Greece American tourist a retired cop, 59, not returned from a solo hike, Amorgos Island, 11 June 24

[GTB72]

Thank you for asking because I got them mixed up, thinking American #1 was the one who left the lights on and door open.

Fair enough.

 

[otto]

Just to be a fly in the ointment. Why did the media say it was a 4 hour hike. According to Google Maps it is 5h 15mins.

There are a couple of different trails that might shorten the hike. Zoom in to see other trails.

OpenTopoMap - Topographische Karten aus OpenStreetMap

direkt zur Karte...

opentopomap.org

Scroll around to see 3D trail
Google Earth

 

[otto]

What we know from the recent death of the British man on one of the Greek Islands is that one of the things that can go wrong is taking a wrong turn on the trail - even when someone knows the right turn. That can leave the missing person a long distance from where they are expected to be.

 

[Snoopster]

There are a couple of different trails that might shorten the hike. Zoom in to see other trails.

OpenTopoMap - Topographische Karten aus OpenStreetMap

direkt zur Karte...

opentopomap.org

Scroll around to see 3D trail
Google Earth

I agree.
I presumed Albert was taking this trail, which is stated as being 4 hours and 9 minutes. (image from AllTrails):


It ends in Chora though, so I'm not sure what his plan was from there. Was he meeting a friend for lunch in Chora or was he planning on taking transportation over to Katapola port? Or was he planning to continue to hike down from Chora to Katapola? (that would add over an hour more to his hike.)

Regardless, it seems that he never made it to Chora. Or at least no one remembers seeing him there.

Here is an image of the monastery that the trail goes by in Chora, for context.

 

[GTB72]

There are a couple of different trails that might shorten the hike. Zoom in to see other trails.

OpenTopoMap - Topographische Karten aus OpenStreetMap

direkt zur Karte...

opentopomap.org

Scroll around to see 3D trail
Google Earth

Thanks for that. I hadn't looked to closely into things re routes but I accept there may well be alternative routes.

 

[GTB72]

What we know from the recent death of the British man on one of the Greek Islands is that one of the things that can go wrong is taking a wrong turn on the trail - even when someone knows the right turn. That can leave the missing person a long distance from where they are expected to be.

Sounds a wee bit like the late Donald Rumsfeld there.

 

[otto]

Did he vanish somewhere along the trail here?

google earth

topography map

google map

 

[Snoopster]

Did he vanish somewhere along the trail here?

google earth

topography map

google map

There's definitely a steep fall-off along that section. And, no shade.

 

[Snoopster]

Just to be a fly in the ointment. Why did the media say it was a 4 hour hike. According to Google Maps it is 5h 15mins.

BTW, you aren't incorrect. I think it IS 5 hours to Katapola. The route I posted would also be at least 5 hours, but I think it is the more likely hiking trail (i.e. not along roads). But I certainly don't know for sure what route he took other than he was seen at that particular rest stop, high up in the mountains along the trail.

 

[GTB72]

BTW, you aren't incorrect. I think it IS 5 hours to Katapola. The route I posted would also be at least 5 hours, but I think it is the more likely hiking trail (i.e. not along roads). But I certainly don't know for sure what route he took other than he was seen at that particular rest stop, high up in the mountains along the trail.

I can't argue with any of that but the early media reports suggested a four hour walk.

 

[otto]

There's definitely a steep fall-off along that section. And, no shade.

I was just looking at that. There are a couple of places where, if someone ventured for a better view, and slipped ... possibly in the water.

 

[Snoopster]

I can't argue with any of that but the early media reports suggested a four hour walk.

I agree.
I wonder if the media just heard about the official trail from the 'trail head' as I believe it said 4 hours on the sign. I'm not sure about that, but it could be as simple as that.
He headed out on a 4-hour trail. That's not to say that the trail he took would have taken someone to his final destination.
Just spit ballin' here.

ETA: typo

 

[Snoopster]

I was just looking at that. There are a couple of places where, if someone ventured for a better view, and slipped ... possibly in the water.

Freaking scary looking! Thanks for the images.
Although I believe the actual trail is solid, and is classified as easy-moderate (although many hikers have said it should definitely not be classified as 'easy'), it wouldn't take much of a mis-step (such as passing out or getting a bit delirious) to go off the path. I can see him trying to get a better photo...and...

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The body of the 74-year-old Dutch tourist was found by a Fire Service drone lying face down in a ravine about 300 meters (330 yards) from the spot where he was last observed Sunday, walking with some difficulty in the blistering heat.

On Friday, two French tourists were reported missing on Sikinos, a relatively secluded Cyclades island in the Aegean Sea, with less than 400 permanent residents.

The two women, aged 73 and 64, had left their respective hotels to meet.

A 70-year-old American tourist was reported missing Thursday on the small island of Mathraki in Greece's northwest extremity by his host, a Greek-American friend. The tourist had last been seen Tuesday at a cafe in the company of two female tourists who have since left the island.

Mathraki, population 100, is a 3.9-square-kilometer (1.2-square-mile) heavily wooded island, west of the better-known island of Corfu. Strong winds had prevented police and the fire service from reaching the island to search for the missing person as of Saturday afternoon, media reported.

On the island of Amorgos, authorities were still searching for a 59-year-old tourist reported missing since Tuesday, when he had gone on a solo hike in very hot conditions.

U.S. media identified the missing tourist as retired Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Albert Calibet of Hermosa Beach, California.

Amorgos, the easternmost of the Cyclades islands, is a rocky 122-square-kilometer (47-square-mile) island of less than 2,000 inhabitants. A couple of years ago the island had a record number of visitors, over 100,000.

Dutch visitor dies on Greek island, 4 foreign missing

In the past few days, several tourists in the Greek islands have died or gone missing

www.voanews.com

 

[otto]

This looks like the trail
topo map

 

[GTB72]

I agree.
I wonder if the media just heard about the official trail from the 'trail head' as I believe it said 4 hours on the sign. I'm not sure about that, but it could be as simple as that.
He headed out on a 4-hour trail. That's not to say that the trail took would have taken someone to his

Freaking scary looking! Thanks for the images.
Although I believe the actual trail is solid, and is classified as easy-moderate (although many hikers have said it should definitely not be classified as 'easy'), it wouldn't take much of a mis-step (such as passing out or getting a bit delirious) to go off the path. I can see him trying to get a better photo...and...

BTW, you aren't incorrect. I think it IS 5 hours to Katapola. The route I posted would also be at least 5 hours, but I think it is the more likely hiking trail (i.e. not along roads). But I certainly don't know for sure what route he took other than he was seen at that particular rest stop, high up in the mountains along the trail.

Further to your remarks here, according to the media he had arranged to meet his friend at 1pm. That would tend to tie in with a 5 hour walk.

 

[whitelilac]

I agree.
I presumed Albert was taking this trail, which is stated as being 4 hours and 9 minutes. (image from AllTrails):

View attachment 510631
It ends in Chora though, so I'm not sure what his plan was from there. Was he meeting a friend for lunch in Chora or was he planning on taking transportation over to Katapola port? Or was he planning to continue to hike down from Chora to Katapola? (that would add over an hour more to his hike.)

Regardless, it seems that he never made it to Chora. Or at least no one remembers seeing him there.

Here is an image of the monastery that the trail goes by in Chora, for context.

View attachment 510633

I remember reading here that he was going to meet a friend in Chora. Friend apparently called him several times when he didn't show up, and I believe iirc he called Albert's girlfriend.

 

[Snoopster]

Further to your remarks here, according to the media he had arranged to meet his friend at 1pm. That would tend to tie in with a 5 hour walk.

That would make sense if he headed out at 7am. But he chatted with his sister after 7, for 16 minutes, or something like that, and didn't send the trailhead photo until after 9am. I wonder if he felt rushed due to his obligation and that, added to the intense heat, caused a fatal problem.

ETA: This sounds like something I would do! (Except that I don't live in a dangerous environment....but I could still see myself doing this.)

 

[Snoopster]

I remember reading here that he was going to meet a friend in Chora. Friend apparently called him several times when he didn't show up, and I believe iirc he called Albert's girlfriend.

Thanks for that. I remember something about meeting a friend, and it would definitely make more sense if they were to meet in Chora.

 

[otto]

If everything we know so far is correct, he must be in this area. Next we should look at water and wind currents - on an Island, bodies sometimes move towards the deep ocean.

Google Earth