The Baffling Disappearance of Barbara Bolick
She was less than 30 feet away from her hiking partner when she vanished without a trace.
Barbara Bolick fell in love with Montana’s Bitterroot Mountains the first time she saw them. The 55-year-old was particularly fond of the hiking trail that led to the Bear Creek Overlook near Victor, Montana; she spent many hours on the trail, both alone and with friends. On the morning of Wednesday, July 18, 2007, Barbara volunteered to take a family friend, Jim Ramaker, on a hike to the Bear Creek Overlook. It would be Barbara’s last hike; shortly after she and Jim reached the scenic overlook, Barbara vanished without a trace.
Barbara had originally planned to take both Jim and his girlfriend, Donna Biles, on the Wednesday morning hike. Donna was the cousin of Barbara’s husband, Carl; she and Jim lived in California but had come to Montana to spend some time with Carl and Barbara. They had both been looking forward to hiking to the Bear Creek Overlook while on their trip, and Barbara had been more than happy to accompany them. Carl, who had been forced to stop hiking after he suffered from a heart attack, told his wife that he would take care of making dinner while the trio went on their hike.