Apologies for my ignorance but how has it been determined that Jon used the Alltrails app to research the HCTrail when his phone is currently inaccessible? Are you able to track his account without having access to his phone?
Not sure what you mean when you say "if that was my intention". I hike for enjoyment, a big part of that is picking a hike that would be fun at the time. I would enjoy hiking along that river and going for a swim, and I'd be interested in wildflower season. I wouldn't enjoy either of those trails this time of year, they're burned, barren and boring, even before considering the heat. I would take my dog on a cool spring day when wildflowers were blooming and the creeks running. Probably not a baby, even in those conditions, too far, too steep, too much sun, and a one year old would need to get out and play. We did take our dog and our baby on a 5 day backpacking trip in the Emigrant Wilderness, mid 80's. We hiked from lake to lake, swimming and fishing, taking our time. See photo. I'll include a photo from an 8 mile hike with 2000' of elevation gain, with grandma and our dog. That was late May, with the marine layer keeping the climb cool. Oat Hill Mine Trail, Calistoga, beautiful views. Wouldn't do that on a hot day though, wouldn't be fun. I'll throw in a photo of the view from the top, though a November hike. So I have experience similar to what happened in this case, which is why it got my attention and interest.
Thank you for sharing your experiences - that’s exactly why I don’t believe Jon and Ellen would have taken the route that has been suggested. There is no evidence they intended to go on a ‘day hike’ as reported in the media. That was a suggestion made by a ‘friend of Jon’s’ who was also speculating on their intentions based on information he’d been given. He hadn’t been informed that was their intention. Nobody had - otherwise they would have been more concerned when they didn’t return on Sunday.
Fantastic photos
It is an awfully sad story about Philip and I don’t want to diminish the gravity of the tragedy if his death - but he didn’t take his wife snd children on the run with him. That would have been as ridiculous as Jon taking Ellen, Miju and Oski on the SL trail MOO
That level of detail hasn't been made public, all the sheriff said is that tracks consistent with a couple and dog were found going down the Hites Cove Trail, and the initial search party went down that way to look for them. The bodies were found 1.5 miles from their truck, down Savage Lundy, a steep trail. The investigators spent a lot of time processing the scene, I'm sure they looked at tracks and it would be obvious if any kind of vehicle had gone down that trail. I don't see how the family could get there any other way than walking, nor could anyone else have been there without leaving tracks. They had only a small amount of water left, not likely they used it all in 1.5 miles, so most likely they were on the way up. MOO.
@Newsjunkiejen sbm for focus bbm Thx for your post and lightning statistics. I have no theory about what happened but see the 10% fatality figure differently from your initial theory (unbelievable all 4 would die of lightning). Maybe one died of lightning, others of heatstroke??? IDK.
I'm not wedded to the idea that they did the loop hike, that is purely based on the report that their tracks went down the Hites Cove Trail, while their bodies were found on the Savage Lundy Trail. Conceivably, they could have gone a short distance down the HCT for the view, returned to their truck, and then then gone down the SLT. Surely LE knows those details. I think carrying a camelback water bladder and the baby in a carrier is consistent with going on a day hike. How else would they get 1.5 miles down a steep trail? You were right about the initial missing person report coming from the friend, not the nanny or RE agent, with the info you provided I confirmed it in news reports. You said a helicopter found them, but the Chronicle article says "About 1.5 miles down the switchbacks, around 11 a.m. Tuesday, the team found the family in the middle of the trail." That article has been the most detailed source of info I've found, maybe you could read it and correct any errors you see.
Someone found his AllTrails account early on. Several of Jon's hikes were recorded there previously up until June 2021. It's been an assumption (as far as I know) that he used this app but I have not seen this explicitly stated that this is what LE referred to for him researching the trail. He has accounts on some other apps but none show any activity.
The evidence of possible lightning that has been posted is impressive sleuthing. I still discount that possibility, here's my reasoning, obviously just my own opinion. @SpideySense showed good evidence of lightning at some point, 25 miles away, and clouds over the trail at some point that day, also @Blackkettle . Maybe there was lightning on the Savage Lundy trail too. Maybe at the same time and place where the family was. Maybe it was a special kind of lightning that strikes people 100' apart. Though not common, maybe it killed both adults. Maybe it left no marks or signs at the scene or that would show up in an autopsy. In my experience, that's too many maybes, with each maybe it becomes less likely. Compare that with heat stroke. It was unquestionably hot and there was no shade, and it was a steep climb to the truck. The adults and dog were all affected by those conditions, being 100' apart would make zero difference. They had only a small amount of water left, and were still about 1000' below and 1.5 miles from the truck. It does not surprise me that they all died in those conditions. MOO.
Thank you for your kind response. I also checked his alltrails account and have done so over the course of several years. The first time he researched the HC trail was over four years ago and another about a year ago. I just wondered why it was assumed he’d taken that route on that day as I can’t find any evidence of anyone saying that. So why would LE have a ‘hunch’ that they’d hiked there when they were reported missing at 11pm on Monday? Just because they’d bought a property on Hites Cove Road?
