What happened to Mick Dodge? The wilderness wanderer was the subject of a brief National Geographic docuseries, The Legend Of Mick Dodge, before dropping off into obscurity around 2015. Viewers are now wondering what became of the beloved recluse and whether he’s still alive and well, living off-grid.
Who is Mick Dodge?
Mick Dodge used to be part of the US marines, where he worked as a heavy equipment mechanic. Then, in 1991, he gave up his regular life, choosing to live off-the-grid in the Hoh rainforest of Olympic National Park, Washington.
Born on 29 August 1951, Dodge just turned 69 this past August.
The barefoot nomad has often said that he experienced a rebirth in the Hoh rainforest.
Dodge lives off the land and sleeps in the stumps of trees or wherever he can find cover. He walks barefoot around the rainforest and has earned the nickname Barefoot Sensei. Other nicknames include the Barefooted Nomad and Walking Mountain.
“My feet became my compass, my feet became my map,” he told National Geographic.
Dodge has lived in the forest for nearly 30 years, leaving modern society in 1991.
He is most famous for appearing in the National Geographic documentary series The Legend of Mick Dodge, which aired between 2014-2015 and spanned 32 episodes.
What happened to Mick Dodge?
As Dodge doesn’t have access to modern technology and lives away from civilisation, it is hard to say with certainty what became of him since his last National Geographic appearance.
One reason the public may not have heard from him since 2015-2016 is that his series with NatGeo was not renewed for another season.
According to Peninsula Daily News, Mick Dodge decided not to renew his contract, citing reasons such as “creative differences” between himself and the NatGeo team, which in the end were insurmountable.
During an interview in a yurt in Forks, WA, he stated: “They knew I wanted more creative control of things. They would have maintained control, which is sad.”
In the intervening years, a few hikers say they ran into the Barefoot Sensei as late as 2019, as mentioned on Instagram here and here.
Twitter users: “Is he still alive?”
He has also become somewhat of an American cultural icon.
However, other users are finding it hard to believe that he was ever real.
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