The Mystery of Why Marine Noah Pippin Went AWOL | Outdoor Adventure | OutsideOnline.com: And that’s why it was strange when, on the fifth evening, shortly after setting up camp and heading off to collect wood, Vern and Trevor came across a man who looked simply unprepared. He wore army fatigues with a nylon poncho over his backpack. He knelt on the trail, filling a plastic milk jug where water trickled through the rocks, pouring it straight into his mouth. The men exchanged hellos. Vern sensed that the stranger wanted to be left alone, so he kept moving, but just to be safe, as the man entered the Kerseys’ camp, where Donelle and Shelby were firing up the stove, Vern lingered on the rocks and listened.
“How you doing?” Donelle sang out. She was vivacious and fit, with a hint of country in her throaty voice.
The man smiled and made a motion to the holster on his hip. “Just to let you know, ma’am, I’m packin’. ”