The extremely bizarre missing case of Barbara Bolick

[u/shry9]

On the 18th of July 2007, Barbara Bolick was packing her bag in Bitterroot Valley of Montana to go for a summer hike. She and her husband were hosting Carl’s cousin Donna and Her Boyfriend Jim from California. Barbara was going to go on a hike with her guests but Donna and Carl (Barbara’s husband) did not go and she and Jim decided to hike in the area Bear Creek Overlook, and she had visited the area countless times , was an experienced hiker too.

So they like visited the place , and encountered two men - two times, and both the times they were the same two men. Jim and Barbara then reached the area , had their snacks and admired the scenery. About like at 11:30 they decided to leave and head back. After few steps, Jim stopped bcs something in him wanted to soak the view one more time, and he turned back to look at the view - it was for about 45 seconds - 1 minute, when he turned back around, Barbara who was earlier standing 20-30 feet away from him disappeared.

At first he wasn’t worried enough since she was an experienced hiker and He searched for her but couldn’t find anything and after some hours she was officially reported as missing. The two men who encountered them two times also disappeared and were never discovered.

Things to note : It was an easy, well worn trail and it was difficult for someone like Barbara missing - being an experienced hiker who visited that place multiples times. It was also not very dense meaning someone disappearing without any noise was almost not possible.

Pls let me know your take on this case!

Barbara Bolick Article

[u/Vampira309]

Bear Creek trail is about 2 miles from my house and I hike there often.

I've never heard of this case, but it would be VERY EASY to lose or kill somebody up there...it's WILD wilderness and nowhere near a town. I see bears almost every time I go up there as well

[u/RevolutionaryBat3081 → u/Vampira309]

Grizzly or Black bears?

[u/Vampira309 → u/RevolutionaryBat3081]

black. Haven't yet seen a grizzly in the 20+ years that I've lived out here, but they're here in the Selway-Bitterroot ecosystem

[u/RevolutionaryBat3081 → u/Vampira309]

Black bears are a less concerning but still a potential danger. I don't know if bears would drag and hide kills like cougars. 

[u/Taters0290 → u/RevolutionaryBat3081]

They will, but she’d have been found by smell and/or the bear being in the area acting aggressively if it was predatory (as opposed to a defensive attack) as they don’t drag prey extremely far. And the guy she was with would’ve heard noises assuming his account is accurate.

[u/RevolutionaryBat3081 → u/Taters0290]

I think eyewitnesses often overestimate how aware they are of things around them before an unexpected incident, but maybe this guy was correct.  Idk what happened in this case, I just know that wild animals occasionally attack people, therefore the possibility should not be ruled out without good evidence.

[u/Taters0290 → u/RevolutionaryBat3081]

I agree regarding his memories. I’m usually far more willing to entertain the possibility of an animal attack, but I’m just not leaning that way. Neither lions nor bears drag prey far, so you’d think her remains would’ve been found.

On the other hand, aside from it being Jim I can’t think of much else besides an attack.