Ruess was a self-absorbed, whiny kid who wrote poetically about the joys of living free while sponging off his parents and anybody else who would give him a meal. His writings are popular with liberals and environmentalists, but I found they over-written and frequently sad. Wandering is great, but it's not an end in itself, and Everett had no goal and no faith.

The most popular theory about his disappearance is that he was murdered, either by Indians or rustlers.

I couldn't bring myself to care much.