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CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
Is Travis Decker alive? A fruitless 4-week manhunt has produced ‘no certain evidence'
CrimeFacebookTweetLink Follow The area of the rural Cascades near Leavenworth, Washington, is so majestic, they call it the Enchantments. Cold, clear water from the wilderness lakes flows into Icicle Creek, where it rushes over sparkling rocks. But the tranquil beauty that draws campers and hikers from across the country was shattered a month ago by the killings of three little girls just yards from the creek. 'I truly hope that the legacy of the girls' lives in everyone's heart forever. They were incredible,' said their mother, Whitney Decker, at a public memorial service last weekend. Travis Decker, the father of 5-year-old Olivia, 8-year-old Evelyn and 9-year-old Paityn, is charged with murdering his daughters by suffocating them with plastic bags near a makeshift campsite not long after he picked them up from their mother. What was supposed to be a three-hour joint custody visit on May 30 morphed into the discovery of a horrifying crime scene and frustrating manhunt that has now stretched for nearly a month. 'There is nowhere that he's going to be able to go that we don't have units waiting for him,' Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said in a news conference when the manhunt was still in its first week. 'Eventually he's going to tire. He's going to make a mistake.' But as days have turned to weeks, the roar of helicopter engines is a much less frequent sound over the natural serenity of Icicle Creek, and fewer people are scouring the woods for signs of Decker. 'At this time, there is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area,' the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office, which is assisting in the manhunt, said in a statement. 'Seemingly strong early leads gave way to less convincing proofs over the last two weeks of searching.' The lack of progress in the massive manhunt is painful for law enforcement, but especially wounding for Decker's ex-wife, Whitney, the mother of the children. 'I can say with all degrees of certainty that both Whitney and myself are very frustrated with the fact that Travis hasn't been found,' Whitney Decker's attorney, Arianna Cozart, told CNN. While officials are quick to say they have not given up on their efforts to find Decker, dead or alive, the combination of natural roadblocks and Decker's own history of spartan living have resulted in an extraordinarily difficult challenge for officers seeking justice for the three little girls. Investigators never thought the search for Decker – an Army veteran with survival training – would be an easy one. By June 2, federal authorities were already being brought into the manhunt. Decker 'frequently engaged in hiking, camping, survival skill practice, hunting and even lived off the grid in the backwoods for approximately 2.5 months on one occasion,' a deputy US Marshal said in a court affidavit. From his time serving in the military – including a tour in Afghanistan – Decker had 'training in navigation, woodland/mountainous terrain, long distance movements, survival and numerous other disciplines needed to be able to flee from the Eastern District of Washington,' the affidavit added. Despite frequently being homeless with movements that were increasingly hard to track, Decker did leave a few electronic breadcrumbs, Whitney Decker told investigators. His Google searches turned up queries for 'how does a person move to Canada' and similar phrases, four days before the kidnapping, the US Marshals said in their court filing. Marshals noted that Decker's campsite was less than a dozen miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, which 'leads directly to Canada,' the affidavit notes. 'We worked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,' Morrison told CNN. 'They were doing some follow-up on some leads we had up in Canada.' Back in Chelan County, Morrison said both tips and the resources needed for an intense physical search have waned in the past week. 'Other agencies that have come out to assist, which we appreciated, clearly have to go back to their home jurisdictions and continue to do what their taxpayers and citizens are requiring of them,' the sheriff said. The Marshals Service is now in charge of the manhunt while local and state authorities focus on examining the evidence they've been able to collect, an arrangement that Whitney Decker believes is not ideal, according to her attorney. One has to ask what law enforcement agencies are most familiar with the surrounding woods and mountains? Certainly not the US Marshals Service,' said Cozart. It's not the first time questions have been raised about how the case has been pursued. The Wenatchee Police Department – the first agency contacted by Whitney Decker – provided information to the Washington State Patrol about Travis Decker's failure to return the girls and the potential for an Amber Alert. The patrol declined to issue one because 'there was no current evidence to believe the children were at risk of serious bodily injury or death,' according to the police affidavit. The following day, when Decker and the girls did not show up to a running event scheduled at a local park, the Washington State Patrol issued an Endangered Missing Person Alert. That placed information about their disappearance on a state website – but did not send a push notification to the public the way an Amber Alert would. The wilderness beauty that draws more than a million visitors to the area each year also makes for an incredibly arduous search. Nearly 90% of the land in Chelan County is publicly owned, and much of that is not directly accessible by road. It is not the first time the dense Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest has provided cover for a fleeing murder suspect. Five summers ago, Jorge Alcantara Gonzalez was on the run for 23 days – law enforcement officers frequently just minutes behind him in a foot chase – before he was found about 50 miles south of where Decker was last seen. A man walking his dog in the area spotted Alcantara in an empty house, the Seattle Times reported. He was sentenced to 96 months in prison on lesser charges in a plea agreement and remains in state custody. That kind of stroke of fortune is often what solves a missing fugitive case. A Kentucky man accused of shooting at cars on Interstate 75 from a nearby ledge evaded capture for more than a week in the Daniel Boone National Forest. A local couple – Fred and Sheila McCoy – joined the search for Joseph Couch on a whim. 'That started off as a date night, and turned into a six-day journey,' Fred McCoy told CNN. As they livestreamed their search, calling out Couch's name, the McCoys eventually found his decomposed body deep in the woods. He had killed himself. 'Sheila and I don't believe in luck,' McCoy said. 'We believe in being blessed.' The McCoys received a $35,000 reward for finding Couch's remains last fall and said they briefly considered joining the search for Decker, but decided the cross-country trip to an area they are unfamiliar with would not be productive. Like the man they were hunting, the McCoys say they would be surprised if Decker allowed himself to be captured alive. 'Him not being seen in so long makes me think he's no longer with us,' Fred McCoy said. A trail gone cold in a wooded area is not always a sign that the fugitive has completely given up. In one of the most prominent domestic terrorism cases in American history, it was only a sign of further determination. Eric Robert Rudolph, an anti-abortion extremist and White supremacist responsible for four deadly bombings over three years, managed to evade from a massive manhunt for five years by holing up in the woods of western North Carolina near where he grew up. With no bank account, investigators said Rudolph foraged at night for survival, taking cover in darkness and stealing vehicles to bring whatever provisions he could back to his isolated campsite. He also hid 250 pounds of nitroglycerine dynamite. 'Until last week, a part of western North Carolina was literally a hidden minefield,' then-US Attorney David Nahmias said at a news conference after Rudolph's capture. The FBI said Rudolph also managed to survive on his own by finding caves and unoccupied cabins he could use for temporary shelter. 'I think it is very likely that he not only had campsites and caves, but he was also spending some time in those cabins,' said Chris Swecker, former special agent in charge of the FBI field office in Charlotte. 'He knew exactly which cabins he could go into. He had them scouted out way ahead of time.' The capture of Rudolph was another case that turned on being in the right place at the right time. After unsuccessful searches of the woods that involved upwards of 200 agents, a police officer in Murphy, North Carolina, with less than a year on the force spotted Rudolph rummaging through garbage outside a grocery store and stopped him, thinking he had spotted someone planning an ordinary break-in. He gave up without a fight. After being caught, Rudolph confessed to the crimes that killed two people in a plea bargain that took the death penalty off the table. He is serving four life sentences at the 'supermax' prison in Florence, Colorado. Federal investigators never saw evidence that Rudolph was getting help during his crimes or his disappearance, and local authorities say there's no sign that anyone has been working with Travis Decker. 'If there was evidence to show there were additional people there or an unknown subject, we would have known about it, and right now what we're getting back is not showing anything like that,' Morrison said. 'All evidence continues to point to Travis.' But now, with reliable clues pointing to his whereabouts drying up, nearby trails that had been closed for safety reopened and fewer options for intensive searches, investigators hope that someone in the area will have their own unexpected encounter that could end a mystery they've been trying to solve for weeks. 'We'll continue to follow up on every lead that we're getting regarding travels,' said Morrison.' For Whitney Decker, the little girls' mother, getting those answers is critical to her effort to rebuild her life, her attorney said, especially if Travis is still on the run. 'The only message we have for Travis is please do the right thing and turn yourself in,' said Cozart. 'Whitney deserves peace.' CNN's Natasha Chen, Dayna Gainor, Alaa Elassar, Zoe Sottile and Alisha Ebrahimji contributed to this report.
CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
Is Travis Decker alive? A fruitless 4-week manhunt has produced ‘no certain evidence'
The area of the rural Cascades near Leavenworth, Washington, is so majestic, they call it the Enchantments. Cold, clear water from the wilderness lakes flows into Icicle Creek, where it rushes over sparkling rocks. But the tranquil beauty that draws campers and hikers from across the country was shattered a month ago by the killings of three little girls just yards from the creek. 'I truly hope that the legacy of the girls' lives in everyone's heart forever. They were incredible,' said their mother, Whitney Decker, at a public memorial service last weekend. Travis Decker, the father of 5-year-old Olivia, 8-year-old Evelyn and 9-year-old Paityn, is charged with murdering his daughters by suffocating them with plastic bags near a makeshift campsite not long after he picked them up from their mother. What was supposed to be a three-hour joint custody visit on May 30 morphed into the discovery of a horrifying crime scene and frustrating manhunt that has now stretched for nearly a month. 'There is nowhere that he's going to be able to go that we don't have units waiting for him,' Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said in a news conference when the manhunt was still in its first week. 'Eventually he's going to tire. He's going to make a mistake.' But as days have turned to weeks, the roar of helicopter engines is a much less frequent sound over the natural serenity of Icicle Creek, and fewer people are scouring the woods for signs of Decker. 'At this time, there is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area,' the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office, which is assisting in the manhunt, said in a statement. 'Seemingly strong early leads gave way to less convincing proofs over the last two weeks of searching.' The lack of progress in the massive manhunt is painful for law enforcement, but especially wounding for Decker's ex-wife, Whitney, the mother of the children. 'I can say with all degrees of certainty that both Whitney and myself are very frustrated with the fact that Travis hasn't been found,' Whitney Decker's attorney, Arianna Cozart, told CNN. While officials are quick to say they have not given up on their efforts to find Decker, dead or alive, the combination of natural roadblocks and Decker's own history of spartan living have resulted in an extraordinarily difficult challenge for officers seeking justice for the three little girls. Investigators never thought the search for Decker – an Army veteran with survival training – would be an easy one. By June 2, federal authorities were already being brought into the manhunt. Decker 'frequently engaged in hiking, camping, survival skill practice, hunting and even lived off the grid in the backwoods for approximately 2.5 months on one occasion,' a deputy US Marshal said in a court affidavit. From his time serving in the military – including a tour in Afghanistan – Decker had 'training in navigation, woodland/mountainous terrain, long distance movements, survival and numerous other disciplines needed to be able to flee from the Eastern District of Washington,' the affidavit added. Despite frequently being homeless with movements that were increasingly hard to track, Decker did leave a few electronic breadcrumbs, Whitney Decker told investigators. His Google searches turned up queries for 'how does a person move to Canada' and similar phrases, four days before the kidnapping, the US Marshals said in their court filing. Marshals noted that Decker's campsite was less than a dozen miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, which 'leads directly to Canada,' the affidavit notes. 'We worked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,' Morrison told CNN. 'They were doing some follow-up on some leads we had up in Canada.' Back in Chelan County, Morrison said both tips and the resources needed for an intense physical search have waned in the past week. 'Other agencies that have come out to assist, which we appreciated, clearly have to go back to their home jurisdictions and continue to do what their taxpayers and citizens are requiring of them,' the sheriff said. The Marshals Service is now in charge of the manhunt while local and state authorities focus on examining the evidence they've been able to collect, an arrangement that Whitney Decker believes is not ideal, according to her attorney. One has to ask what law enforcement agencies are most familiar with the surrounding woods and mountains? Certainly not the US Marshals Service,' said Cozart. It's not the first time questions have been raised about how the case has been pursued. The Wenatchee Police Department – the first agency contacted by Whitney Decker – provided information to the Washington State Patrol about Travis Decker's failure to return the girls and the potential for an Amber Alert. The patrol declined to issue one because 'there was no current evidence to believe the children were at risk of serious bodily injury or death,' according to the police affidavit. The following day, when Decker and the girls did not show up to a running event scheduled at a local park, the Washington State Patrol issued an Endangered Missing Person Alert. That placed information about their disappearance on a state website – but did not send a push notification to the public the way an Amber Alert would. The wilderness beauty that draws more than a million visitors to the area each year also makes for an incredibly arduous search. Nearly 90% of the land in Chelan County is publicly owned, and much of that is not directly accessible by road. It is not the first time the dense Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest has provided cover for a fleeing murder suspect. Five summers ago, Jorge Alcantara Gonzalez was on the run for 23 days – law enforcement officers frequently just minutes behind him in a foot chase – before he was found about 50 miles south of where Decker was last seen. A man walking his dog in the area spotted Alcantara in an empty house, the Seattle Times reported. He was sentenced to 96 months in prison on lesser charges in a plea agreement and remains in state custody. That kind of stroke of fortune is often what solves a missing fugitive case. A Kentucky man accused of shooting at cars on Interstate 75 from a nearby ledge evaded capture for more than a week in the Daniel Boone National Forest. A local couple – Fred and Sheila McCoy – joined the search for Joseph Couch on a whim. 'That started off as a date night, and turned into a six-day journey,' Fred McCoy told CNN. As they livestreamed their search, calling out Couch's name, the McCoys eventually found his decomposed body deep in the woods. He had killed himself. 'Sheila and I don't believe in luck,' McCoy said. 'We believe in being blessed.' The McCoys received a $35,000 reward for finding Couch's remains last fall and said they briefly considered joining the search for Decker, but decided the cross-country trip to an area they are unfamiliar with would not be productive. Like the man they were hunting, the McCoys say they would be surprised if Decker allowed himself to be captured alive. 'Him not being seen in so long makes me think he's no longer with us,' Fred McCoy said. A trail gone cold in a wooded area is not always a sign that the fugitive has completely given up. In one of the most prominent domestic terrorism cases in American history, it was only a sign of further determination. Eric Robert Rudolph, an anti-abortion extremist and White supremacist responsible for four deadly bombings over three years, managed to evade from a massive manhunt for five years by holing up in the woods of western North Carolina near where he grew up. With no bank account, investigators said Rudolph foraged at night for survival, taking cover in darkness and stealing vehicles to bring whatever provisions he could back to his isolated campsite. He also hid 250 pounds of nitroglycerine dynamite. 'Until last week, a part of western North Carolina was literally a hidden minefield,' then-US Attorney David Nahmias said at a news conference after Rudolph's capture. The FBI said Rudolph also managed to survive on his own by finding caves and unoccupied cabins he could use for temporary shelter. 'I think it is very likely that he not only had campsites and caves, but he was also spending some time in those cabins,' said Chris Swecker, former special agent in charge of the FBI field office in Charlotte. 'He knew exactly which cabins he could go into. He had them scouted out way ahead of time.' The capture of Rudolph was another case that turned on being in the right place at the right time. After unsuccessful searches of the woods that involved upwards of 200 agents, a police officer in Murphy, North Carolina, with less than a year on the force spotted Rudolph rummaging through garbage outside a grocery store and stopped him, thinking he had spotted someone planning an ordinary break-in. He gave up without a fight. After being caught, Rudolph confessed to the crimes that killed two people in a plea bargain that took the death penalty off the table. He is serving four life sentences at the 'supermax' prison in Florence, Colorado. Federal investigators never saw evidence that Rudolph was getting help during his crimes or his disappearance, and local authorities say there's no sign that anyone has been working with Travis Decker. 'If there was evidence to show there were additional people there or an unknown subject, we would have known about it, and right now what we're getting back is not showing anything like that,' Morrison said. 'All evidence continues to point to Travis.' But now, with reliable clues pointing to his whereabouts drying up, nearby trails that had been closed for safety reopened and fewer options for intensive searches, investigators hope that someone in the area will have their own unexpected encounter that could end a mystery they've been trying to solve for weeks. 'We'll continue to follow up on every lead that we're getting regarding travels,' said Morrison.' For Whitney Decker, the little girls' mother, getting those answers is critical to her effort to rebuild her life, her attorney said, especially if Travis is still on the run. 'The only message we have for Travis is please do the right thing and turn yourself in,' said Cozart. 'Whitney deserves peace.' CNN's Natasha Chen, Dayna Gainor, Alaa Elassar, Zoe Sottile and Alisha Ebrahimji contributed to this report.
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Daily Mail
DNA taken from Travis Decker search area fails to match suspected killer as teams scour Washington mountains
Not a single piece of DNA collected during the manhunt for Travis Decker has been a match to the suspected killer, Washington authorities have admitted. Decker, 33, is accused of suffocating his three daughters - Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia, five - at a remote campsite in the Cascades mountains in Washington state on May 30 before vanishing. Tactical teams have scoured the mountains near the city of Leavenworth for weeks, but the searches have found no evidence of Decker in the area, according to an update Friday from Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison. 'We do have some items that have come back from the scene, that have come back to match the DNA that we have for what we believe to be Travis's DNA,' he said, per KIRO7. 'But no other DNA that's come back to show anyone else was on scene. Nothing in the mountains.' It comes days after the Kittitas County Sherriff's Office (KCSO), which is also involved in the search alongside the FBI, raised the possibility that Decker may be dead. 'At this time, there is no certain evidence that Decker remains alive or in this area,' the sheriff's office announced earlier this week. Officials said that they have modified part of their search into a recovery effort, but warned the public that if Decker is alive, he remains extremely dangerous and may have access to firearms. In a statement from Kittitas County Sheriff Clay Myers this week, he said investigators have tracked dozens of tips and have received multiple reports of possible sightings of Decker. However, he said there remains no definitive evidence that the suspected family-slayer is alive. 'Deputies have maintained extra patrols in the areas in and around the Teanaway Valley, Blewett Pass, Liberty, and Lauderdale,' the statement read. 'Kittitas County Regional Tactical Response Team members have spent days and nights in remote terrain, working with K9 resources and experienced trackers to identify and follow any credible lead to Decker's location. '(Decker) could be deceased. He could have taken his own life. He could have succumbed to injuries. We recognize that's a possibility.' Sheriff Morrison added that despite the possibility that Decker is already dead, law enforcement will not stop their search until they either find a body or he is brought to justice. 'I respect Sheriff Myers, his agency, they certainly have taken on a huge lift over this last week,' he said. 'His people have come alongside us, so appreciative of their efforts and their resources they put into it. Either way, we haven't found him alive or dead, and the search still continues.' With an extensive combat background, authorities and locals are concerned about Decker still being on the loose. He joined the Army in 2013. He served in Afghanistan before transferring to the Washington National Guard in 2021, Karina Shagren, communications director for the Washington Military Department, confirmed to the Daily Mail. He was a full-time member of the Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time. Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge. He likely has advanced combat training and was an airborne paratrooper who earned the elite rank of 'Ranger,' indicating he would have excellent wilderness and survival skills, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing social media posts. Decker is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and kidnapping, but has been missing since May 30, when he failed to return the three little girls back to their mother, Whitney, after a visit. Whitney, who is divorced from the veteran, told police that he had picked the girls up around 5pm but had not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went straight to voicemail, court documents said. Detectives said she 'expressed concern because Decker reportedly has never done this before and … is currently experiencing some mental health issues.' She also told law enforcement officials that Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and believes he did not take medication for the condition, according to court documents. On June 2, a search party led to the chilling discovery of the sisters' dead bodies near the Chelan County campsite along with Decker's truck. Deputies found the girls' bodies about 75 to 100 yards from Decker's truck. An autopsy revealed the girls died from suffocation and police reported their wrists were zip-tied when they were found, court documents said. Police collected 'a large amount of evidence' from the truck, including male blood and non-human blood. The alleged-killer's dog was found nearby as well and taken to an animal humane society, Fox 8 reported. The discovery of the children's corpses kicked off the massive search for Decker. State and federal authorities believe they may have spotted him hiking in a mountainous area. On June 10, a helicopter crew s aw someone running off a trail near Colchuck Lake. Police speculate it was Decker. The lake is roughly 12 miles from the campground the girls were left near.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Returns On Capital At Cascades (TSE:CAS) Have Stalled
Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Although, when we looked at Cascades (TSE:CAS), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes. This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Cascades, this is the formula: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.06 = CA$236m ÷ (CA$5.1b - CA$1.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2025). Thus, Cascades has an ROCE of 6.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Packaging industry average of 12%. See our latest analysis for Cascades In the above chart we have measured Cascades' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Cascades for free. Over the past five years, Cascades' ROCE and capital employed have both remained mostly flat. It's not uncommon to see this when looking at a mature and stable business that isn't re-investing its earnings because it has likely passed that phase of the business cycle. With that in mind, unless investment picks up again in the future, we wouldn't expect Cascades to be a multi-bagger going forward. In a nutshell, Cascades has been trudging along with the same returns from the same amount of capital over the last five years. And in the last five years, the stock has given away 27% so the market doesn't look too hopeful on these trends strengthening any time soon. In any case, the stock doesn't have these traits of a multi-bagger discussed above, so if that's what you're looking for, we think you'd have more luck elsewhere. One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with Cascades (at least 2 which shouldn't be ignored) , and understanding these would certainly be useful. While Cascades isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
I'll Never Forget the First Car I Drove To Go Skiing
I rose to a loud, earth-shaking rumble. Had the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate finally slid? Was I about to get a real-life lesson in geology? I raced to my parents' room, encountering a different, albeit much less dramatic, disaster. From there, my memory becomes foggy, dissolving into brief, dim flashes. Loud winds and the night sky. A police spotlight trained on the dangling remnants of the tree that, after being hit by a mighty gust, had snapped and knocked the chimney of our house clean off. But in the driveway, at the base of the tree, stood the family ski chariot: a 1995 metallic blue Toyota Land Cruiser, miraculously untouched. The tree's thick trunk only hung a foot or so above the car—or, as we called it, "the truck." Apparently, the Land Cruiser wasn't done with the Greenwoods quite yet. The ride, a successor to another, older Land Cruiser, was our primary mountain rig. From the rain-slick streets of Seattle, it would mow through ice and slush, carrying us into the Cascades for a reprieve from the glum coastal winters. It could go the distance, too, traveling to Fernie, Big Sky, and, in the summer, Mt. piece is part of POWDER's Summer of Ski Nostalgia content series. Stay tuned in daily for more nostalgic articles, and keep an eye out for the upcoming Summer of Ski Nostalgia badge to identify future can also view all of POWDER's summer nostalgia content to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates. When I was young, I'd bundle up in the backseat, only waking halfway through the drive at our traditional pitstop: McDonald's. Outside, it was still dark—my dad, in true archetypal ski dad form, usually insisted on hitting the road as early as possible—but instead of a hot drink, I'd order a Frappuccino and some sausage burritos. Then, after chowing down, I'd somehow fall back asleep, regaining consciousness in the ski area parking lot, probably with a stomach ache. Sometime after the tree fell, I started learning to drive. My dad had spent years and years carting my brother and me to the mountains. We were ready to take the mantle and give him a much-needed break. At that moment, driving wasn't yet a chore, and when I learned to weave through Seattle's tight streets, nervousness quickly gave way to excitement. I could now go wherever I wanted, including the mountains, provided I shared with my parents a somewhat vague idea of my plans. During one of the first evenings that I could drive without adult supervision, I headed to a bonfire. On the way home, I filled the truck with as many other kids as it could fit, enjoying being a designated driver more than I ever would at any other point in my life. I felt useful. I assume my dad did, too, when he spent the winter weekends instilling a life-long love of skiing in his boys with the Land Cruiser as his accomplice. Then, it was my partner. We rode with friends, and we rode alone. On those solitary missions to the mountain and back, a cup of coffee from the ski lodge would give me just enough energy on the way home. The radio, which connected to an antenna that sprung from the Cruiser's hood at the touch of a button, helped, too. Over time, as I became a pilot rather than a passenger, stickers from the burritos I continued to eat appeared around the interior. One that read 'beef' got planted in the middle of the steering wheel. My parents never peeled off the stickers, but the markings of a teenage driver weren't always harmless. When a beer can was left in the trunk by one of my friends, I received a stern talking to. The truck also dredged up old, familiar routines, even as I grew. A few years after I got my driver's license, when I was older but still a teenager, my dad happily took over when I became sleepy as we made the nine-hour drive back from Canada at night. Behind the wheel, he settled back into the rhythm he and the truck shared, cruising through the dark with his passengers dozing. To this day, I still joke that I owe my dad several lifetimes' worth of rides to the mountain. Those future rides with Dad will have to happen in a different car. The outsized rigs that spout thick plumes of sweet-smelling gasoline are, for many skiers, myself included, a touchstone. Still, the march of practicality and technology would, as it does for most everything, make the truck and all its quirks eventually disappear from our lives. At around 250,000 miles, the Land Cruiser developed a rod knock—requiring a too-costly engine repair—and we said goodbye. When I came home from college one year, I met the replacement: a slick, quiet Honda CR-V that still performed admirably in the snow. My parents' decision was easy to understand. Sentimentality works great for a vintage pair of jeans—less so for aging vehicles that chip away at your bank I know the truck found a good home. My parents sold it to a company that restores Land Cruisers, and my dad recalled the excitement of the buyer. Somewhere, then, out on the backroads, I imagine it crawling through the mud or snow, doing exactly what it was built to do—and, maybe, taking a different family to the ski hill. I also take comfort in the fact that the old machine has better luck than most cars, let alone people. When the next windstorm hits, I bet it'll be parked in just the right piece is part of POWDER's Summer of Ski Nostalgia content series. Stay tuned in daily for more nostalgic articles, and keep an eye out for the upcoming Summer of Ski Nostalgia badge to identify future can also view all of POWDER's summer nostalgia content here. I'll Never Forget the First Car I Drove To Go Skiing first appeared on Powder on Jun 17, 2025
