CA - Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung, daughter, 1 & dog, suspicious death hiking area, Aug 2021 #6

[neesaki]

I recall the case of extreme runner Michael Popov, he was famous for the length of trails he'd run with no pack, a little water, etc. But then, on a whim he decided to cross Death Valley in summer (only a 6 mile run), and he died of heat stroke.

So maybe the couple were quite tough and fast, and conditioned to drinking before and after, rather than during the hike, etc. Perhaps they kept pushing boundaries of what they could do, and this particular hike defeated them.

JMO

But how can a one y/o baby be tough ? And anyone with dogs know how vulnerable they are to heat. They have to pant to cool off.
I will never, ever, ever understand this. Well, only if..... But no, I shouldn’t say where my mind is going.

 

[Marysmith]

I think that makes sense. If they had done a hike that finished with a long, steep climb in hot weather, they would have learned not to do that.

It does make sense. And just a few degrees of heat difference too makes more of an impact than maybe realized.
And maybe they forgot some more water and didn’t realize for a bit and decided to just go on.
We’ll never know but wow - how brutal.

 

[Marysmith]

I think that makes sense. If they had done a hike that finished with a long, steep climb in hot weather, they would have learned not to do that.

It does make sense. And just a few degrees of heat difference too makes more of an impact than maybe realized.
And maybe they forgot some more water and didn’t realize for a bit and decided to just go on.
We’ll never know but wow - how brutal.

 

[SophieRose]

"On Saturday night, August 14th, Jonathan used an app on his phone to plot out the route of travel for the Hites Cove hike. We know while using the app, he only entered “way points” or point to point mapping, although this does not calculate the exact trail mileage or elevation changes." -Sheriff Briese
That lays to rest any questions about the route- JG planned the loop, he followed his plan to the bitter end.

As I recall, the Sheriff took a question about the keys and said they were found on the trail between JG and EC.

I thought he said in the dirt near the family, not a specific location.

 

[neesaki]

I'm actually shocked how far they got in those conditions, lack of water, and dressed the way they were.... I'm surprised heat exhaustion/stroke didn't set in within 3 miles or so.

When do you think the poor baby and dog succumbed, compared to JG and EC ? I’m sure it was sometime earlier. This is so sickening to think about, almost like a horror movie. I Think I need a break.

 

[rahod1]

This is what makes me think they only planned a short hike, maybe just to try out the new baby carrier.

BMM
OK....
How short? Heat is rising starting off in steep terrain with infant/dog along and 3L water .... no water bowl... no hats, how short should this have been? I say an 30min total down and back MAX. MOO> Should haven't taken any hike at all with infant and dog given conditions.

 

[jonjon747]

LE tracked their footprints from the first days of the investigation

We all know that.
But were there any other more footprints found after day 1?

 

[SophieRose]

You’re welcome. I think my comment actually underestimated what would be needed. Specially if they were tracked around the loop, I think that they’d need more time to get that far.

This whole situation has reminded me of my childhood, in a climate similar to this in rural California, when, 50 years ago, my mother always insisted that we take several gallons of water with us when we drove into town. We weren’t planning to do any hiking, but what if the car broke down, she said.

I always carry a case of water in my car trunk in case my car breaks down and I'm stranded. Never happened but better safe than sorry. Don't have much experience with extreme cold but heat scares me.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

So very sad . I hope that something good can come from this for future uneducated hikers.

Same. I can't believe that with all the publicity the Kreycik case got, esp in CA, that people were not more aware of the dangers of exertion when there was an extreme heat advisory, not to mention an air quality alert due to smoke. That SL trail is the stuff of nightmares from a helicopter, I do not want to think about the steep climb up with the sun beating down and heat radiating up from the trail. Hopefully this will cause some to think twice.

 

[IceIce9]

BMM
OK....
How short? Heat is rising starting off in steep terrain with infant/dog along and 3L water .... no water bowl... no hats, how short should this have been? I say an 30min total down and back MAX. MOO> Should haven't taken any hike at all with infant and dog given conditions.

Maybe an hour maximum given the early morning start in relatively cool temperatures. 30 minutes out and 30 minutes back. Even at that they should have taken a dog bowl and more water.

jmo

 

[jonjon747]

I know to many this still doesn't make sense. Philip Kreycik's similar fate never made sense to me either. I just now got back from a hike this evening in the nearest state park. I saw a warning sign at the trailhead about the signs of heat related problems. It's probably been there for a year or more, but I just now read it.
ETA. I accept that the findings are correct in both cases, but I'm nonetheless baffled by what they did.

In case you missed, Philip Kreycik's case had a GPS data to prove hyperthermia as the cause, unless there's something more to the story unanswered.

 

[Yvettea]

I thought he said in the dirt near the family, not a specific location.

I could be wrong about the keys being on the trail. I don’t know the time on the video where it was mentioned.

 

[IceIce9]

Same. I can't believe that with all the publicity the Kreycik case got, esp in CA, that people were not more aware of the dangers of exertion when there was an extreme heat advisory, not to mention an air quality alert due to smoke. That SL trail is the stuff of nightmares from a helicopter, I do not want to think about the steep climb up with the sun beating down and heat radiating up from the trail. Hopefully this will cause some to think twice.

My dad and I once hiked a trail years ago where a sign was posted at the trailhead that stated 8 people had died on that trail. Yet neither of us gave it a thought. Had we died on that trail I am sure people would have wondered why we attempted it, what we were thinking, etc.

 

[ItalyReader]

The part that makes me actually very angry is lack of dog water bowl and lack of sufficient water in general.

I lived in San Francisco for 10 years until 2017. I know it well. I was surrounded by, and also a part of, the tech world, the yoga world, the outdoorsy world. During a decade in San Francisco of building a life for myself, I observed that it is a city heavily oriented towards the individual, not the community. Of course there are exceptions - I’m speaking generally. (Berkeley folks, I know, I know.)

The huge, often inflated salaries in SF even for very young people. The cutting edge of technology at mind numbing prices. The slick and ever changing restaurant scene so integral to social life in SF (hardly anyone has a dinner party at home - I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I was invited to a dinner party in someone’s home). Stunningly beautiful places like Lake Tahoe or Yosemite within easy reach.

All this contributed to a feeling that San Francisco was on top of the world, the best and smartest people from all over the world were there, creating amazing things, living their individual best lives. Why live anywhere else than Northern California, where possibilities never end?

I understand much of the San Francisco mentality, because I lived it. And this is also a major reason that I left San Francisco - this heavy emphasis on the loftiness of the individual and a lack of sense of community.

In SF, you can have it all.

And so, sadly, I can easily see how a high level achievement in life, a sense of living on top of the world, can lead to a sense of immortality and subsequent poor decision making.

In the classic Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus, the father-son team builds beautiful wings to attach to man, feathers stuck together by wax. The miracle of human flight! Daedalus warns his son Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, else the wax and hence wings will melt. “Do not fly close to the sun!” Icarus ignores the warning, delighting in his new power of flight, and of course, perishes.

Many people say they will never understand the “why” in the GC case. Sadly I understand the why all too well. And on behalf of the 2 dependent lives involved without any say in the matter (baby and dog) I’m fairly angry about that “why”.

 

[rahod1]

Same. I can't believe that with all the publicity the Kreycik case got, esp in CA, that people were not more aware of the dangers of exertion when there was an extreme heat advisory, not to mention an air quality alert due to smoke. That SL trail is the stuff of nightmares from a helicopter, I do not want to think about the steep climb up with the sun beating down and heat radiating up from the trail. Hopefully this will cause some to think twice.

The Sheriff stated that he had never seen a case of HS/death in the area in the 20 years he had been there. What does that tell you about this case? The aerial view of SL trail shown today was absolutely frightening. I can't imagine this family traversing that steep barren landscape in the raging heat. I guess they felt they had no choice at that point.

 

[RickshawFan]

It does make sense. And just a few degrees of heat difference too makes more of an impact than maybe realized.
And maybe they forgot some more water and didn’t realize for a bit and decided to just go on.
We’ll never know but wow - how brutal.

The problem is, this was way more than a few degrees of heat too much and there was a GALLON too little water. And they weren't dressed appropriately.
Planning and experience are everything when you're going hiking for the day IMO. There's no forgetting a life-and-death item(s) and keeping going when you realize you didn't bring it. They would have run out of water in an hour. That is not something you can ignore. You turn around in 45 minutes when you realize how much you're going through and hope you can make it back to the car.
Side thought: I wonder if they had water in the car as a matter of habit?

 

[jonjon747]

"On Saturday night, August 14th, Jonathan used an app on his phone to plot out the route of travel for the Hites Cove hike. We know while using the app, he only entered “way points” or point to point mapping, although this does not calculate the exact trail mileage or elevation changes." -Sheriff Briese
That lays to rest any questions about the route- JG planned the loop, he followed his plan to the bitter end.

There's no app anywhere in the mobile world that has SLT listed.
And which app did JG use? many assume Alltrails so anyone can easily check it out themselves.

 

[Bekind89]

The problem is 3 liters of water in those conditions wouldn't have been enough even for an hour's walk.
I'm almost crying at the errors here... No water, no hats, no sleeves, no dog bowl...

Yes, I was just shocked, especially about the dog bowl. Heartbreaking and so avoidable. Jmo

 

[neesaki]

The part that makes me actually very angry is lack of dog water bowl and lack of sufficient water in general.

How do intelligent people make these decisions?

I lived in San Francisco for 10 years until 2017. I know it well. I was surrounded by, and also a part of, the tech world, the yoga world, the outdoorsy world. During a decade in San Francisco of building a life for myself, I observed that it is a city heavily oriented towards the individual, not the community. Of course there are exceptions - I’m speaking generally. (Berkeley folks, I know, I know.)

The huge, often inflated salaries in SF even for very young people. The cutting edge of technology at mind numbing prices. The slick and ever changing restaurant scene so integral to social life in SF (hardly anyone has a dinner party at home - I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I was invited to a dinner party in someone’s home). Stunningly beautiful places like Lake Tahoe or Yosemite within easy reach.

All this contributed to a feeling that San Francisco was on top of the world, the best and smartest people from all over the world were there, creating amazing things, living their individual best lives. Why live anywhere else than Northern California, where possibilities never end?

I understand much of the San Francisco mentality, because I lived it. And this is also a major reason that I left San Francisco - this heavy emphasis on the loftiness of the individual and a lack of sense of community.

In SF, you can have it all.

And so, sadly, I can easily see how a high level achievement in life, a sense of living on top of the world, can lead to a sense of immortality and subsequent poor decision making.

In the classic Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus, the father-son team builds beautiful wings to attach to man, feathers stuck together by wax. The miracle of human flight! Daedalus warns his son Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, else the wax and hence wings will melt. “Do not fly close to the sun!” Icarus ignores the warning, delighting in his new power of flight, and of course, perishes.

Many people say they will never understand the “why” in the GC case. Sadly I understand the why all too well. And on behalf of the 2 dependent lives involved without any say in the matter (baby and dog) I’m fairly angry about that “why”.

Thank you for saying it. The poor baby and the poor dog are the real victims in this tragedy. They had no say. Yes, I am angry too.

in·vin·ci·bil·i·ty
/inˌvinsəˈbilədē/

noun

1. the quality of being too powerful to be defeated or overcome.
   "he gave off an aura of invincibility"

 

[Marysmith]

The problem is, this was way more than a few degrees of heat too much and there was a GALLON too little water. And they weren't dressed appropriately.
Planning and experience are everything when you're going hiking for the day IMO. There's no forgetting a life-and-death item(s) and keeping going when you realize you didn't bring it. They would have run out of water in an hour. That is not something you can ignore. You turn around in 45 minutes when you realize how much you're going through and hope you can make it back to the car.
Side thought: I wonder if they had water in the car as a matter of habit?

I hear you.