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The Disappearance of Douglas Legg

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  • #61
    Originally posted by Trailpatrol
    The movie was called "Cold River" based on the novel originally titled "Winterkill", written by William Judson, an Adirondack area author. After the movie was in production the book was re-released in the same name. The movie starred Suzanne Webber, Richard Jaeckel (who incidently died in 1997 of skin cancer) and Robert Earl Jones, the father of James Earl Jones.

    Both the book and the movie (DVD) are available from Amazon.com.

    Hans
    I thought of "Cold River" as well. I have the book.

    The sysnopsis howevwer was a little different. The father dies from injuries when he fell into the rapids and the kids were out there for almost a year through the winter and weren't subsisting on insects.
    "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." Lyndon B. Johnson

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    • #62
      Originally posted by redhawk
      The sysnopsis howevwer was a little different. The father dies from injuries when he fell into the rapids and the kids were out there for almost a year through the winter and weren't subsisting on insects.
      The timeframe seemed right, though. "Cold River" was released in 1982, and it sounds like he might have gotten some of the plot elements mixed up with some other movies that were out around the same time. Can you think of anything else released in the 1980s that was shot in and about the Adirondacks?

      Hans
      "Come to the Forest, where the other you lives!"

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      • #63
        Cold River

        Thanks guys for the input. Like I said, I saw the movie when I was in sixth grade about 20 years ago so the details are definitely a little fuzzy. But I do definitely remember a scene where the daughter had coooked up a can of beans,and to make enough of a meal for them she had to mix in with it some grubs and slugs. Her little brother really loved it but she couldn't eat any, she was too grossed out. I really don't remember how long they were out there, but I do remember it was only supposed to be a short while.
        Anyway, I guess the whole lesson I learned from it is to never go hiking unprepared. About 99% of the time I'll have my pack with me with about 4-5 days worth of gear and supplies with me. My friends always laugh at me, but having grown up in the 'Dacks I know better. Too many "sad" stories like the ones posted here.

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        • #64
          Trailpatrol,

          Any update on the Adirondack SAR book? I am currently reading The Last Season about Randy Morgenson, the NPS backcountry ranger who disappeared in the Sierra Nevada. I was just thinking the other night that I haven't seen any similar books on missing persons in the Adirondacks.
          ADKHP Wiki

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          • #65
            Misunderstandings about Douglas Legg disappearance.

            I am going to address a few inaccuracies concerning the disappearance of Doug Legg.

            First of all, his Uncle was not the last to see him. Originally the Syracuse Post Standard reported that Myron Melvin Jr. had been the last to see him. But when the rescue team from California came in, they reinterviewed all the family members. At this time, they realized that two of his cousins had been the last to see him, on the North Shore lumber road. This can be found in the Syracuse Post Standard perhaps around day 10 of the search.

            The Camp Santanoni Property is a bit of a contradiction. Most of the 13000 acres were close to some sort of lumber tote road, as most of the property had been lumbered between 1895 and 1971. But the hurricane in the late 1950's had caused much blow down, and in turn, a tremendous growth in the undergrowth. So, the military group that helped out with the search remarked that the brush was denser than Vietnam.

            The lumber roads and older roads extend into the Cold River Valley, hence why there are theories that he wandered to there. Of a side note is that there is a belief that this road system was once part of the Underground Railroad system. Think John Brown's farm, less than 20 rugged miles away.

            As for Deer Island, the big island in Newcomb Lake where the remains may have been found....this is usually a peninsula. If you walk the North Shore tote road, the land connection is very visible. In heavy rain it's an Island.

            If Douglas died there, then the searchers who looked on the Island (I believe most days it was searched), not only missed his remains, but the smell his decaying body as well. That does not make sense to me.

            The Post Standard does discuss an event I consider ominous. Three days into the search, a search team believed they had found Douglas' footprints by Black Pond, in the hills just north of Newcomb Lake. They were on what they believed to be a clear track when there was a cloud burst, and they lost it. And there were also a lot of very cold nights at this time, with the temperatures falling to below freezing in mid July.

            That spells out Douglas' fate pretty tragically. It does leave room for some pretty wild theories. But again, the reason for these theories come from the fact that one moment you're bushwacking through impossibly thick woods, and the next you stumble across an old road that someone knows well.

            Originally posted by Gray Ghost View Post
            Thanks for the info. Mavs. This story is a real haunter. Also, interesting info. on the lost hiker. There has gotta be a record out there of deaths and (still) unexplained disappearances in the Adirondacks. If anyone has any idea if and where a source like this exists, let me know. I think it is more than worth a hiker's time to read up on tragedies like this. It really makes one realize what they risk when traversing dangerous terrain.

            As far as Douglas Legg, a couple of guys I have talked to who helped in the search are convinced it was foul play by a family member, but they never had the proof to pin it on the individual. Now that is totally hearsay, but that's what i've been told.

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            • #66
              Gray Ghost I'm not good at attachments BUT if you could give me your email address in a PM, I will send you the Newspaper Article I found on Douglas Legg that was in the July 7, 1991 paper. Then you can do an attachment and put it on this thread. I know how to email attachments but not from this Forum.
              "It is easier to become a Forty-Sixer than to be one. The art of the being is to keep one's sense of wonder after the excitement of the game is over."

              Paul Jamieson Class of '58

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              • #67
                Originally posted by Skyclimber View Post
                Gray Ghost I'm not good at attachments BUT if you could give me your email address in a PM, I will send you the Newspaper Article I found on Douglas Legg that was in the July 7, 1991 paper. Then you can do an attachment and put it on this thread. I know how to email attachments but not from this Forum.
                Marta, you have my email addy. Send it to me and I'll attach it to the thread.

                Hawk
                "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." Lyndon B. Johnson

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                • #68
                  Originally posted by redhawk View Post
                  Marta, you have my email addy. Send it to me and I'll attach it to the thread.

                  Hawk
                  Thank You. I will do that.
                  "It is easier to become a Forty-Sixer than to be one. The art of the being is to keep one's sense of wonder after the excitement of the game is over."

                  Paul Jamieson Class of '58

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                  • #69
                    Attachments

                    Right click and "Save Link as" to download

                    The disappearence of Douglas Legg


                    Hawk
                    Last edited by redhawk; 08-28-2008, 05:42 PM.
                    "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." Lyndon B. Johnson

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      Redhawk, Could you please tell me "how you do that," change the format of the articles into Windows Picture and Fax Viewer? Thank You.
                      "It is easier to become a Forty-Sixer than to be one. The art of the being is to keep one's sense of wonder after the excitement of the game is over."

                      Paul Jamieson Class of '58

                      Comment


                      • #71
                        There is a book coming out this spring that details most if not all of the interesting rescues and searches in the Adirondacks. It's called "At the Mercy of the Mountains" by Peter Bronski. Here is a link to his web site.
                        Every time that wheel turns round, bound to measure just a little more ground.

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                        • #72
                          Originally posted by tgoodwin View Post
                          There is a book coming out this spring that details most if not all of the interesting rescues and searches in the Adirondacks. It's called "At the Mercy of the Mountains" by Peter Bronski. Here is a link to his web site.
                          http://www.peterbronski.com/Writing/...Mountains.html
                          Thanks Tony. This sounds like a book I would love to get and will, for sure!
                          Well I just ordered and reserved my copy from Amazon. The preview of the book sounds very interesting. SAD but interesting.
                          Last edited by Skyclimber; 01-06-2008, 11:27 AM.
                          "It is easier to become a Forty-Sixer than to be one. The art of the being is to keep one's sense of wonder after the excitement of the game is over."

                          Paul Jamieson Class of '58

                          Comment


                          • #73
                            Originally posted by Skyclimber View Post
                            Redhawk, Could you please tell me "how you do that," change the format of the articles into Windows Picture and Fax Viewer? Thank You.
                            I didn't do that. All I did was upload the scans you sent me, which are in .jpg format (A graphic compression format). to my hosting server and then posted a link to them. Your windows picture and fax viewer must be the default program for you to view .jpg files so when you click on the .jpg, it opens the picture and fax viewer.

                            Hawk
                            "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." Lyndon B. Johnson

                            Comment


                            • #74
                              Originally posted by tgoodwin View Post
                              There is a book coming out this spring that details most if not all of the interesting rescues and searches in the Adirondacks. It's called "At the Mercy of the Mountains" by Peter Bronski. Here is a link to his web site.
                              http://www.peterbronski.com/Writing/...Mountains.html
                              Excellent! Now I don't have to worry about writing one. The sudden return of winter to the month of December has me working on something else right now. (Of course right now we're in the midst of a January thaw, but it's only supposed to last through tomorrow.)

                              I would have loved to do it, but I just have not had the opportunity to get back to NYS to do any research. As always, I would like to come east for the Backcountry Skiing Festival in Keene Valley, but I doubt that'll happen.

                              Be safe,
                              Hans
                              "Come to the Forest, where the other you lives!"

                              Comment


                              • #75
                                Originally posted by redhawk View Post
                                I didn't do that. All I did was upload the scans you sent me, which are in .jpg format (A graphic compression format). to my hosting server and then posted a link to them. Your windows picture and fax viewer must be the default program for you to view .jpg files so when you click on the .jpg, it opens the picture and fax viewer.

                                Hawk
                                Thank You. I thought you did something special to it.
                                "It is easier to become a Forty-Sixer than to be one. The art of the being is to keep one's sense of wonder after the excitement of the game is over."

                                Paul Jamieson Class of '58

                                Comment

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