YT YouTube2Text

YouTube2Text → Transcripts → Touring Elizabeth Smart's Kidnap Site (FULL HIKE)

Touring Elizabeth Smart's Kidnap Site (FULL HIKE) — Transcript

by Elizabeth Smart · 8,265 words · 1,304 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

Open in transcriber Summarize with AI Download SRT/VTT

Full transcript

0:00This might not look like much, but this
0:02is a place where so much happened to me.
0:05This is the place where my nightmares
0:07became real. This is the place where I
0:10was first ripped. This is the place
0:11where I was chained up. This is the
0:13place where I was abused and starved and
0:16deprived of water and basic human
0:18decency. This is the place that very few
0:21people have ever been, but where I was
0:24brought, where I was taken to the night
0:26I was kidnapped and where I was first
0:28held captive. So today we are going on a
0:32bit of an adventure. I'm back at the
0:34house that I grew up in. We're going to
0:35retrace my steps as much as possible to
0:39the hidden campsite where I was held
0:40captive. And I'm with my brother today.
0:43>> I've never been up this part of the
0:46canyon. I didn't know there was a trail
0:47here.
0:48>> And my beautiful sister-in-law. How did
0:50he even find this place? I've always
0:52actually been really, really curious
0:53because I've always wanted to hear what
0:54was going on in your head and then I
0:56wanted to hear what was going on at
0:57home. Is it hard? Is it a hard hike?
1:00It's Yeah, it's a pretty It's a pretty
1:02grueling hike.
1:03>> Holy hell.
1:05>> Wow. Wow. Wow.
1:07>> Careful.
1:09>> There's literally no trail.
1:10>> Can you see this? You're brave. Oh,
1:12you're brave.
1:13>> Well, be careful.
1:14>> That's legit a bone. Oh my god.
1:17>> What is that?
1:18>> I mean, don't drink the water now.
1:19>> You're not even helping. I'm sorry. Hold
1:21on.
1:24>> How much further up the hill?
1:25>> I mean, there's a reason nobody found
1:27me. Yeah. Okay. Good thought.
1:29>> Cuz everybody likes to say, "Why don't
1:31you just run home?"
1:32>> I know. Cuz it wasn't easy. Feels like
1:35poison ivy going up a like, not a river,
1:38a stream bed, like climbing a mountain
1:40side. It's not an easy hike.
1:42>> Did you have running shoes on or what
1:43were you wearing?
1:44>> Yeah, that night I had running shoes on.
1:46I remember when he came and got me, I
1:48reached for my slippers and he was like,
1:50"Not those, those." And he pointed to my
1:53my like running shoes. They were moms. I
1:56inherited them.
1:57>> Ah, yeah. We were part of that family,
1:59weren't we? The handme-downs.
2:01>> Nothing wrong with hand-me-downs. But
2:02>> nothing wrong with a [laughter]
2:03handme-downs. So, normally you would be
2:06going from behind your house.
2:09>> Yeah. So, my bedroom, you can't see it,
2:11but it's up in it's up behind those
2:13trees. We would be going almost straight
2:16back from my house and straight up into
2:19the mountains through my backyard.
2:21>> But now, I mean, we're talking years
2:23later, there's houses back there. They'd
2:25probably be like, "Who are these crazy
2:26people trying to go through our yards?"
2:28Exactly. So, we're not going to do that.
2:30>> Don't want to get arrested. But you are
2:31going to take us. There is a way to get
2:33there on a trail head
2:36>> kind of.
2:36>> Part of the way.
2:37>> The more the accessible way. Yeah.
2:40>> Okay. Well, we got our hiking boots. You
2:41got hiking boots. We're hiking boots.
2:43We're ready.
2:45>> Okay. So, how far is the hike would you
2:48say from your house?
2:49>> Um, I would guess three miles. But the
2:52way that we're going to go to actually
2:54get to it is probably about 3 and 1/2
2:57miles.
2:58>> And we're not even going the correct
3:01route at the beginning, right?
3:02>> Well, I mean, I don't even think I like
3:04it would be just so hard to retrace
3:07that. Like I don't know if I actually
3:11>> could trace it just because I mean you
3:15know it was like that night and so like
3:18there was so much adrenaline and fear
3:22and like I didn't know where we were
3:24going and you know it was all just a
3:27guess like I think even he was guessing
3:30that night I mean at one point he did
3:32have to yell out question when you so
3:35you would come down sometimes from the
3:38campsite to town. So, did you go this
3:41way that we're going to go
3:42>> Yeah.
3:43>> to town?
3:43>> Yeah. I mean, we didn't cut up through
3:45up here to like my neighborhood, but
3:47yeah, we're going to go.
3:49>> Were you ever like, "Find me. Look at
3:50me. Look at me."
3:51>> Of course. Absolutely.
3:52>> Did it was Was there anyone ever on the
3:54trail when we were going?
3:55>> There were.
3:57>> Did you ever just like like stare at
4:00people?
4:01>> Yeah. And then they thought I was a
4:02creeper, which truthfully, I don't blame
4:04them. I mean, I didn't look like a
4:06normal person. Yeah, but your eyes have
4:08always are so distinctive. You think
4:10that you would
4:12>> I mean
4:13>> like if you're not looking for it, you
4:15don't expect it, you know,
4:17>> like if you just see like three robed
4:20figures, you'd be like maybe I'm going
4:22to turn around.
4:23>> Yeah. You know,
4:24>> and you know, it just shows you how
4:25cocky he was
4:27>> a little bit.
4:28>> Oh, thousand%. Three robed figures up in
4:32this neighborhood is a
4:33>> not even this neighborhood. Just like
4:35the mountains when like if you go
4:37hiking, you expect to see people in like
4:39hiking gear or like athletic gear. You
4:41don't expect to see them like in robes.
4:44>> That's crazy.
4:45>> Yeah.
4:46>> Okay. Well, good thing you work out and
4:48you work out cuz it's We'll see how I
4:51survive.
4:52>> No, we we'll [laughter] all be good.
4:54>> How long were you at this campsite for?
4:56Cuz you were gone for a total of 9
4:57months.
4:58>> Yep. this first campsite. We I was there
5:02from June
5:05until
5:06end of Augustish and then we moved to
5:09like a lower camp in the same area just
5:12cuz it was easier to get to because he
5:14was going down into Salt Lake more to
5:16try to get money to take us to San Diego
5:20and it I mean as you'll see it is a
5:22hike. How did you ever know what day it
5:25was and like the months or did you
5:27>> His wife Wanda Barzie, she made a
5:28calendar. So I mean I was always aware
5:31of the day counting every moment.
5:34>> We are headed to the base of Dry Creek.
5:38I think it's called Dry Creek Canyon or
5:40the Dry Creek Trail and that is where
5:41you start. That is the most accessible
5:44route. Yep.
5:45>> How old were you when Elizabeth was
5:47taken? I must have been 12 cuz I was
5:49sixth grade but it was like right
5:50towards the end of the school season,
5:52right? Like it was a couple days before
5:54we got out for the summer.
5:55>> Yep. Yep.
5:56>> Tell us this. You're really big into
5:57running and now you've transition to do
6:01do we call it bodybuilding or what's the
6:03right name for it?
6:04>> Yeah, that's the right name for it.
6:06>> From here, can you see it?
6:09>> No.
6:09>> Or is it behind the hills?
6:11>> Yeah, it's more like up in the hills.
6:14>> Did you ever cuz your family was
6:16searching for you. Did you ever hear
6:18them?
6:19>> I mean, there was one time that I heard
6:21my name called. It was like far away. It
6:24wasn't close. I could only very faintly
6:27hear it.
6:28>> Were your abductors there with you or?
6:30>> Yeah. This was like days after I'd been
6:32kidnapped. Like he pulled out like his
6:34knife. Like he was just like, you know,
6:36if you scream, if you say anything, like
6:39I'll kill you. I'll kill anyone who
6:41comes into this camp. Oh my god.
6:43>> So yeah. I mean, I wasn't I wasn't about
6:46to scream.
6:47>> Okay. So, now that you're older and you
6:48went through the whole like 9 months
6:50with them, do you think that he actually
6:52would have killed them?
6:53>> I think he was capable of anything.
6:56>> So, no bluff on his part. Maybe didn't
6:58have a whole lot to lose if he did it.
7:00>> Well, yeah. And I mean, like, he had
7:02gone so far into getting what he wanted
7:06that he would have justified doing
7:08anything to keep it. No, I think it's
7:11brave to not say something, but I know
7:14you get a lot of flack and then people
7:15accuse you of like Stockholm syndrome
7:17and all that stuff.
7:18>> Everybody wants to think, well, that
7:19would never happen to me or like this
7:22won't happen to me because blah blah
7:24blah or this won't happen to me like I
7:28would have screamed or I would have done
7:29that. But until you're actually in that
7:31situation, you really don't know what
7:32you would do.
7:33>> Yeah. Maybe someone who had a rougher
7:35childhood than I did, who had a more
7:38cynical outlook on life at that point
7:40already, maybe they would have acted
7:42completely different. But I lived a
7:44pretty sheltered life. We always had
7:46whatever it was we needed. Our parents
7:48were both involved in our lives. You
7:51know, it's not like they beat us or
7:52anything like that. So, I was coming
7:54from a place of naivity.
7:57>> Yeah.
7:58>> And like innocence,
7:59>> a bubble.
8:00>> Yeah.
8:02Nothing would prepare you for that.
8:03There's nothing.
8:04>> It really Yeah, really isn't.
8:07>> I think we're almost there.
8:09>> When we get up here further ahead, let
8:12me see if I can say where the turnoff
8:14is. See if I can remember.
8:16>> I mean, I'm questioning myself right
8:18now, but sure. You know, I'm like pretty
8:20confident about it, but again, it's been
8:24over 20 years since I was like
8:26consistently up here. But wasn't it at
8:29the fork in the road where they put your
8:32shoes? Did you have like a separate set
8:33of shoes there that were in plastic bag?
8:35>> There was a tree. Yeah. The base of the
8:37trunk was kind of hollowed out and so
8:40they would swap like their hiking shoes
8:42for like sandals
8:44>> to wear down into the city
8:46>> to look a little more fit in with their
8:48costume.
8:49>> Yeah. But then also like they didn't
8:51really want people to like know where
8:54that they'd been like up hiking.
8:56>> Yeah.
8:57>> I hiking. I mean, living in hard
8:59terrain.
9:00>> Did they have a pair of sandals for you
9:02that same night or was that something
9:04that progressed over time?
9:06>> They never got me a pair of sandals cuz
9:08I had toenail polish on and half of my
9:13big toe was like a dark blue and half of
9:15my big toe was like a light blue toenail
9:17polish and they're like that's too
9:19distinctive. Like someone could see that
9:21and recognize you. So, [snorts] they
9:23actually had me wear Wanda Bars hiking
9:27boots and they would both wear the
9:29sandals.
9:30>> Oh, wow.
9:31>> It looks like we got a biker behind.
9:34Nice.
9:37>> Put a rope on there and tow us up.
9:41>> What was going on at home? Like, tell me
9:43the details that you remember.
9:44>> I remember waking up to mom's screaming.
9:48>> Like, what time?
9:49>> I want to say 2 or 3, but I could be
9:51wildly off. It was the screams were
9:53she's gone. Like frantic like I've never
9:56heard mom scream like that before. The
9:58window was cut open. Remember running
10:00down the stairs and I literally thought
10:01it was a dream. And then immediately
10:03thinking I was like, you know, is this
10:04some kind of joke? But yet again, I
10:07don't think I'd ever think of Elizabeth
10:09as a prankster or jokester. Neighbors
10:12started trickling in. Phone calls were
10:15made. Police started showing up. They
10:17kept us up in one of the bedrooms. A
10:19detective brought us over to the
10:22Beasley's house across the street. They
10:24started asking us questions.
10:26>> So, when you woke up, did Mary Catherine
10:28say anything to you, Andrew, or did you
10:29ask her anything?
10:30>> No, I I didn't even suspect she would
10:33know anything. So, my guess it's right
10:36here on the right.
10:37>> Yeah.
10:37>> So, this is where you come off the
10:40trail.
10:40>> Yeah.
10:41>> Over this direction.
10:42>> Yeah.
10:43>> Which hundreds of people go on this
10:45trail a day on this Drag Creek Canyon
10:47Trail. I mean, you can kind of see it
10:49looks like Oh, look. There is someone
10:50coming.
10:51>> And there's a hiker right there.
10:52>> But yeah, like not people don't really
10:55hike up this way. Even though now I say
10:57that.
10:58>> I [laughter] know, right?
10:59>> Well, at least we can ask him how the
11:01trail is up ahead.
11:02>> Yeah, but not good. Hello.
11:05>> How is it up there?
11:07>> Brushy.
11:08>> Brushy.
11:09>> Deserted.
11:10>> Deserted.
11:11>> Really nice though.
11:12>> Good. Good.
11:13>> South Fork of Dry Creek Canyon.
11:15>> That's right. South Fork or Dry Creek
11:17Canyon. Likewise. Thank you.
11:20>> But I guess now we know it's definitely
11:21the right one.
11:22>> It looks like hardly anybody's even been
11:24on it.
11:24>> I mean, during my captivity, I never saw
11:27anyone on this trail. I never saw anyone
11:29come up this way. So crazy to see
11:31someone hiking [laughter]
11:32down,
11:33>> right?
11:34>> But like right here, this tree that you
11:36can see is broken off. This was the shoe
11:38tree. But like I mean, you can kind of
11:40see like here.
11:41>> There's totally like a cubby
11:42>> like hollowed out. And like it was
11:44either like right behind it or like
11:46right in there. Maybe there was another
11:47branch that came out. Maybe it was this
11:50one. I don't know.
11:51>> Wow.
11:52>> For some reason, I keep on thinking they
11:54put them in a black plastic bag. Was
11:56that a thing?
11:57>> Totally. They had like a like not just
12:00like a garbage bag. It was like more
12:01like heavy duty than that.
12:03>> Yeah.
12:04>> Like maybe the kind you do your fall
12:06leaves clean up with.
12:07>> Okay.
12:07>> So, when you were going to town, did you
12:10say that for like days on end? No, it
12:12was a day at a time. I mean, like we
12:14would hike
12:14>> Wow.
12:15>> back up to like where the lower camp
12:17was, which I mean still is like pretty
12:20good hike. Pretty decent hike. And we'd
12:22stay at the lower camp.
12:24>> When she was gone, did you ever come up
12:25this way riding or anything?
12:27>> I've never been up this part of the
12:30canyon. I didn't know there was a trail
12:31here. No, we're probably going up this
12:34at the right time of year because like
12:36like in the spring and early summer like
12:39there's a stream that comes down this.
12:41>> So, was there water running down this
12:44the night you came up?
12:45>> No, cuz we didn't come up this way. This
12:48was like the more accessible way.
12:51>> Yeah.
12:51>> And as you can see, it's not that
12:52accessible.
12:53>> Did you ask him anything while he was
12:54taking you up?
12:55>> Right. Yeah. I was asking him like why
12:57he was doing this? Like why was he
12:59kidnapping me? Like my parents never did
13:01anything to anyone. Like they tried to
13:03help him. Like wait, did you recognize
13:06him?
13:06>> Yeah, actually I did. Which if you know
13:08me is insane because I forget people all
13:13the like
13:13>> Well, for how many people that are
13:15probably approaching you and
13:17[clears throat] events you go to.
13:19Probably wouldn't be that hard.
13:20>> So, how long since he worked at your
13:23house did he come back and get you? He
13:25was at my house in the fall, like
13:28beginning of the school year, maybe.
13:30>> Oh wow.
13:31>> Like maybe September, October,
13:33>> like like 9 months.
13:34>> Yeah.
13:35>> Holy crap.
13:36>> Like he planned it for a long time.
13:38>> Oh my gosh. You think he would lose
13:40interest?
13:40>> Was he there scoping the property,
13:42monitoring it?
13:44>> Um, he said he didn't monitor it, but I
13:46mean he did say he like Oh, careful.
13:48Stingy nettle right there.
13:50>> What does that mean?
13:52>> That'll give you a rash.
13:54That's rash. Okay. Yeah.
13:55>> Look what you learned during your
13:57captivity. I would never have known. No,
14:00I knew that before.
14:01>> Horseback riding,
14:02>> Grandpa.
14:03>> Yeah. I mean, he said he hiked down to
14:05our house one time just to make sure he
14:07could get there. And I think that was
14:10probably like the week before he came
14:12and actually kidnapped me.
14:14>> Wow.
14:15>> That's wild. I never even thought of
14:16that. Like and I mean he said like the
14:19night he came to kidnap me if he
14:21couldn't find a way in then that was
14:23God's will not to do it.
14:26>> I know
14:26>> you're like don't tell me that.
14:28>> I know.
14:28>> Don't tell me that.
14:29>> But then I mean like if he couldn't find
14:31a way in he couldn't have kidnapped me
14:33anyway, right?
14:33>> Totally. But him saying that did that
14:36like make you have feels of God or did
14:38it not?
14:39>> Now as an adult, no. But like as a kid,
14:42I mean, it was like hard to think that
14:47was true or that that was possible. I
14:50wouldn't say the idea really ever took
14:52root, but I'd say that I suppose there
14:54were probably times where I was like, is
14:57it possible?
14:59But I think I always came back to know
15:01>> cuz it's just pure evil.
15:03>> Yeah.
15:03>> At its core.
15:06>> Didn't he try kidnapping your cousin?
15:08>> Yeah. Yeah, he totally did.
15:11Did he tell you before he was going to
15:13go kidnap your cousin or after he came
15:14back?
15:15>> No, he told me before.
15:17>> I mean, I felt guilty because I was the
15:18one who had talked about her.
15:20>> Yeah.
15:20>> Like, and I wasn't allowed to talk about
15:23my family and like I wasn't allowed to
15:26talk about my life prior to him
15:28kidnapping me. You know, the one time he
15:31let me like I did and then when he's
15:34like, "Oh, we're going to I'm going to
15:35kidnap her now." I was like,
15:37>> "What have I done?" Oh, that's the last
15:40thing you would talk about, like think
15:42that he was going to go do. I'm sure it
15:44was like a good memory.
15:45>> Oh my gosh.
15:47Hold on. Hold on. Can you see this?
15:52[laughter]
15:52>> Technical difficulties.
15:54>> I felt guilty because there was another
15:56side of me that was like, I would like a
15:58friend here with me. I would like not to
16:00be alone
16:01>> with these freaking creep
16:02>> with these monsters. He did actually try
16:04to kidnap another girl while we were in
16:06California, but he wasn't successful
16:09with her either.
16:10>> Oh my gosh. You hiked down this in a
16:14dress.
16:15>> I know.
16:16>> Like, oh, you're brave. Oh, you're
16:17brave. Thank you.
16:18>> She's a survivor.
16:19>> She is. Those ones aren't that pokey.
16:22>> Oh, boy. We're in for a treat, huh?
16:25Going back to the first days that we saw
16:27him, I always thought he worked at the
16:30house for just a couple days. I didn't
16:32think it was like a week, wasn't it?
16:33>> He said like one day.
16:36>> Okay. And that's kind of what I thought,
16:38too. That's why I never suspected him.
16:41>> He only worked at your house one day.
16:43>> Yeah.
16:44>> Oh my gosh.
16:45>> Which is like why it's incredible. I
16:46could even like connect him.
16:48>> Yep.
16:49>> Yeah. Cuz Mayor, it was Mars.
16:50>> Yeah. She connected, too.
16:52>> I mean, I connected it who it was the
16:53night I was kidnapped. And Mary
16:55Katherine, she connected it. What? It
16:58was like September, October. Yeah.
17:00Halfway through, wasn't it? She would
17:01have been
17:02>> 10.
17:03>> What? Yeah. 9 10.
17:04>> How long were you a captain before she
17:05remembered?
17:06>> 4 months, I'd guess. Four or five
17:08months.
17:08>> So, like over a year of her seeing him
17:12once. Did she remember that it was him?
17:14>> Yeah.
17:15>> Wow.
17:17Wow.
17:17>> Well, the It's kind of a story, right?
17:21>> Yeah. cuz she was going through a
17:23Guinness Book of World Records [sighs]
17:26and she came across,
17:29ironically, a bodybuilder.
17:31[laughter]
17:33We've come full circle.
17:34>> From what I recall, she saw that picture
17:36and whatever reason it reminded her of
17:38him.
17:39>> Yep.
17:40>> Wow.
17:41>> Which he is
17:43not
17:44>> a bodybuilder. Was he a bodybuilder?
17:46>> No, [laughter]
17:47definitely not. see like these like kind
17:49of like
17:51>> this is not even like a deer trail, but
17:53it's like
17:54>> to get to the lower camp like and I
17:55again I'm I have no idea if this is the
17:57one, but it's like straight up something
17:59like that
18:00>> was the lower camp that
18:01>> was the lower camp. Yeah, they had
18:03gallons of water at this lower camp.
18:05They had some tarps. They had like a
18:07small little tent.
18:08>> How much distance do you think there was
18:10between lower and upper?
18:11>> It's It's a pretty good distance. Look
18:13at that.
18:14>> We got a fair amount still.
18:15>> Where?
18:17Oh my gosh. That's legit a bone.
18:19>> Yep.
18:20>> Is that
18:20>> It's probably a deer. I don't know. I
18:23mean, there's like a bunch of coyotes up
18:25in these hills and stuff. Like I heard
18:28the coyotes all the time
18:30>> frequently.
18:31>> Okay. What did you guys talk about when
18:33you were just chilling at camper days?
18:35>> I mean, he just mostly talked about like
18:37>> himself.
18:38>> Yeah. All the time. just like how God
18:41called him and like how he didn't want
18:43to do this but God told him he had to
18:47and yeah.
18:49>> Does anything ever trigger you?
18:52>> I
18:53don't know if trigger is the right word
18:57when people use like rape as like a plot
19:02or like just like use it to fill in
19:05something in movies or books. like that
19:09turns me right off. Sometimes I'll just
19:11be like, "No, this is not the show for
19:13me." I guess I feel like it's like a
19:15morality issue. Like you're putting this
19:18in here for entertainment.
19:21Like what you're showing is not
19:24entertainment.
19:25Like what you're showing are people's
19:28worst nightmares or people's worst
19:30moments. And and you're just showing
19:32that like for people to watch before
19:34they go to bed. What does that say about
19:36like our culture where we're the last
19:39thing we're watching before we go to
19:41sleep are like crimes
19:43>> horrendous horrendous things
19:46>> I can get more on board with like crime
19:48documentaries like I've helped victims
19:51share their movies like I've done movies
19:53with Lifetime where victims share their
19:55stories not only with the victim's
19:57consent but like they want to be
19:59involved and like they want their story
20:01to be shared like I feel like that's
20:04different I I think when you have victim
20:07survivor involvement,
20:09that's so much more meaningful.
20:12>> Yeah.
20:12>> Y
20:13>> So, you said that you hitchhiked to
20:16California.
20:17>> Well, we rode the Greyhound bus to
20:18California and we hitchhiked back.
20:20>> So, what was hitchhiking like?
20:23>> Well, that was my idea to hitchhike back
20:27and I just thought you're in someone
20:28else's car. You know, what was going on
20:30with us was not normal. like people were
20:33going to notice something was wrong and
20:35I just thought, you know, if I can put
20:36myself in close proximity to people,
20:40like someone's going to figure something
20:43out. There were people that definitely
20:44like thought something was off, thought
20:46something was weird. Like I feel like I
20:48remember during the trial
20:50um someone testifying being like oh like
20:54I picked her up and after we dropped him
20:56off like I went to the police station to
20:58like look for like a missing person or
21:01something but they just couldn't
21:02connect. How many hitchhikers did you go
21:04with?
21:05>> Oh, a lot.
21:06>> Really?
21:06>> Yeah. I was surprised at how many people
21:09were willing to like stop and pick us
21:11up. Some people who picked us up that
21:14like here's your yellow brick road. I
21:17know. This is in This is so pretty.
21:20This is incredible.
21:21>> They're beautiful.
21:22>> I love those colors.
21:23>> Yes.
21:24>> And then when you went downtown to Salt
21:25Lake, you were at parties and stuff at
21:27people's houses.
21:27>> I mean, just one just one party.
21:29>> I mean, it was not just like a bunch of
21:32teenage kids. I mean, it was like a
21:33party I'd never been to, you know? It
21:35was like I'm pretty sure there was like
21:38drugs going around and like all sorts of
21:41things going on.
21:42>> Was bride David Mitchell participating
21:45in the drugs? Oh yeah.
21:47>> And then like did anyone talk to you at
21:49the party?
21:49>> One or two people kind of tried but I
21:52mean Brian Mitchell or Wanda Barcy
21:54chased him off pretty fast.
21:56>> Did she like going to the parties?
21:58>> I mean I don't think she really liked it
22:00cuz I think it just like put made her
22:02feel like more responsibility was put on
22:04her because like he was there like
22:07getting drunk. He was like smoking weed.
22:11Yeah. I just put more like
22:12responsibility on her to like make sure
22:16nobody got near me.
22:18>> Were you ever like try to annoy him and
22:19be like, "Yeah, if you're so into Jesus
22:21and God and stuff, why are you doing all
22:23the drugs?" Oh, he had a whole line of
22:25reasoning for that.
22:27>> God just needs to show us that like
22:29we're nothing. This is his way of like
22:32humbling us. But I just want to have a
22:34peek up here
22:36>> cuz I know at one point we kind of
22:37turned off
22:41I think this is actually Yeah,
22:43>> this is the right place.
22:45>> Yeah, I'm not 100% sure, but you can see
22:48like this green thing tied on here.
22:50>> You remember that from before?
22:51>> No, but I have a sneaking suspicion like
22:54maybe like the police or the FBI marked
22:56it as part of the trail. I could be
22:58wrong. It could be nothing.
23:00>> So, this was the one of those landmarks
23:01for you essentially when coming up the
23:03trail.
23:03>> Like you can see right there, someone's
23:04had a fire there. Yep.
23:06>> Yeah.
23:06>> That's been there since your 20 years.
23:09Yeah,
23:09>> dad's been there since 20 years.
23:11>> Yeah, we are mostly out of the ditch
23:13now. So, that's good news. We'll come to
23:15a bigger group of trees where like you
23:17can see the remnants of like an old
23:19>> stove that's like rusted through and
23:22someone's like taking a BB gun to.
23:24>> Okay. Yeah.
23:25>> Um and then after that, we'll get up to
23:28the the spring.
23:29>> And so, would you say is this the
23:32quarter the way left or halfway mark?
23:35>> Probably half. Yeah. Okay. I always like
23:37expected like I didn't actually realize
23:41how far away we were, how difficult like
23:44the hike to get to where we were was
23:46because the night I was taken I was like
23:47so hyped full of adrenaline
23:50>> that like distance just did not like
23:53measure in my brain.
23:54>> Yeah.
23:55>> When he was taking you did you would did
23:56it feel a lot longer to get there or a
23:58lot shorter?
23:59>> It felt a lot shorter. I mean like I
24:01remember like I was taken in the dark
24:04and like we crossed like the top of the
24:06these mountains as the sun was coming
24:08up.
24:08>> Wow.
24:09>> Like I knew it was like a couple hours
24:11but again like time just it just didn't
24:13compute.
24:14>> When you were captive, did you ever hear
24:16a helicopter?
24:16>> Yes. I mean it was like close enough
24:18that like the trees and the tent was
24:20shaking but like he had like pulled me
24:22inside the tent. So I mean it's not like
24:26they would have seen me or anything. Was
24:28that the lower camp or would that
24:29>> was the upper camp? Yeah. During the
24:32trial or after the trial, like one of
24:34the FBI agents was like, "Yeah, do you
24:36want to come with us when we go like
24:38tear it down?" And I was like, "Yeah,
24:40I'll come with you." He's like, "You
24:41want to hold a chainsaw?" And I was
24:42like, "Yeah, I'll do it." But then I
24:45don't know if it ever happened or not.
24:47>> Old soda can.
24:49>> I definitely was not drinking soda,
24:52[laughter]
24:52>> so it's not mine. Did he ever set up
24:55like strings with bells on it or
24:58anything to warn him that people are
25:00around camp?
25:02>> No, but I don't know that he'd really
25:04need to. I mean, we're not exactly being
25:07quiet ourselves coming through here.
25:10>> Oh, sure. With the leaves.
25:12>> This is all familiar. Is
25:14>> this the stinging metal field?
25:16>> Nope. So, when you actually did do this
25:18hike, were you yay excited cuz you were
25:21able to get out of camp or did you dread
25:23it?
25:24>> No. Every time like leaving camp, I was
25:26like, "Ooh, maybe we'll see someone."
25:29>> Did you ever
25:30>> Oh, here's a stove right here.
25:31>> Oh, yeah. Here we go. I knew it was
25:33close to that field. I was like looking
25:36for it and we walked right by it.
25:38>> Are these the old
25:39>> Are those your old water bottles?
25:40>> No, those are not mine. Looks like peas
25:42in that one.
25:43>> Okay. So from this point, how far?
25:46>> I mean, we've gone 2.3 miles. So,
25:48>> okay,
25:49>> maybe mileish,
25:52give or take.
25:53>> So, did you ever see anyone when you
25:54were down Salt Lake even from a
25:56distance?
25:57>> Um, I saw one girl that I went to school
26:00with from a distance.
26:02>> No way.
26:03>> Yeah. And we weren't like friends
26:06really, but I certainly knew her.
26:09>> No way. Mhm.
26:11>> So, this would have been you coming out
26:14of 8th grade to freshman, right?
26:16>> Yep.
26:17>> Well, the summer between the two.
26:19>> Yep.
26:19>> Wow. Was that Was that person at East
26:23High when you came home?
26:25>> They were.
26:26>> Did you ever say anything?
26:28>> No.
26:28>> Was it weird going back to school after
26:31you got home? Everyone else had a year
26:33of high school on me. So, I don't know
26:36that weird's like the right word, but
26:38also I was like so excited to go back to
26:41school cuz I thought that had been taken
26:43from me.
26:45>> Yeah. Didn't they want to hold you back
26:47a year?
26:48>> Yeah. Did your parents be like, "Hell
26:50no."
26:51>> I mean, they like, "What do you want to
26:53do, Elizabeth?" And I was like, "But I'm
26:55not going backwards.
26:56>> I'm going to go with my friends."
26:58>> Yeah. And then they're like, "Okay,
26:59well, you need to make up like a
27:02geography credit,
27:04like a PE credit." And I was like, "Are
27:06you kidding me?"
27:07>> A PE credit.
27:08>> I've been hiking for geography. I've
27:11been living in it.
27:12>> Yeah. There were a few credits I had to
27:14like take over the summer.
27:17>> So, any water source?
27:18>> Yep. Right here.
27:19>> You can see the stream is running right
27:21now.
27:22>> This is not where it comes out of the
27:23ground, but yeah, this is the the
27:25stream.
27:26>> Okay. Okay. So, this is how you would
27:27drink from this.
27:28>> Oh, this is mint.
27:29>> Yeah. You smell that?
27:30>> I mean, higher up. Yeah, I can. Smells
27:32nice. I think
27:33>> Let's check it out if that's that's the
27:35way.
27:36>> I mean, again, that's not a long time,
27:38but
27:40>> you going to be able to do that. You
27:41want me to hold you?
27:42>> I got it.
27:43>> Did you ever get sick from that water?
27:45>> No.
27:46>> So, it was fresh.
27:47>> Yeah. I mean, like where we got it from
27:49came right up from the earth.
27:51>> Interesting. Cool.
27:52>> Yeah.
27:53>> What is that?
27:54>> What? It's where an animal was killed.
27:56>> Yeah, something got
27:57>> I mean, don't drink the water now.
28:00>> Looks like a stomach or an organ,
28:02something.
28:02>> Ew. Okay,
28:03>> let's see.
28:04>> Ew.
28:04>> I bet someone actually hunted back here.
28:06>> Okay, we're here. Don't kill us.
28:08>> No.
28:09>> Oh, I think we're making plenty of
28:10noise.
28:11>> Yeah. So, this was a deer. It's all been
28:13Oh, no. It's right there.
28:16>> Disgusting.
28:18>> Sick. I don't want to see it. Let's go.
28:20At least the mint covered the smell of
28:21the rotting carcass.
28:23>> Yeah.
28:25But I mean, you know what I mean? Like
28:27it's not a walk in the park. No.
28:30>> Which I feel like some people just like
28:33didn't understand just like how
28:35difficult it is to get back here.
28:37>> To all those people that think, "Oh
28:40yeah, why don't you just run home?
28:42This is not easy."
28:43>> I mean, like there is no running this
28:45>> there. There's no running this.
28:47>> He would have caught me.
28:49>> Totally. If not, you've seen what it
28:50looks like. Yes, without a doubt.
28:54We're getting closer to the spring
28:56anyway.
28:57>> The water source.
28:58>> Yeah, I know. It's a It's a hike, isn't
29:01it?
29:01>> It's a hike. It's a hike. Holy cow.
29:06>> Oh, wait. Did the river stop? I
29:08>> feel like it
29:10when we caught it. I feel like it came
29:12out like right down here. Oh,
29:14>> that's wild. There must be a couple
29:16other springs. I mean, let's just see if
29:18that little That's okay.
29:20>> I mean, I would have thought it was
29:22right here, but maybe it is right down
29:25there.
29:25>> The spring?
29:26>> Yeah, cuz I can see it wet just down
29:28there. Just a little bit like we just
29:30passed it just barely.
29:32>> Did you have to dig into the ground to
29:34get it?
29:34>> No.
29:35>> So, just
29:36>> like it just came out, I think.
29:38>> Yeah, I can see it right here.
29:39>> Yeah, I might try to walk up this way.
29:43>> So, how far is that water source from
29:45your place? Like it was still a pretty
29:47good distance. Like maybe like we're
29:49definitely getting closer. Maybe it was
29:50only 3/4 of a mile. This is stinging
29:53nettle by the way.
29:54>> Okay.
29:55>> Like this. This.
29:57>> Okay. So pay attention.
29:58>> Just keep your arms up.
30:01>> Like pretty soon we should be coming up
30:04to like an even more open field that is
30:09like at least when I was up here it was
30:11like legitimately all stingy nettle.
30:19Oh, we can you all right?
30:24>> What were some things you would do while
30:26you were, you know, at camp or whatever
30:28during this whole 9 months that would
30:30give you like comfort?
30:32>> Do you ever see that movie Ever After
30:33with Drew Barrymore?
30:35>> Yeah. So, there's a part in it when the
30:40stepmother, she's like, "We mustn't ever
30:43feel sorry for ourselves because no
30:45matter how bad things get, they can
30:47always get worse." Mhm.
30:50>> And that stuck in my mind. And so, I
30:53just remember like being like, "Okay,
30:56this is pretty bad, but it could be
30:58worse."
31:00[laughter]
31:02>> Oh, all the fashion in New York.
31:06>> [laughter]
31:07>> This is the style they're wearing.
31:08>> This is what's in right now.
31:09>> This is what they're wearing. It's
31:10>> so hot right now.
31:11>> This fall.
31:12>> Oh my gosh.
31:14>> When were you able to leave camp for the
31:15first time after you were captured?
31:17>> I mean, he did not let me come down for
31:19water. Would have been like 2 or 3
31:21weeks. Did let you come down eventually
31:23by yourself?
31:23>> No, never by myself. No.
31:26>> I I think we're coming up to the big
31:28field.
31:30>> It's like funny cuz like sometimes I'm
31:32like, "Oo, is that a remnant of the
31:34trail? Is that a deer trail?
31:36>> Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure.
31:38>> Am I just like looking for the way of
31:40least resistance?
31:43We can go up and around this tree and I
31:45think then it's like the big field.
31:47>> It is a big field. You remember
31:52feel the burn?
31:54>> Oh yeah.
31:54>> I mean there's a stinking nettle. Look
31:56at that.
31:56>> Yeah.
31:58>> Look. That's like even new growth.
32:00Honestly,
32:01>> how did you guys bait? Uh,
32:05we mostly didn't.
32:07We're gonna like be going
32:10left here pretty quick.
32:15>> Ken, tell us how you're feeling. I'm
32:16>> so itchy.
32:17>> I Me, too. I'm like, I just want to take
32:19my pants off, but [laughter] then I'm
32:21like, I had no way I'm going through
32:23that with no pants on.
32:24>> We're essentially right now
32:26>> like we're we're getting like a lot
32:28closer. I mean like it's like up and
32:31then over. I mean this is like pretty
32:34steep, too. So
32:35>> like So how many miles on your on your
32:36watch?
32:37>> We've gone 3.12. [snorts]
32:39>> Got it.
32:39>> Wow.
32:40>> Must have been just like 3.2 miles
32:42maybe.
32:42>> Yeah.
32:43>> I don't know. We must be almost there.
32:44Feel like this is the right spot.
32:46>> Yeah.
32:47>> But again, it might be a minute before
32:49we
32:50>> come across it.
32:51>> Yeah. In my mind, I thought this was a
32:55trail. Like it's treacherous, but it's
32:58like a trail.
32:59Not just
33:01>> bushwacking.
33:02>> Bushes.
33:04This is steep.
33:05>> Yeah.
33:06>> Like you can't tell, but it's like
33:09>> very steep.
33:09>> Very steep. How many degrees, Andrew,
33:11would you say?
33:14>> What?
33:15>> Okay. At least 45°
33:17slant. If you tripped and you rolled
33:19down, there would be no stopping. Like,
33:21I did not think it would be that.
33:24>> I know. That is why nobody found me.
33:27>> Yeah, I understand why. It is three
33:30miles from your house, but
33:33three vertical miles. And you had to
33:35carry water up this.
33:36>> Yeah.
33:37>> How many jugs?
33:38>> Two.
33:39>> Two jugs at a time.
33:42I just can't believe she did this.
33:45>> And then in this heat, the summer heat
33:47and then dehydrated and starving. Like,
33:50are you kidding me?
33:53I'm proud of you.
33:56Are you sure you're going the right way?
33:57>> Yes.
34:00She has phone reception here, too. Hey,
34:02Libs.
34:04>> Well, I found it.
34:06>> Oh, you lost. We thought we lost you
34:08again.
34:09>> This is the place.
34:10>> Wow. All right, we're still cruising up
34:14this hill. I see you on Find My Friend.
34:18We're heading your direction.
34:20>> I see you're 0.1 You're one mile away.
34:22So, you're
34:24>> you are
34:26>> okay. I see
34:27>> you can hear me.
34:29>> No, just on the phone, but I know I'm
34:31close by.
34:33>> Oh, no. I can hear your voice.
34:35>> Oh, really?
34:38>> Yeah. Here. I'm going to hang up and
34:40you'll hear me.
34:41>> Okay.
34:45>> Yeah.
34:46Oh, sweet. Okay.
34:49Where are you at?
34:50>> I'm here. I think you're below me.
34:53>> I think I am, too. But that's all right.
34:57>> You know where you're going?
34:58>> Yeah, I see her. See the white sweater
35:01right above us? That's her.
35:04>> Yeah, that's This is it.
35:17>> Wow.
35:18>> And it is 3 and 1/2 miles. Three and a
35:21half
35:21>> from the car to here.
35:23>> Wow. That's impressive.
35:26>> Oh my gosh. It's miserable, isn't it?
35:29>> Yeah. That was insanity. Misery. Okay,
35:32so actually like right here, like right
35:35here, this would have been like from
35:37this tree like all the way back here.
35:39This is where like the dugout was. And I
35:41mean like I was looking you can see like
35:45the FBI or whoever came back here
35:47destroy it. like they just like you can
35:48see some of the cut logs right down here
35:52and they were I mean they were just like
35:54laid up against this and then I was
35:56looking and I saw some black tarp right
35:58there and I think that was so it was
36:00logs that black tarp that's kind of in
36:03those leaves there and then dirt was
36:05thrown up on top of it and that's what
36:07all this was and he had like a whole
36:09plan of like digging this area out and
36:13uh eventually like staying here year
36:15round. Thank goodness that didn't
36:17happen.
36:18>> Oh my gosh,
36:19>> I would have died. And then
36:23>> right here,
36:25this is where the tent would have been
36:27set up. Like this like kind of was the
36:32in line with this tree right here was
36:34kind of like the back of the tent to
36:37like
36:40like the tent would have ended and then
36:43like right about here there would have
36:45been like some tarps on the ground and
36:47then there kind of would have been a low
36:48hanging tarp across here that you know
36:51protected from the sun or if a
36:52helicopter was flying overhead you know
36:54they wouldn't see people here.
36:56>> Wow. this big tree that you can see
36:59falling down right here. It It wasn't
37:02fallen when I [snorts] was here. It was
37:03standing and like my chain like what I
37:06was chained between was that tree right
37:09there and then this big tree that's
37:11fallen down.
37:13>> So it was like almost like a I don't
37:15want to call it a pulley. So they had
37:17one little line that went from right
37:18here
37:19>> to this big tree falling that fell down.
37:21>> Yeah. And then they had like a lock
37:23>> Uhhuh. that they put around around it.
37:27>> And then I was I had a like my chain was
37:30like looped onto the lock so I could
37:32slide it.
37:33>> When you were tied
37:34>> to those trees,
37:36>> you could only go this you couldn't
37:38could you even get into the dugout?
37:39>> No. No. He kept like that's where he
37:42kept like the bolt cutters like they
37:44were not within reach. That's where he
37:46kept like shovels or anything that could
37:50have possibly been used as like a weapon
37:52or a tool to to get away. And then I
37:55could like
37:56>> access the tent.
37:57>> Like I could like come around and like
38:00get in,
38:01>> but like I could not
38:03>> go past
38:04>> like
38:06I couldn't go really.
38:08>> Was there ever for a time
38:09>> much further than like probably right
38:11here.
38:12>> Wow. up here,
38:16right about here, like in this area, we
38:20eventually had like a tiny place to have
38:22like a tiny fire. He never wanted a big
38:24fire cuz he didn't want smoke. He didn't
38:26want people to come see us. And then
38:30behind these trees was where the bucket
38:33was sent up.
38:34>> Yeah.
38:35>> To go to the bathroom. And then he had
38:38like a hole that he dug over there that
38:40he emptied it into. Not that everyone
38:43wants to know that, [laughter]
38:45>> but
38:45>> has to go somewhere.
38:47>> I mean, yeah, this is this is it. The
38:49night I was kidnapped, we would have
38:51entered in from like right about there.
38:53>> Yeah.
38:54>> Like came in right about there and then
38:56coming down right like this
39:03and it would have been like
39:06right here. But yeah, I just would have
39:08walked straight in. The tarp area would
39:10be right there. The tent was right
39:11behind it and then the dugout was right
39:13behind that. Wanda would have been like
39:15right like right where my bag is pretty
39:18much or right in like just left of my
39:21bag there on the ground. But yeah, this
39:24was it. It's brutal.
39:26>> What are your thoughts like being back?
39:28>> I guess like to me it just kind of makes
39:31me think like
39:33this isn't that far from my home.
39:35[clears throat] You know, this was three
39:36and a half miles. How many other stories
39:38or how many other people are really not
39:41that far from being found or not that
39:44far from civilization but never are
39:46found? But like this was so hard to get
39:49to. Like this is so well hidden. How
39:51would anyone ever find this right here?
39:53And I mean like it was a fight. It was a
39:55fight to get here. Like like I'm so
39:58itchy and pokey right now
40:00like from all like the burrs and
40:02stickers. And I feel like my pants don't
40:04even look half as bad as yours.
40:07So yeah, I mean it's, you know, it's a
40:11fight to get back here. This is not a
40:13pleasure hike.
40:15>> In your book, you mentioned there was
40:17like a cup of water. Was that at this
40:19camp here?
40:20>> Uh-huh.
40:20>> And so that was in the Was that in the
40:22first couple days or was that the first
40:24night?
40:25>> It wasn't the first night. I want to say
40:26it was within the first like it was in
40:29within the first two weeks cuz he did
40:31not want to leave here. He didn't want
40:33to like leave footprints or like have
40:35anyone be able to like trace him back up
40:38here. It was definitely here. So, it was
40:39within the first like 2 months of being
40:42here.
40:43>> Incredible. Incredible story.
40:45>> I swear there was something your mom
40:47told you when you got back that really
40:49helped you.
40:50>> She just said, you know, they've taken
40:51so much of your life. Don't let them
40:53take anymore. like be happy, like do the
40:56things you want to do. I agree with
40:58that. I mean, I don't necessarily think
41:00like something bad happens. It's just as
41:02easy as like walking away from it. I
41:04think emotions are a lot more
41:06complicated than that and pain is a lot
41:09more complicated than just like, you
41:11know, making a decision. But also, I
41:13think a decision is like that first step
41:14where you're like, I am going to reclaim
41:16my life. I remember actually shortly
41:19after I was rescued [music] thinking,
41:21"Wow, if I died tomorrow, what would
41:24people have to say about me at my
41:26funeral? I bet 90% of it would be about
41:29my abduction." And that is not what I
41:32want my funeral to be about. I hope
41:34people say like I was a good friend, I
41:36was funny, or whatever, but not just she
41:40survived a kidnapping.
41:41>> I'm going to find the things that bring
41:43me joy. I'm not going to let this ruin
41:45the rest of my life. And part of me just
41:48kind of feels like living, like
41:51experiencing life is the best medicine
41:54or the best healing. Like I think if you
41:56sit in a room and and dwell on the past,
41:59dwell on like the terrible things of
42:01life, I think it gets harder to live
42:03that way. But I mean, if you're like,
42:05you know what, I want to go run a
42:07marathon. Like that's how like you want
42:10to go bodybuild, like go bodybuild. You
42:12want to go travel the world, go travel
42:13the world. Like you want to get your
42:14degree, go get your degree. you want to
42:16like like [music] start doing things
42:17like you want to find someone and fall
42:19in love and get married like you do that
42:21and like do you have hiccups along the
42:23way? Absolutely. But like you work
42:25through them [music] and you keep going.
42:27I hope people really do realize that
42:30they are special, [music] that they are
42:32unique. They have something wonderful to
42:34offer the world that nobody else does.
42:36[music] I hope they recognize that
42:38circumstance or other people cannot take
42:42away their value. Um, it doesn't matter
42:45what's happened [music] to them, that
42:46doesn't lessen their worth in any way.
42:49And I hope that they recognize that yes,
42:52this terrible thing has happened. It's
42:54[music] very easy to feel defined by
42:56that, but ultimately, you get to decide
42:59who you are, and [music] you get to
43:00decide if you like the person who you
43:02are, or if you're proud of the person
43:04who you are by the [music] decisions
43:06that you make going forward. You get to
43:07decide who you are.

About this transcript

This page contains the full transcript of Touring Elizabeth Smart's Kidnap Site (FULL HIKE) by Elizabeth Smart, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 8,265 words across 1,304 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

What you can do with it

Use the transcript to take notes, quote the speaker, build a study guide, generate a summary with ChatGPT or Claude via the YouTube Summary tool, or export it as a timed subtitle file with YouTube to SRT. You can also re-open it in the transcriber to translate the transcript into 100+ languages.

Free YouTube transcript tool

YouTube2Text is a free YouTube transcript generator — no signup, no daily limit. Paste any YouTube link and get the full transcript instantly, with timestamps, click-to-jump, translation to 100+ languages, AI prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and exports to TXT, SRT, VTT, or Markdown.