Last weekend a Seattle area man was jogging in the Cougar Mountain Park, a network of 52 trails that wind around some pretty dense Northwest terrian.  He left his house at 7:00 am and drove to the trailhead. His wife called police at 11:00pm that night when he didn't return home.  King County Sheriff's crews searched all weekend with teams of rescuers including dogs.  After no sign was found, they called off the search Sunday night.

The next day the missing man wanders into his home.  He claimed he fell down a ravine and laid unconscious for three days.  By his account, he made his way out of the park and walked the five miles home. 

What really interested me however was the flurry of e-mails on the Seattle PI website "sounding off" about this guy's disappearance.  132 people took the time to comment on-line about their theories of what was really going on behind this mystery.  From having a girlfriend on the side to noting the temperatures at specific elevations on the mountain and speculating hypothermia, people were relishing the ability to comment on this story.

I'm sure these engaged readers are exactly what the PI longs for. But it was almost as if these contributors were shouting into the dark.  Who really listens, reads or cares about their theories? It was clear from the repetition that they weren't even reading each other's comments. Some claim these chat sites are signal of the deep disassociation between people in our culture.  Aren't they all just lonely anyway?  But I wonder if this isn't just too simple of an answer.  Perhaps it's the universal need to express ourselves that the web exploits.  Or maybe stream of consciousness writing is cathartic.  But whatever the reason, it's clear that shouting in the dark will be around for as long as the web exists.