In late April, during a visit with his son, Dale Andersen found his son Ben talking about running again after a two-year injury. The 37-year-old Southwest Portland resident was eyeing a return to the grueling Bigfoot 200 ultramarathon — deep in the backcountry around Mount St. Helens.
Weeks later, Ben drove a rented white Chevrolet Equinox into those same mountains. He hasn’t been seen since.
For the experienced outdoorsman who had “fallen in love” with the Pacific Northwest and held a particular fascination with Mount St. Helens, the potential to compete would mark a return to trail running following his leg injury…