Did South Carolina Governor Disappear for Nude Hiking Trip?

The blog world (primarily) has been buzzing over the bizarre "disappearance" of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. According to numerous reports, Sanford separated himself from his security detail and family and was last detected in Atlanta on Thursday, June 18. Late yesterday, however, Sanford's office indicated that during his absence, Stanford has been hiking on the Appalachian Trail, but that he would soon return to his duties as governor.

Prior to yesterday's announcement, the news concerning Sanford was sketchy, ominous and undeniably strange. An article in The State, a South Carolina newspaper, contains a summary of the details:

Sanford’s last known location was near Atlanta late last week. A mobile telephone tower there picked up a signal from his phone, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Since then, the governor’s state and personal phones had been turned off, and Sanford had not responded to phone or text messages, a source said. Most mobile phones cannot be tracked if they are turned off.

First lady Jenny Sanford said Monday her husband has been gone for several days over Father’s Day weekend and she did not know where.

She said she was not concerned.

“He was writing something and wanted some space to get away from the kids,” Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press while vacationing with the couple’s four sons at their Sullivan’s Island beach house.

Now that Sanford's office has confirmed that he is hiking in the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, numerous reports are emerging which indicate that a portion of Sanford's hiking trip coincided with "Naked Hiking Day," an annual event that celebrates the Summer Solstice. It is unclear whether Sanford ran full monty through the woods, but media outlets are salivating over the possibility.

The Huffington Post has identified another potentially strange twist to Sanford's disappearance. Earlier this year, Sanford became famous (or infamous) for denouncing and refusing to accept stimulus funds allocated for South Carolina. The state legislature, however, ultimately overruled his decision. Apparently, the Appalachian Trial (along with facilities at many other national parks) will benefit from improvements made with (you guessed it) stimulus money.

See also:

Major Update in Missing Governor Case: Sanford Says He Was in Argentina -- Not Hiking on Appalachian Trail

New Twist in South Carolina Governor Drama: Sources Claim Feds Found Sanford Boarding a Plane in Atlanta -- Not Hiking in the Appalachian Trail

PS: To "regular" readers -- I normally do not write stories of this nature, but the bizarre circumstances surrounding Sanford's disappearance made his case an exceptional one.