Firefighter went to find his dog, and friends say "he simply just disappeared"

Hello everyone, this bit of news caught my attention.

Rescuers scouring a rugged corner of California hoping to find missing firefighter have found the man's backpack and footprints leading away from his camp.
Mike Herdman, 34, an avid outdoorsman, was on a weekend camping trip in the Los Padres National Forest with his buddy, fellow firefighter Taylor Byars. Byars told authorities he last saw his friend on Friday chasing after his dog Duke, which had run into a creek.
Barefoot, wearing only a T-shirt and shorts, Herdman simply disappeared, according to Byars. Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Eric Buschow said search crews are following clues into Herdman’s disappearance.
“We found his backpack. We found footprints in the directions that he was last seen going. So we are starting from there and working our way out methodically, rock by rock and bush by bush,” Buschow said.
The region’s remote, inaccessible terrain has made the search especially daunting. The campsite where Herdman was last spotted is a two-day hike into the back country, an area that’s almost twice the size of the Grand Canyon.
Simply reporting Herdman missing was difficult. It took Byars all weekend to hike out and call for help.
Herdman, who has a 6-year-old daughter, had planned to be home for Father’s Day. Instead, his wife and friends – including fellow firefighters – have spent two agonizing days at the trailhead, hoping for answers, hoping for a miracle.
At this point, there’s no indication of foul play, Buschow said.

Now when the term "avid outdoorsman" is used, I think of someone who know the wilderness, and knows how not to get lost. Plus the man is a firefighter, which in itself is pretty manly. How does someone just disappear? Well for starters being turned around in the back country would probably be very confusing, but for an "avid outdoorsman" going and getting your dog that ran away should be a simple task.

Now, I also was thinking about maybe he was running away from his life, but the man has a daughter that Im sure he loves more then anything(probably daddies little girl)

what puzzles me though is they say he was "Barefoot, wearing only a T-shirt and shorts"
then how did they find his backpack?

So Im just going to come out and say is this a possible abduction?

Maybe this is foul play by his buddy who maybe was jealous of his wife and life?

Who knows, maybe they will find him, but if they do I wonder what his story will be?

Anyways id like to hear opinions of others, and maybe if anyone else is a claimed "avid outdoorsman" they can throw their two cents into this thread. Thankk you for your reading time now Im off to work, will check back later.

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a reply to: Thisbseth
Based on what I have just read, I didn't see any indication that any unusual sights in the sky were reported to have taken place, nothing about any ufo's. I am not an outdoors expert, but based on the info so far, I don't think I would classify it yet as a possible abduction. Will be following the news report on this though.....

He slipped or stubbed his toe (no shoes), fell forward, hit his head on a rock, knocked unconscious, floated downstream, and drowned. They'll find him a few miles downstream. Either that or he's part of the David Paulides Missing 411.

a reply to: Thisbseth

There is no reason, at this stage, to assume abduction by aliens at this point. Abduction by anything or anyone at this point is a stretch, as far as a theory of events goes.

I would say, however, that it is deeply unusual for a person to go into rough terrain barefoot, unless they have spent their entire lives doing so. Most outdoorsmen value a good pair of boots more than they do a sharp knife and a good flint in my experience, so this aspect is concerning. However, jumping immediately to the alien theory makes no sense what so ever at this point.

a reply to: data5091
more likely its just a guy who lost his bearing while searching for his dog in the forest.
that kind of thing happens to "avid outdoorsman" quite often. hes probably wandering the forest heading in the direction where he knows there is civilization or injured somewhere

a reply to: Thisbseth

This was posted earlier today.

It seems like he jaunted off into the wilderness ill prepared. Honestly, if this is a remote location in full growth, he could easily lose his sense of direction quite quickly without having a compass. He could believe he is headed in the right direction but be zig zagging and circling all over the place. This naturally will make finding him more difficult, for you can't assume he is going in a straight path. I know in thick growth, you can really get turned around within just a few hundred feet when you have to zigzag around brush or fallen trees. You really have to trust your compass and not just go on what you think! No compass? You will be lost, avid outdoorsman or not. Hopefully, he is found soon.

I was hiking in the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. I stumbled across a guy that had been struck by rattlesnake so hard that it broke his leg. A black bear looted his back pack. He had been sitting by the river for three days praying for someone to find him.

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