It was 1988, a year marked by significant events around the globe. George H. W. Bush won the U.S presidential election, “Rain Man” was captivating audiences in movie theaters, and in a quaint, small-town sports office in Algonquin, Illinois, a seasoned writer was making a life-altering decision.
In the heart of the American Midwest, Keith Reinhard was known as more than just a sports writer. With a career spanning over two decades at the Daily Herald, his articles were an indispensable part of the local sports scene. He was a passionate and dedicated craftsman who had made a name for himself covering high school sports with infectious fervor.
But Keith was more than just your average sports writer. His soul yearned for adventure. He had a free spirit, an insatiable curiosity, and an ever-present sense of wanderlust. These traits manifested in an unexpected decision that took his friends, family, and colleagues by surprise. He decided to take a 90-day sabbatical from the familiar hustle and bustle of his life, packing up his writing tools and dreams to spend a summer in the alluring wilds of Colorado.
Keith found himself in the picturesque mountain town of Silver Plume, located a stone’s throw away from Denver. Here, nestled amidst the imposing Rockies, he sought to escape the monotony and pressures of his everyday life. He set up residence in a small, rustic apartment housed in the back of an abandoned Catholic church, a place that bore witness to the solitude he sought. It was a stark contrast to the life he’d left behind, but it was a change Keith embraced wholeheartedly.
His days were spent not only writing but also exploring his newfound passion for photography and gold panning. There was a certain allure in combing the pristine Colorado rivers, with each sift of sand holding the promise of a glimmering surprise. Each photograph he took was a testament to his growing bond with this rugged landscape, with towering peaks, verdant valleys, and meandering streams telling a story that words alone couldn’t convey.
Keith’s wife remained back in Illinois, leaving him to his solitude and musings. He had also rented a modest shop where he sold matted photographs, a testament to his growing skills as a photographer. Between his shop, his gold panning, and his novel-in-progress, he was a busy man. The decision to hike the formidable Pendleton Mountain seemed, to him, a natural progression in his Colorado adventure.
Little did Keith Reinhard know that this decision would set off a chain of events that would turn his dream of a simple sabbatical into a bewildering mystery, one that continues to captivate and perplex to this very day.
The Trek into the Unknown
In the heart of summer, on August 7, 1988, Keith Reinhard made a seemingly innocuous decision. It was a decision that would transform the tranquil town of Silver Plume, Colorado, into a focal point of an unsolved mystery. At around 5 pm, Keith announced his plan to embark on a hike to the summit of Pendleton Mountain. Armed with nothing more than casual clothes, gym shoes, and perhaps a can of soda, Keith set off on his adventure.
The Pendleton Mountain was no casual hike. It demanded endurance, strength, and grit. The terrain was grueling, scattered with loose rocks and dense vegetation. Paths were non-existent, and the summit was a distant, formidable goal. Those who knew Keith and the mountain were worried. Keith had braved the mountain before, but never alone and never all the way to the peak. He was also not in peak physical condition, and his fear of heights was a known fact. To top it all off, he was nursing a hangover from a party the previous night.
Despite these concerning factors, Keith set off on his hike, aiming to return home by 10 pm. He was a man possessed by an indomitable spirit, perhaps inspired by the captivating beauty of the Rockies or driven by the sheer challenge the mountain presented. But as the hours rolled by and night descended upon the town of Silver Plume, Keith did not return.
The next day, as the realization dawned that Keith hadn’t returned from his hike, an extensive search operation was launched. Rescue teams scoured the treacherous terrain on foot and in the air, a daunting task given the mountain’s vast, wild expanse. However, despite their relentless efforts, there was no sign of Keith. The mystery of his disappearance grew deeper when a week-long search, involving trained dogs, helicopters, and over a hundred volunteers, turned up nothing. Even a tragic accident involving a search plane, which took the life of a volunteer and injured another, did not yield any clues.
Back in Illinois, Keith’s wife and children were left grappling with his inexplicable disappearance. A man of constant communication and regular updates, Keith had gone silent. They clung to hope, despite the escalating concerns, believing that Keith was somewhere out there, perhaps lost but alive. But as the days turned into weeks and weeks into months, hope began to wane, replaced by a growing acceptance of a harsh reality.
As the official search came to an end, and the helicopters and search teams retreated, the town of Silver Plume was left with a profound sense of mystery. Keith Reinhard had vanished without a trace, his dream of reaching the summit of Pendleton Mountain remaining unfulfilled.
An Unsettling Coincidence
As the investigation into Keith Reinhard’s disappearance pressed on, a strange and eerie coincidence emerged from the shadows, sending chills down the spine of the Silver Plume community. This wasn’t the first mysterious disappearance in this quaint town. Just a year prior, Tom Young, another inhabitant of Silver Plume, had also vanished without a trace. The unnerving part? Both men had rented the same shop in town.
Tom Young was an ambitious entrepreneur who had turned his rented space into a bookstore. However, one day, both Tom and his faithful canine companion were nowhere to be found. For ten months, the townsfolk wondered about Tom’s fate until the grim discovery of their bodies in the mountains outside town. A double suicide was the official ruling, with both Tom and his dog shot in the head.
When Keith Reinhard took over the same shop that Tom had occupied, he couldn’t help but get drawn into the mystery of Tom’s sudden disappearance and tragic end. Ever the storyteller, Keith found inspiration in this tragedy and decided to weave Tom’s story into his novel. His protagonist bore an uncanny resemblance to Tom, a man swallowed by the mountains, his fate left to wild speculation.
This uncanny overlap between the two men’s lives sparked rumors and speculation. Could there be a sinister connection? Could both men have fallen prey to the same fate or, even more unnervingly, the same perpetrator? As police delved into Keith’s writings and scrutinized the film from his cameras, they found no solid evidence to link the two cases. The narrative was compelling, but the proof was lacking.
Despite the dearth of evidence, rumors circulated. Whispers of foul play danced on the lips of the townsfolk. Could this be a series of planned disappearances or even murders? Yet, no concrete proof emerged to corroborate these theories.
As Keith’s family grappled with his sudden disappearance, they held steadfast to their belief. Keith was content with his life and wouldn’t have willingly disappeared. They were sure of it. His wife, who had been planning a visit to him later that August, was particularly adamant. Keith was excited about her visit, she insisted. He wouldn’t have just left.
Unending Search and Lingering Questions
Three decades have passed since that fateful August day when Keith Reinhard disappeared without a trace, his steps echoing into the wilderness, never to return. In Silver Plume, the wheels of time turned, but the mystery remained, hanging heavy over the town. Keith’s absence left a void in the lives of his loved ones and an unsolved puzzle that continues to captivate those who hear his story.
Keith’s son, Kai Reinhard, has never given up the search for answers. He has journeyed to Silver Plume time and again, not just to seek closure but also in hopes of uncovering a clue that may have been missed. Every visit to the small town is a step back in time, a journey filled with memories of a father he still longs to understand.
Believing that his father’s disappearance involved foul play, Kai carries on his search, convinced that the truth lies waiting to be discovered. He, too, finds the parallels between his father’s disappearance and Tom Young’s case too striking to ignore, despite the lack of evidence connecting the two.
Keith’s best friend, Ted Parker, has always held a different theory, believing that Keith simply fell during his ambitious hike and remains lost to the mountain. Even the local law enforcement, while keeping the case open, acknowledges the myriad of possibilities, each as likely as it is unsettling. “There are too many possibilities and not enough evidence to determine what happened,” says Lt. Steve Gremillion of the Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office.
Yet, despite the uncertainty, the quest for truth remains unyielding. The mystery surrounding Keith Reinhard’s disappearance continues to spark interest and speculation. Theories range from the sinister to the bizarre. Was Keith’s disappearance premeditated, part of an elaborate plan to vanish? Or did he stumble upon a secret so dangerous it cost him his life?
As these questions linger, so does the memory of Keith Reinhard. In the quiet town of Silver Plume, amidst the imposing beauty of the Colorado mountains, his spirit lingers, encapsulated in his poignant words inscribed by his son on a plaque placed on a mountain. “Oh God, I want to wander. I want to wander ’til I die. With the mountains as my living room, my only roof the sky.”
Deep Lore 