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

[whirrledpeas]

What is the primary source stating it was 107 degrees on the mountain that day? I can't find that in any weather records.

In the zip code the trail is in, both of these trusted sites say the temperature didn't go higher than mid-80s that day. It could be much cooler than 107 in the mountains. It would've been in the low 70s when they started hiking.

I pulled the data from WU using the link you provided but the date that popped up was off. I plugged in 8/15 and it looks like the temperature peaked around 4pm at 102F. Fresno, CA Weather History | Weather Underground

 

[Catmommy]

What stands out to me is that this family appeared to be golden with everything anyone would want out of life. Whatever the cause of death, this is a tragic loss to all who knew and love them.

 

[flower_girl]

I pulled the data from WU using the link you provided but the date that popped up was off. I plugged in 8/15 and it looks like the temperature peaked around 4pm at 102F. Fresno, CA Weather History | Weather Underground

Thank you!! The date kept changing on me for some reason.

Not trying to split hairs but I feel like it is important here - that link shows from the FRESNO YOSEMITE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT STATION which is 2 hours and 100 miles away from where they were hiking, plus they were in the mountains where it's usually cooler. Not arguing with you, just think it is important

 

[whirrledpeas]

Thank you!! The date kept changing on me for some reason.

Not trying to split hairs but I feel like it is important here - that link shows from the FRESNO YOSEMITE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT STATION which is 2 hours and 100 miles away from where they were hiking, plus they were in the mountains where it's usually cooler. Not arguing with you, just think it is important

Oh, not at all! I was just using the zip code that you had. Info from a closer weather buoy/station would be ideal for sure.

 

[happyday]

Has time of death been determined yet? This will be a key factor in determining if it was heat stroke or something else. If they were last confirmed alive 6:45 AM (posting a photo) and the Hites Cove Trail is only 6.5 miles, that's a pretty short day hike - closer to 3-4 hours instead of 8-9. It should not have been 100+ degrees at the time they were hiking if they went out at 7 AM.

Additionally, Jonathan and Ellen were burners - they went to Burningman. This leads me to believe they would have an understanding of heat stroke and the importance of safety and hydration in high heat situations.

According to LE they left for the hike in the afternoon, not 7am.

 

[TailSpin]

I'm no expert on the science behind time of death, but it appears to be mostly based on body temperature and high heat would mess with that.

 

[JJ Ray]

I’m not quite following your coordinates (my inability, this is out of my depth). I’d need to see a map to understand. Do you think they did an ‘out and back’ down the switchbacks to Devil’s Gulch and tried to return?

The SFC reporter wrote this about the map and route he made that I previously posted:
Matthias Gafni
@mgafni
·
Aug 20

With the help of the Mariposa sheriff, we were able to create a more accurate map of the suspected hike the family took. And sadly where they were found.
https://twitter.com/mgafni/status/1428907517019516928?s=20

I understand where the truck was parked, and where they were unfortunately found. I’m trying to get a sense of how long the hike took based on the suspected route.

My apologies, had only gone by the article. That looks like a reasonable route, but that has to be a 7 mile loop which would take, in shape, 2.5 to 3 hours. If not, about 4.5 or longer. They had only been out of San Fran for a year, moved to Mariposa in March of 2020. I just wonder with winter and only one summer (2020) to get acclimated, they didn't bite off more than they could chew. Be interesting when toxicology comes back.

 

[McSpy]

How did you manage to survive, were others around to help?

I believe it! I was hit with hypothermia one summer when I was a teen. We were standing in the shade in wet bathing suits after swimming in a cold river for hours. All of a sudden I was shivering out of control and couldn’t talk. My mind was disconnected from my mouth. I couldn’t form words. A smart friend of mine put me in a car in the sun and piled dry towels on top of me. He then laid on top of me to warm me up. It worked! He was the only one out of a dozen other teens who knew what to do. It is possible that he saved my life! I was lucky he was there! Temps matter!

 

[JMapes]

I'm always blown away at the differences you can see when using Google Earth vs Google Maps. Here is the area I believe they all succumbed, based on other maps and information posted here. That's a real hike!

I can also see how many (including early reports) confused the Savage Lundy trail for a similar nearby trail, the Hite Cove Trail due to the fact that the Savage Lundy trail is accessed off of Hites Cove Road and they are both long, winding, backcountry trails. (Hites Cove Rd also turns into 'Hite Cove OHV Route', which is an area designated for off-road vehicles, dirt bikes 4x4s etc. However, this road can only be seen on the USDA Forest Service map and the illustrated map posted by the Chronicle.)

A point of frustration I can't help but bring up every time I see this in a missing hiker case, is the lack of trail maps and markers and how some trails, these ones included, become completely lost on Google Earth and Google Maps. They're not adequately represented on either one, compared to the Forest Service Topo Map, which seems to suggest the Savage Lundy trail can be hiked as a thru-hike as well as a loop (when combined with the Hites Cove OHV route or Hites Mine Rd, which both names are used interchangeably in some places, adding to the frustration of proper navigation). The Google Maps/Earth images do not even denote the Hites Cove OHV route!, and has the Savage Lundy trail terminating just before the river. Neither of those things are true when compared to the USDA topo map.

How are hikers supposed to plan a route and map a trail when the biggest, most comprehensive and commonly used mapping website/app isn't showing a factual representation of the marked trails? Sure, you can wing it, end up wading in toxic algae water and hiking several more miles than you had intended in an unforgiving landscape with no shade, cell service or adequate water to survive, during a time when the trails are CLOSED due to EXTREME fire danger.

Waiting rather impatiently to see if their mobile device data tracked their hiking route.

(My apologies that gEarth uses a lot of resources to run, my laptop is about to take flight. Computers seem to do better with it than mobile devices.) I hope I'm still making sense. I'm just stunned by these mapping discrepancies. MOO.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

My apologies, had only gone by the article. That looks like a reasonable route, but that has to be a 7 mile loop which would take, in shape, 2.5 to 3 hours. If not, about 4.5 or longer. They had only been out of San Fran for a year, moved to Mariposa in March of 2020. I just wonder with winter and only one summer (2020) to get acclimated, they didn't bite off more than they could chew. Be interesting when toxicology comes back.

Would be wild if it was something intentionally placed in camel pack/water they were carrying.

No worries! I’m trying to make sense of the maps and I’m not fully understanding the route they possibly took.

 

[McSpy]

My apologies, had only gone by the article. That looks like a reasonable route, but that has to be a 7 mile loop which would take, in shape, 2.5 to 3 hours. If not, about 4.5 or longer. They had only been out of San Fran for a year, moved to Mariposa in March of 2020. I just wonder with winter and only one summer (2020) to get acclimated, they didn't bite off more than they could chew. Be interesting when toxicology comes back.

Would be wild if it was something intentionally placed in camel pack/water they were carrying.

I’m thinking that they may have not lived in places with extreme heat. They came from San Francisco where there are mild summers. Yet, we don’t know where they grew up. The summer heat in many places in CA can be deadly. Perhaps they underestimated the danger? According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, heatstroke can cause mental confusion. Mental confusion is one of the symptoms of heatstroke.

 

[flower_girl]

Oh, not at all! I was just using the zip code that you had. Info from a closer weather buoy/station would be ideal for sure.

Oh man, I think the zip code and date changes or defaults to something when a link is shared because I entered the zipcode of the trailhead! I will just screenshot next time and save us the confusion

This site shows the weather at Half Dome and other hikes and mountains very close to where they were hiking, might shed additional insight into the conditions: Half Dome Weather Forecast (2695m)

 

[happyday]

I'm always blown away at the differences you can see when using Google Earth vs Google Maps. Here is the area I believe they all succumbed, based on other maps and information posted here. That's a real hike!

I can also see how many (including early reports) confused the Savage Lundy trail for a similar nearby trail, the Hite Cove Trail due to the fact that the Savage Lundy trail is accessed off of Hites Cove Road and they are both long, winding, backcountry trails. (Hites Cove Rd also turns into 'Hite Cove OHV Route', which is an area designated for off-road vehicles, dirt bikes 4x4s etc. However, this road can only be seen on the USDA Forest Service map and the illustrated map posted by the Chronicle.)

A point of frustration I can't help but bring up every time I see this in a missing hiker case, is the lack of trail maps and markers and how some trails, these ones included, become completely lost on Google Earth and Google Maps. They're not adequately represented on either one, compared to the Forest Service Topo Map, which seems to suggest the Savage Lundy trail can be hiked as a thru-hike as well as a loop (when combined with the Hites Cove OHV route or Hites Mine Rd, which both names are used interchangeably in some places, adding to the frustration of proper navigation). The Google Maps/Earth images do not even denote the Hites Cove OHV route!, and has the Savage Lundy trail terminating just before the river. Neither of those things are true when compared to the USDA topo map.

How are hikers supposed to plan a route and map a trail when the biggest, most comprehensive and commonly used mapping website/app isn't showing a factual representation of the marked trails? Sure, you can wing it, end up wading in toxic algae water and hiking several more miles than you had intended in an unforgiving landscape with no shade, cell service or adequate water to survive, during a time when the trails are CLOSED due to EXTREME fire danger.

Waiting rather impatiently to see if their mobile device data tracked their hiking route.

(My apologies that gEarth uses a lot of resources to run, my laptop is about to take flight. Computers seem to do better with it than mobile devices.) I hope I'm still making sense. I'm just stunned by these mapping discrepancies. MOO.

Wow thank you for that. Yes it is a real, EXPOSED hike! Long and if it was hot, there is no relief.

 

[McSpy]

According to the Mayo Clinic this is one of the symptoms of heatstroke. Perhaps their delirium made them forget that they still had water with them?

• “Altered mental state or behavior. Confusion, agitation, slurred speech, irritability, delirium, seizures and coma can all result from heatstroke.”

 

[mickey2942]

Google maps is practically useless off grid, and in rural areas. People who are hiking any place outside of a city, should be looking at actual USGS topo maps.

I don't even rely on "All Trails". Unless you have actually done it, looking at a route on a phone map is not the same as an actual route. I am trying to figure out why they did this particular route...I am not familiar with Yosemite.

Carrying a baby in a pack on a hike is pretty miserable. Especially if it is hot. It is okay, for "destination", hike 15, 20 minutes. But not a long hike.

 

[Tink60]

How did you manage to survive, were others around to help?

I was extremely lucky, very lucky. I had done some climbing and was on the trail back to my car. I don’t remember much because once it hit, it was like an out of body experience. The paralysis. A couple hiking found me . Apparently they called the park rangers who took over and got me to a waiting ambulance. Since then I will not work out if the temperature is over 85F. I don’t push my luck anymore. My point being that no matter how great of shape you are in, it doesn’t matter. It can happen to you and when it does you can be incapacitated quickly.

 

[McSpy]

I'm always blown away at the differences you can see when using Google Earth vs Google Maps. Here is the area I believe they all succumbed, based on other maps and information posted here. That's a real hike!

I can also see how many (including early reports) confused the Savage Lundy trail for a similar nearby trail, the Hite Cove Trail due to the fact that the Savage Lundy trail is accessed off of Hites Cove Road and they are both long, winding, backcountry trails. (Hites Cove Rd also turns into 'Hite Cove OHV Route', which is an area designated for off-road vehicles, dirt bikes 4x4s etc. However, this road can only be seen on the USDA Forest Service map and the illustrated map posted by the Chronicle.)

A point of frustration I can't help but bring up every time I see this in a missing hiker case, is the lack of trail maps and markers and how some trails, these ones included, become completely lost on Google Earth and Google Maps. They're not adequately represented on either one, compared to the Forest Service Topo Map, which seems to suggest the Savage Lundy trail can be hiked as a thru-hike as well as a loop (when combined with the Hites Cove OHV route or Hites Mine Rd, which both names are used interchangeably in some places, adding to the frustration of proper navigation). The Google Maps/Earth images do not even denote the Hites Cove OHV route!, and has the Savage Lundy trail terminating just before the river. Neither of those things are true when compared to the USDA topo map.

How are hikers supposed to plan a route and map a trail when the biggest, most comprehensive and commonly used mapping website/app isn't showing a factual representation of the marked trails? Sure, you can wing it, end up wading in toxic algae water and hiking several more miles than you had intended in an unforgiving landscape with no shade, cell service or adequate water to survive, during a time when the trails are CLOSED due to EXTREME fire danger.

Waiting rather impatiently to see if their mobile device data tracked their hiking route.

(My apologies that gEarth uses a lot of resources to run, my laptop is about to take flight. Computers seem to do better with it than mobile devices.) I hope I'm still making sense. I'm just stunned by these mapping discrepancies. MOO.

 

[McSpy]

I found quite a few trails in the west named Hites Cove and Devils Gulch. We know it is close to their home, but it is still confusing.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Where is their house located?

 

[SophieRose]

Do you know the exact date the fire occurred?

It was the Ferguson Fire and it started in July 2018 and contained in August 2018.

Deadly fire shuts down roads to Yosemite National Park, more than 9,000 acres burned