPS
- Boot discovered by volunteer Karen Andrews at 7:52 a.m. sitting upright on the kiosk ledge.
- Rainfall measured 0.75 inches at 11:40 p.m. the previous night while the boot remained dry.
- Bruce Wells was 28 years old and had worked five years as a hydrological technician.
- Search area covered roughly 200 square miles with over 40 search-and-rescue personnel involved.
- Bruce was found alive in a wash 4.5 miles from the kiosk; a daypack was found wedged in a canyon crack with two full water bottles and a functioning GPS.
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© 2026 Created by an independent creator of the OBOMEDIA Network. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the property of their respective creator, who is solely responsible for them, and are distributed by the OBOMEDIA Network on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without the creator's prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
A single dry, double-knotted Salomon boot sat upright on a rain-soaked kiosk ledge while the concrete around it was soaked from a 0.75-inch storm-an ordinary sign that didn't belong to the canyon or to panic. That boot led searchers across roughly 200 square miles of canyon terrain and left one haunting unanswered question: why was a prepared, experienced field technician found five days later alive yet missing the explanation that boot seemed to deny?
In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine Wednesday phone call at 9:14 p.m. to a Saturday morning volunteer finding the boot, through a multi-day search-and-rescue across Rimstone Canyon that ends with a survivor found 4.5 miles from the trailhead and puzzling details that refuse closure. How did a man who knew the land and carried working gear end up separated from a dry, carefully tied boot?
Person: Bruce Wells
Date: June 12-18, 2019
Location: Rimstone Canyon, Mesa County
Status: Found alive after six days
Equipment: Salomon X Ultra 3 men's size 10.5 boot; daypack with two full water bottles and a working GPS
- Boot discovered by volunteer Karen Andrews at 7:52 a.m. sitting upright on the kiosk ledge.
- Rainfall measured 0.75 inches at 11:40 p.m. the previous night while the boot remained dry.
- Bruce Wells was 28 years old and had worked five years as a hydrological technician.
- Search area covered roughly 200 square miles with over 40 search-and-rescue personnel involved.
- Bruce was found alive in a wash 4.5 miles from the kiosk; a daypack was found wedged in a canyon crack with two full water bottles and a functioning GPS.
Tired of ads? Listen to this podcast and 200+ more ad-free on OBOMEDIA.
Try it free for 7 days, cancel anytime: https://obomedia.com/en/gratis?ref=desc-7200307
© 2026 Created by an independent creator of the OBOMEDIA Network. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the property of their respective creator, who is solely responsible for them, and are distributed by the OBOMEDIA Network on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without the creator's prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].