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

[cybervampira]

Search scaled back for Guelph, Ont. man missing in California park | CBC News

"You know, we certainly wish that we had more positive news. It's hard to be involved in an event like this for five, six days and not be successful," said George Land, the public information officer for the park. "It means a tremendous weight on a family. Although I don't know them, I can only imagine what they're going through."

"The level of operations we've had for the last five days is unsustainable," said Land.

 

[Hatfield]

For anyone baffled by how you can get lost in JTNP,

......snipped for focus......

it is vast and open..........

I never knew the true meaning of the word "VAST" until I went deer hunting in a certain national forest. It was the first time that I finally appreciated and understood how really remote and VAST some areas can be.

Definition of Vast:

of very great extent or quantity; immense.
"a vast plain of buffalo grass"
synonyms: huge, extensive, expansive, broad, wide, sweeping, boundless, immeasurable, limitless, infinite; More

 

[MelmothTheLost]

It may depend on what his wife means by “hiking boots.”

Oh yes. I've never hiked in the desert (though I did once ride a camel through Wadi Rum), but looking at that rocky terrain on Google maps I'd want the best ankle support available and a good vibram rubber sole.

 

[Dushi]

Oh yes. I've never hiked in the desert (though I did once ride a camel through Wadi Rum), but looking at that rocky terrain on Google maps I'd want the best ankle support available and a good vibram rubber sole.

WOW!!

 

[PaulR]

It may depend on what his wife means by “hiking boots.”

And depending on the Camelbak, he might only have had 1.5 liters of water. He would need at least 4x that for that trip IMO.

It seems he went on that vacation with the idea he would do that exact hike. He told a friend so, IIRC.

Agreed on the boots, there are things called "trail shoes" that are almost a cross between a sneaker and a hiking shoe. I've worn them on the trail and at work, they kind of fit in both places.

CamelBak makes a 6L version - which would have to be huge, one of the Amazon reviews said it weighed 13 pounds!

 

[MelmothTheLost]

WOW!!

We camped overnight within sight of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom (per Lawrence of Arabia).

Later we hired Arabian horses from the local Bedouin and rode up onto the mountainside above Petra to watch the sunset and the shadows lengthening over the city ruins.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Agreed on the boots, there are things called "trail shoes" that are almost a cross between a sneaker and a hiking shoe. I've worn them on the trail and at work, they kind of fit in both places.

I've taken a look at "trail shoes" online and I have to say I wouldn't risk them, but that may be my experience of the UK coming out. Here, ankle injuries are probably the single most common reason people come to grief in the hills. I'd be looking at something like this:

Mens Quest Prime GTX Boot

 

[DaisyChains]

I’m sorry if this is insensitive, but these snowbirds need to learn when they come here to the high desert that you do not hike in July and August. It is far too hot and also the likelihood of monsoons bringing floods through washes is higher as it is monsoon season right now.

Please be safer.

It really puts our community members at risk when we have to form SAR teams in this weather.

The good thing is it has been a bit cooler the past few days here. Cooler being not over 95. The weather is unpredictable though... it could heat up in no time to our average of 100+

 

[SeesSeas]

Search scaled back for Guelph, Ont. man missing in California park | CBC News

Search scaled back for Guelph, Ont. man missing in California park | CBC News
Posted: Jul 18, 2018 2:57 PM ET
[...]
"That's been one of the things that's been really difficult as well. There hasn't been any track evidence of Mr. Miller. There was no scent detection that came in from canine units," he said, adding there were no reports of contact from other hikers in the area that morning. "We did have at least one person that was in during the same time and came out and said they didn't see anybody else on the trail on the way in or out."
[...]

 

[whatsnext]

Search scaled back for Guelph, Ont. man missing in California park | CBC News
Posted: Jul 18, 2018 2:57 PM ET
[...]
"That's been one of the things that's been really difficult as well. There hasn't been any track evidence of Mr. Miller. There was no scent detection that came in from canine units," he said, adding there were no reports of contact from other hikers in the area that morning. "We did have at least one person that was in during the same time and came out and said they didn't see anybody else on the trail on the way in or out."
[...]

Thank you, that could prove to be very important....I was wondering about this all the time. ( if someone actually SAW him there)

 

[Cryptic]

Would it be common to start this hike without a map?

Without any kind of map?- probably not. Basic maps can be downloaded off the internet and are available at the ranger stations.

Does JTNP offer trail maps somewhere near the park entrance?

Yes, maps are readily available at ranger stations.

But.... these maps are very basic and of little use if one wanders off the trail, or gets confused about what is actually the trail and instead follows an animal trail or an unofficial trail made by previous hikers. Since desert areas receive little rain, trails made by animals or humans can last for decades.

I personally would not hike JTNP with out the USGS topographic map(s) and a good compass. Sadly, with a few moderate hiking exceptions such as myself, only the more serious hikers bother to order the maps / learn how to use them and a compass.

 

[SeesSeas]

not a difficult trail
rained before he disappeared
“Still no sign, not even so much as a footprint so it’s somewhat of a mystery,” Joshua Tree Park spokesman George Land said.
Several updates at this link:
Search enters the 6th day for hiker missing in Joshua Tree National Park - Coachella Valley
[...]
Rain that hit the park before the disappearance may make a difference in his ultimate survival. “It does give us a little more hope,” Joshua Tree spokesman George Land said. “Obviously, every day that passes it becomes more urgent to find this gentleman.”

The trail is accessible from the southern end of Canyon Road, which intersects with Highway 62 about four miles west of 29-Palms. It’s a three-mile round trip with a 300-foot elevation gain and takes about two to three hours for hikers to complete, according to the National Parks Service.

“It’s not a real difficult trail. You go in and come out the same way,” Land said. “However, it is a little bit of a rigorous trail.”
[...]

Paul Miller’s car, found by officials on Friday

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

But the trail he allegedly was taking was very well marked and traveled IMO. Not saying he could not have gotten offtrail but if so, it was not by accident IMO.

 

[PaulR]

I've noticed Google Maps have many hiking trails on them, and they can be downloaded so you can use them without cell service. They aren't topographic nor as good as a dedicated GPS with trail maps but can work in a pinch if you a little lost.

 

[PaulR]

not a difficult trail
rained before he disappeared
“Still no sign, not even so much as a footprint so it’s somewhat of a mystery,” Joshua Tree Park spokesman George Land said.
Several updates at this link:
Search enters the 6th day for hiker missing in Joshua Tree National Park - Coachella Valley
[...]
Rain that hit the park before the disappearance may make a difference in his ultimate survival.

Enough rain to let boots make impressions in the mud?

It must be notable that they aren't finding prints or scents, as this point has been mentioned a few times. Certainly the other hiker would have remembered seeing someone if the trail was very empty that morning.

 

[SeesSeas]

But the trail he allegedly was taking was very well marked and traveled IMO. Not saying he could not have gotten offtrail but if so, it was not by accident IMO.

49 Palms Oasis Trail Hiking Trail, Twentynine Palms, California
Since no trails intersect with this one, the only option at the end of the trail is to return to your car by working your way back along the trail. [...]

 

[carbuff]

Something about this case is very disturbing.

 

[MaryG12]

For anyone baffled by how you can get lost in JTNP, I am guessing you have never been to there. It *is* odd that there was no sign of him on the expected trail - but in the desert the trails are not nearly as obvious as they are in other parks in the US (there are no blazes on the rocks). I have spent a lot of time in the park (although never on this trail) and it is vast and open and everything looks the same once you are away from a road. It is completely believable to me that he has not been found. I think the wife was probably against the idea of him hiking and therefore quick to call in a search when he didn't return.

Wow - thank you for explaining the desert "trail" part, the vast and open area. Now that I think about it, there are some trails like that on the outskirts of Tucson, AZ where I used to live.

So, while on the topic of Tucson, AZ, where trails in the Catalina mountains were closed off during the hot summer months, does JTNP close off any trails deemed to be too risky during the hot summer months?

I am reminded of that case where two couples from Germany went hiking through Death Valley back in 1996, right around this time - on July 23, and went missing.

I know I have mentioned this before - both DH and I are seasoned hikers. Not only is it important to be well equipped, but to know your physical limitations, which means asking yourself, "Can my body handle this?" Even in Florida we won't do heavy mileage hiking (that's fine during the winter season down here).

Hopefully this guy will be found and soon.

 

[Inthedetails]

Something about this case is very disturbing.

I agree.

The fact that other hikers didn't see him and there is no sign of him on the trail....well, was he on the trail? That's now my main question.

jmo

 

[Ontario Mom]

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

Although I would suggest it's an appropriate assumption. I really know nothing about this man or his familiarity with the region but I do know that folks in this part of Ontario (I'm not that far from Guelph) have literally no idea what the heat is like in the desert of CA. While it DOES get very hot here often in the summer, it's a very wet, humid heat and thankfully only lasts for a few days at a time, for the most part. Very very different from the dry heat of the desert. I used to live there (Palm Springs), so that's the only reason I know the difference and how deceptive the different type of heat can be.

Here, when it's 85f, it can often feel like 100+ due to the humidity. There, in the arrid heat of the desert it can be 120f and you'd never in a million years guess it was that hot, because there's little humidity with it. Very, very deceptive for those not familiar with it.