Found Deceased CA - Paul Miller, 51, Canadian missing in Joshua Tree National Park, San Bernardino Co., 13 Jul 2018

[MelmothTheLost]

Wondering if he really is in that Park. I mean, six dog units and not a single trace?! I am assuming that also means that the dogs couldn't find his scent...were there witnesses who actually SAW him on that trail?

A good point and one to be kept in mind. Things aren't always what they seem.

 

[PaulR]

As a matter of interest, is it normal practice in the US for hikers to leave a note on the dashboard of their vehicle with details of the time they set off, where they were going and their ETR? This is standard practice in the UK if you're hiking in upland or other possibly hazardous terrain. In national parks here the rangers and other park staff will routinely check on parked vehicles, especially towards the end of the day or in poor weather, to see if any walkers are overdue.

I can't say how it works for all parks (since some are run by the Feds, some by the state, some by counties, etc.) but the state parks around here have a kind of guestbook where you fill in your name, destination, time in and time out. I remember one park where you could fill out a form with this information and put it in a dropbox in case you were concerned about security. It's encouraged to tell friends/family where you are going and when you'll be back so they can contact the ranger station.

 

[Inthedetails]

JMO
There doesnt seem to be much information about the couple which makes it difficult.

The timeline is what bothers me the most. Seems like he wanted to take a very short hike for a few hours. Not the kind of place to take a small leisurely hike IMO.

"Paul Miller, 51, was last seen by his wife at around 9 a.m. Friday when he left to hike to 49 Palms Oasis, park spokesman George Land said.

Miller's wife notified park rangers around noon that he was overdue and a search started at 12:30 p.m., Land said"

Search underway for hiker missing in Joshua Tree National Park

It is frustrating how little we know...but we know they are from Canada. I've been making big assumptions that a visitor to the area from the north would have, perhaps, an underappreciation for the heat. I admit, though, that is an assumption on my part.

jmo

 

[RickshawFan]

You bring up some compelling things that could make this a typical "lost in desert" scenario.

If he did get a heart attack or other health issue like heat stroke then he probably would have looked for some sort of shelter to get out of the sun and that makes it difficult for anyone to find him. If not much shelter then he may have climbed behind a boulder or something.

Im trying to figure out at normal hiking speed would the timeline make sense. Usually trails have length posted at the trailhead so people can guage how long it will take them.

I believe upthread someone provided average speeds for a trail. 2 mph for someone somewhat fit. 1.5 mph for average. This varies substantially in different conditions, e.g. a lot of elevation gain, high altitude, heat, etc.

With that said, so much also depends on equipment, e.g. wearing appropriate hiking boots (that trail would be foolish without), carrying water, snacks, etc.

 

[PaulR]

What did he take with him?

View attachment 139098 not very much

If accurate, a Camelbak should have provided him with water, they are typically 1.5L-3L (liter is roughly a quart), and the packs themselves have space for the ten essentials assuming it wasn't one of the tiny packs that can hold just a reservoir and maybe a few other things.

 

[Dushi]

He lives in Southern Ontario, Guelph.
We can have extreme heat in the summer.
We have just gone through a period of heat and humidity that saw temperatures with the humidex around 100 to 105f.
I do not understand why anyone would want to hike in that kind of extreme heat.
I haven't read anything to suggest he was an avid hiker

 

[RickshawFan]

If he reached the oasis and was in trouble the most sensible thing would be to stay there, where there was shade and water, and wait for rescue which shouldn't have been more than a few hours away if his partner did what she was supposed to do.

As a matter of interest, is it normal practice in the US for hikers to leave a note on the dashboard of their vehicle with details of the time they set off, where they were going and their ETR? This is standard practice in the UK if you're hiking in upland or other possibly hazardous terrain. In national parks here the rangers and other park staff will routinely check on parked vehicles, especially towards the end of the day or in poor weather, to see if any walkers are overdue.

This is a good practice. The US has so much wilderness, and so many trailheads far into the back country, that it would be impossible for rangers to scan parking lots. The best practice here is to tell someone where you are going and what time to expect you back.

Many wilderness areas have trail registers, oftentimes because in a designated wilderness you aren’t allowed to take groups of more than 10-12 in a cluster. You are required in those areas to have a gigantic tag on your pack, a copy of which goes into a box at the trailhead. A ranger can check the box.

National Parks have different methods, depending..... I have been at a National Park where everyone was ordered out of the backcountry because of blizzards. A helicopter kept track of us, counting every so often (we could actually see them in the helicopter from below pointing and counting). So yes, a National Park might very well keep tabs on folks. But keeping track of dayhikers at a National Park where there maybe millions of visitors, no.....

 

[RickshawFan]

I just have a weird feeling about this- I'm not certain he ever WENT hiking.

That’s what I think. This whole thing seems strange, and the story might not be just the hije, but a larger plotline.

 

[RickshawFan]

What did he take with him?

View attachment 139098 not very much

That poster is helpful. At least he had some water. At least he seems to have been wearing hiking boots.

Camelbaks (or similar) come in many sizes, so that detail isn’t much help.

 

[RickshawFan]

There had to be a reason the hiker’s wife called so quickly after he was due. I’m thinking he went in there with a “situation” that made her respond quickly . Perhaps he was despondent, diabetic, alcoholic, cognitively impaired....

 

[PaulR]

He lives in Southern Ontario, Guelph.
We can have extreme heat in the summer.
We have just gone through a period of heat and humidity that saw temperatures with the humidex around 100 to 105f.
I do not understand why anyone would want to hike in that kind of extreme heat.
I haven't read anything to suggest he was an avid hiker

That'd be peak heat of the day. He allegedly went hiking at 9am. My weather app says it was about 86 degrees at 9am, 93 degrees at noon when he was scheduled to return. Humidity should have been low. If all this is true, he was trying to do an early hike to "beat the heat" which is pretty common. We had a "heat wave" in Seattle and I was trying to do my walks early in the day.

 

[carbuff]

There's a 29 Palms and a 49 Palms oasis? And 49 Palms oasis is in the Town of 29 Palms? Ay yay yay.... It's going to be hard keeping that straight in my brain, not to mention this forum.

So we're not talking Oasis of Mara (aka 29 palms), it sounds like. We're talking that backcountry hike, not a nature trail at all.

Wow. From the profile graphic on the quoted post, the elevation gain is 200 feet back out of the canyon and then another 200, after 200 plus 200 on the way in. That's a lotta climbing, especially that heat. Then there's all that downhill, likely with rubble-y stuff underfoot: recipe for a skid and injury. He'd better have been wearing hiking boots....


Now that I've sorted out we're talking 49 Palms, here are a bunch more photos:

Fortynine Palms Oasis in Joshua Tree National Park

Woah, this link has the coolest graphic. Run your mouse over the profile and it shows the corresponding trail point on the contour map.

But wait a sec..... This profile is different from the link quoted above, because it only shows one uphill and downhill in either direction, and not 2.

Another note from these photos in my link... that trail is trouble: scree under foot, lots of side trails, blank spots created by runoff, boulders and rocks underfoot. So easy to get lost or hurt.

Well, now I see where I got confused.

But I'm still confused. The description LE mentions of a short out and back trail doesn't fit the Fortynine Palms Oasis. It fits the Oasis of Mara/Twentynine Palms.

I've been assuming that it was the shorter trail partly because the reported timeframe wasn't long enough to hike the longer trail unless he's a very fast and fit hiker.

LE hasn't mentioned anything about him not being adequately equipped or being in over his head, or having medical issues. I've never seen a missing hiker case anywhere where that wouldn't have been mentioned if it was relevant.

 

[Dushi]

Can't find much on line about him.
I read that the mayor of Guelph put out a plea for his safe return.
Paul and his wife are members of Lakeside Church in Guelph and according to the mayor's remarks, have children here in Canada

 

[Dushi]

That'd be peak heat of the day. He allegedly went hiking at 9am. My weather app says it was about 86 degrees at 9am, 93 degrees at noon when he was scheduled to return. Humidity should have been low. If all this is true, he was trying to do an early hike to "beat the heat" which is pretty common. We had a "heat wave" in Seattle and I was trying to do my walks early in the day.

Yes, I understand that those temps would be later in the day.
I was posting the info for the poster who was unsure about summer temperatures in Southern Ontario

 

[Inthedetails]

Well, now I see where I got confused.

But I'm still confused. The description LE mentions of a short out and back trail doesn't fit the Fortynine Palms Oasis. It fits the Oasis of Mara/Twentynine Palms.

I've been assuming that it was the shorter trail partly because the reported timeframe wasn't long enough to hike the longer trail unless he's a very fast and fit hiker.

LE hasn't mentioned anything about him not being adequately equipped or being in over his head, or having medical issues. I've never seen a missing hiker case anywhere where that wouldn't have been mentioned if it was relevant.

Yes, I'm assuming he was on that shorter trail, which would seem do-able for a morning hike.

I haven't heard mention of specific health issues either - I'm just going by age, weight, height, and photo which are printed on the poster linked above. Don't anyone shoot me - he's an average guy and not "old" (he's in my age range, and I'm not old!) or "fat," but not exactly super athletic is what I'm getting at. It's possible he had a health issue on the trail that he obviously didn't expect.

Just thinking aloud, mulling what little info we do have. Opinion subject to change as we learn more.

jmo

 

[Bravo]

Yes, I understand that those temps would be later in the day.
I was posting the info for the poster who was unsure about summer temperatures in Southern Ontario

Yep I can verify your weather report LOL It was extreme. Us Canucks are climatized to extreme. I sure hope he was and found soon.

 

[Inthedetails]

Yep I can verify your weather report LOL It was extreme. Us Canucks are climatized to extreme. I sure hope he was and found soon.

I'll drop the point after this....I understand Canada can have hot temps in the summer. But the temps on this trail are so extreme that even the rescue crew can't be out in them. That's not just a heat wave during summer...it's brutal.

Okay, I've said enough about my speculations that this particular hiker possibly underestimated the conditions.

Now, let's find this guy!

jmo

 

[Cryptic]

In national parks here the rangers and other park staff will routinely check on parked vehicles, especially towards the end of the day or in poor weather, to see if any walkers are overdue.

Paul summed it up well. The U.S. is not only a large country, but our parks are maintained by many different jurisdictions.

I have never seen notices on windshields, but guest books are somewhat common. But…. the need to sign in by guest books is usually laxly enforced. In other parks, however, the Rangers will ask you to do it.

So yes, a National Park might very well keep tabs on folks. But keeping track of dayhikers at a National Park where there maybe millions of visitors, no.....

You are right, I think it varies by the park.

Some parks have a combination. For example, Yellowstone makes no effort to track the thousands of daily visitors in the popular areas, but I think they require permits to hike the more remote or dangerous areas.

I have been in others with few visitors where a Ranger asked me to sign a guestbook that was more focused on how many were in in my family and where I lived than what I intended to do in the Park. I was then on my own regarding whether to stay in the easy part, or hike remote areas.

 

[PaulR]

Well, now I see where I got confused.

But I'm still confused. The description LE mentions of a short out and back trail doesn't fit the Fortynine Palms Oasis. It fits the Oasis of Mara/Twentynine Palms.

If it's that trail - I'm looking at the NPS site, and it's a paved trail, like a sidewalk. I suppose it is possible to get lost, or hurt, but that seems so incredibly unlikely, and I'm not sure I'd even consider it a trail. Fortynine Palms Oasis is listed as three miles roundtrip, 350 feet elevation change, which would be considered a "short hike". https://dayhikesneardenver.com/hikes-by-difficulty/ classifies any hike under 5 miles roundtrip and under 500' in elevation change as "easy." Beginner Hikes - Hiking in Portland, Oregon and Washington has very similar standards. I think it has to be Fortynine Palms Oasis.

 

[RickshawFan]

Well, now I see where I got confused.

But I'm still confused. The description LE mentions of a short out and back trail doesn't fit the Fortynine Palms Oasis. It fits the Oasis of Mara/Twentynine Palms.

I've been assuming that it was the shorter trail partly because the reported timeframe wasn't long enough to hike the longer trail unless he's a very fast and fit hiker.

LE hasn't mentioned anything about him not being adequately equipped or being in over his head, or having medical issues. I've never seen a missing hiker case anywhere where that wouldn't have been mentioned if it was relevant.

I like this site for info and photos.

Fortynine Palms Oasis in Joshua Tree National Park

The 49 Palms Oasis trail is evidently 3 miles round trip. That would be described as “short”. The trail is also probably classified as “moderate”, but there are all sorts of ways to have an accident, judging from the photos.

2 hours would have been plenty for this trip for someone who gets regular exercise.