A Seasoned Hiker Vanished on the Appalachian Trail, Leaving Behind a Scene That Defies Logic They called him "Wild Mike," not because he was reckless, but because he belonged to the earth. For Michael Kaiser, a 56-year-old veteran hiker from New Jersey, the Appalachian Trail (AT) wasn't a weekend hobby; it was a conversation. He was a man of shale ridges and wind-cut peaks, an analog soul in a digital world. He didn't post his treks; he lived them. By May 2017, Michael had logged thousands of mi