It has been just over one week since authorities confirmed that the body found in the Mount Baldy wilderness area of California was in fact Julian Sands, the actor who went missing back in January. As it turns out, the hiker was well aware of just what sort of situations he was about to encounter.
Speaking with Radio Times (via Variety) late last year, actor Julian Sands said, “Pals I used to climb with have stopped going to the mountains…partly because they find, with climate change, the rock faces have become much more unstable.” Despite being a devoted outdoorsman with years of experience, the interview does provide some rather foreboding perspectives. “If you don’t really have the desire, the focus for climbing a route, if you’re not absolutely committed, it becomes much more dangerous and it’s a much more deflating experience.”
This partly reflects the previously reported points that Julian Sands would have faced tremendous challenges around and on Mount Baldy, as temperature and wind changes during the winter months pose particularly dangerous scenarios for even the most seasoned hikers and climbers.
Julian Sands, the actor best known for movies ranging from Warlock to A Room with a View to Leaving Las Vegas, also tragically became part of something he had apparently come across too many times on his treks. “I’ve found spooky things on mountains, when you know you’re in a place where many people have lost their lives, whether it be on the Eiger or in the Andes. You may be confronted with human remains and that can be chilling. It’s not necessarily supernatural, it’s possibly all too natural — what I would call hypernatural. You’re in the presence of big nature and big nature is revealing itself in all its power. It can take us over a threshold of hypersensitivity into a realm of natural forces.” Such eerie thoughts and memories are only heightened by the fact that Sands may very well be part of such “hypernatural” moments for prospective hikers.
Actor Julian Sands was first reported missing in mid-January, only to be found by hikers five months later.
As we continue to remember the career and legacy of the late actor, what is your favorite Julian Sands movie or performance? Let us know below.