On March 31, 2009, Mike Rust returns to his sanctuary nestled on 80 acres of wild land in the San Luis Valley. He finds trespassing tire tracks, binoculars out of place and his gun missing. Suddenly, two shadows buzz along the horizon. Mike sets off alone across the desert in hot pursuit. It is the last thing this 56 year-old hall of fame mountain biker will do.
Evidence, including a blood-stained gun and vest, suggests that Mike caught the perpetrators and met a ghastly end, but with no body or definitive answers, his disappearance leaves countless unanswered questions.
Two years ago, Nathan Ward and Sam Bricker set out to make The Rider and the Wolf, a docu-narrative about Mike’s contribution to cycling and the effect that 5 years of fruitless searching has had on his tight-knit family. These budding filmmakers emerged from the editing room to chat with us.
Why tell this story for your first signature project?
NW: There was only a blip of news around the time he vanished. Mike shaped mountain biking and made Salida what it is today, but he chose a different path so he’s not a household name. Mike’s story deserves to be told. Just because you move to the middle of nowhere and live simply, your life is not worth any less.
What makes this story unique?
SB: It’s a real-life western with outlaws, cowboys, reward posters. Mike’s plight is the reality of life in the West where lawlessness rules. It brings up larger, timely issues like family breakdowns, the missing person epidemic and self-protection.
Describe an eerie filmmaking experience.
SB: Mike’s family continues the maddening search, but it’s pretty rogue. One day, Mike’s brother called. An informant had phoned with specific directions that would supposedly lead to Mike’s bones. Marty wanted to go down with a posse, but didn’t know if it was set-up. That was our queue to come armed… that body hunt was pretty nerve-wracking.
NW: With help from Mike’s family, info from his last phone call and the police report, we re-created the day of Mike’s death. We shot the scene in the same place it happened, in real time, four years to the day and hour of Mike’s disappearance. Actor Curtis Imrie played Mike and his brothers played the perpetrators. It’s as accurate as a reenactment gets. At the end, he’s lying on the ground in the dark in the exact spot investigators identified as the place that Mike was probably knocked out or killed. That was eerie.
As fathers and husbands, how has this affected you?
SB: Making a film about unsolved mystery in our own backyard has put us on edge. I sleep with a gun by my bed and am much more aware. We’ve also been constantly grappling with questions like: How deep do we get in? At what point are we being reckless?’
What is your hope for the film?
NW: The film doesn’t point fingers or try to solve the mystery. Rather it celebrates the life of an unknown, but influential cyclist and examines how his disappearance has affected those who loved him. Most people with missing family don’t get another chance. This is their last chance and we want to help them get some resolution.
The Rust family is still offering a $25,000 reward for information regarding Mike’s disappearance. Submit tips: Missing Mike Rust
See the trailer: The Rider and the Wolf Movie
Learn more: Grit and Thistle Film Company
