Lost in the Valley of Death: The life and disappearance of Justin Alexander

“I realized that Justin Alexander was the latest person to disappear in a long history of travelers disappearing in India’s Parvati Valley. It’s a dark aspect of this really beautiful place.” – Harley Rustad

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Harley discuss how Harley learned of Justin Alexander’s story, why he chose to report it, and what makes travel to India unique (2:30); who Justin Alexander was, and what life events and desires led to him being a world traveler and social-media persona (8:00); what makes India’s Parvati Valley unique as a mountainous place where backpackers sometimes disappear, and how “India Syndrome” affects travelers (30:00); Justin’s decision to live in a cave in the Parvati Valley under the influence of a local sadhu (40:00); Justin’s August 2016 Facebook message to Rolf, the timeline of his life before his disappearance (47:30); speculations on what became of Justin after he was seen for the last time, and what his legacy is (57:00).

Harley Rustad (@hmrustad) is the author of Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas, and Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees.

Notable Links:

• Adventures of Justin Alexander (Facebook page)
• Adventures of Justin (Instagram account)
• Adventures of Justin (YouTube channel)
• Chris McCandless (subject of Into the Wild)
• Timothy Treadwell (subject of Grizzly Man)
• Hippie Trail (1960s/1970s Asia travel subculture)
• Tom Brown Jr. (American survivalist)
• Royal Enfield (type of motorcycle)
• Mentawai Islands (archipelago near Sumatra)
• Hero’s Journey (mythic narrative template)
• Joseph Campbell (comparative mythologist)
• Sterling Hayden (actor and adventurer)
• Parvati Valley (mountainous region in India)
• Hashish (drug common in the Parvati Valley)
• India Syndrome (delusional state)
• Sadhu (Hindu religious ascetic)
• “Lost in the Valley of Death” (2018 Outside article)

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

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