Found Deceased CA - Paul Miller, 51, Canadian missing in Joshua Tree Natl Park, San Bernardino Co., 13 Jul 2018 #2

[rosesfromangels]

He would have died getting there. He wasn’t dressed for the sun exposure. Same with the oasis hike; he could easily have become so burned, he crawled under a rock, desperate for shade.
See upthread about what he was wearing and how inappropriate it was.

Agree! My point being the desire, or attempt to see the Big Horn. I think he was heading in that direction with the hope they were wandering closer to him. I agree with your under a rock idea, or my fell from a rock and is inbeteeen two. Either way, we seem to agree with the speculation he is under/between some boulders.

 

[tarabull]

 

[rosesfromangels]

An amazing video that illustrates why Paul hasn’t been found yet. So many drop offs, ravines, large boulders, etc.

Thank you for posting this!

 

[tarabull]

Rock climber rescued after falling 50 feet in Joshua Tree

Helicopter pulls injured hiker out of park

Yes, there's a partial government shutdown, but a skeleton crew of park rangers are still patrolling Joshua Tree

As Partial Shutdown Drags On, Negative Impact Expected To Increase

 

[KaaBoom]

An amazing video that illustrates why Paul hasn’t been found yet. So many drop offs, ravines, large boulders, etc.

Thank you for posting this!

Yeah, if he fell into a ravine, chances are he will never be found. Searching on foot like that, is probably a waste of time. Using drones might have some chance. I know drone use in parks is prohibited, but if they could get permission, they might be able to find him.

 

[tarabull]

His gear is listed as a CamelBak Hydration Pack & a Nikon D5300 camera??? No bag??? Does that mean his camera was hanging around his neck???

His sister wrote earlier on FB (the post where she thanked Neil for coming forward irrc) that Paul took plenty of snacks, were they in his pockets???

 

[kae27]

His gear is listed as a CamelBak Hydration Pack & a Nikon D5300 camera??? No bag??? Does that mean his camera was hanging around his neck???

His sister wrote earlier on FB (the post where she thanked Neil for coming forward irrc) that Paul took plenty of snacks, were they in his pockets???

CamelBaks come in a variety of sizes, including those that are plenty big to hold snacks.

 

[tarabull]

Joe Erato on Instagram: “Episode 2 is live! You can find links to the episode at the bottom of this post. Make sure to leave feedback in the comments section...…”

[They discuss Paul in Episode 2]

 

[rosesfromangels]

...

 

[crhedBngr]

Dang it, Paul, where the heck are you?? You are badly missed!

 

[RickshawFan]

His gear is listed as a CamelBak Hydration Pack & a Nikon D5300 camera??? No bag??? Does that mean his camera was hanging around his neck???

His sister wrote earlier on FB (the post where she thanked Neil for coming forward irrc) that Paul took plenty of snacks, were they in his pockets???

He must've had really big pockets if he was supposed to be carrying the kind of stuff mentioned.

There's no way he had enough water in that temperature for that hike in a Camelbak. And no Camelbak I'm familiar with would fit "plenty of snacks", especially if he was also carrying the 10 essentials, spare socks, long pants and long-sleeve sun shirts (since he seems to have been foolishly dressed in shorts and a black T-shirt).

I think the classification of this hiker as "experienced" is wildly misapplied, given the extreme mistakes in gear, apparel, headwear, and decision to do the hike in the first place. These are novice mistakes.

If he was wearing a camera around his neck, he could have slipped, got hung up on something, and strangled?

 

[RickshawFan]

CamelBaks come in a variety of sizes, including those that are plenty big to hold snacks.

Not close to enough water in any Camelbak size.

 

[kae27]

Not close to enough water in any Camelbak size.

He must've had really big pockets if he was supposed to be carrying the kind of stuff mentioned.

There's no way he had enough water in that temperature for that hike in a Camelbak. And no Camelbak I'm familiar with would fit "plenty of snacks", especially if he was also carrying the 10 essentials, spare socks, long pants and long-sleeve sun shirts (since he seems to have been foolishly dressed in shorts and a black T-shirt).

I think the classification of this hiker as "experienced" is wildly misapplied, given the extreme mistakes in gear, apparel, headwear, and decision to do the hike in the first place. These are novice mistakes.

If he was wearing a camera around his neck, he could have slipped, got hung up on something, and strangled?

There are Camelbaks that hold three liters, and of course you can also carry more separately. And they come in sizes up to 24L in capacity. I regularly hike with a pack that size in which I can hold the ten essentials, layers of clothing, food, and plenty of water, including for a 20-25 mile hikes and even one 26+ last year. You have to pack well, and ultra-light gear is helpful, but for all of the expert hikers I know, this is absolutely possible.

Different people also have different needs in terms of water. On a hike where my husband might drink two liters, for instance, I can go without any at all. Obviously you will need quite a bit more under the Joshua Tree in summer circumstances, but this is not a difficult hike at all for a regular hiker other than the heat conditions (which is not to take those lightly).

That is not to say, of course, that Mr. Miller was an expert or even an experienced hiker. You make good points about his apparent lack of preparedness indicating he was not very experienced. Your comment about his camera strap possibly hanging him up somewhere is a valid (albeit depressing) idea as well. But acting as if a person couldn't go on this hike, even in summer, with a large Camelbak holding the necessary items, is simply untrue and painting too broad a brush. While I'll heartily disagree with you based on my 1000+ miles of hiking every year for the past ten, I'll leave it at that, since you seem to be convinced that your view is the only valid one.

 

[rosesfromangels]

IMO, I think Paul had a medical episode that couldn't be helped by the size of a Camelbak or bigger pockets for snacks.

Does anyone know if any additional searches are planned? Perhaps we can rally some local search teams to give it another go, or do we know if the family is actively pursuing this? TIA for whatever update you may have.

As always - amateur opinion and speculation only!

 

[carbuff]

I agree that there are CamelBak packs that are large enough to carry the gear he would have needed for that hike. (I own and use one--lots of pockets and places to stash snacks and an extra water bottle.)

I thought that early on there was a photo of him with the pack and we had identified it? Or am I thinking of one of the other lost hikers this summer?

 

[rosesfromangels]

I think Rickshawfan summed things up. Regardless of what experience Paul had hiking, it sounded like in his hurry to get that last hike in...things went horribly wrong, deadly wrong apparently.

I know there have been herculean efforts to find Paul already. I would just like another team to try with a different approach; thinking more along the lines of where the Big Horn would have been on that given day and time (how can we figure that out?) and with a particular focus on between boulders and down ravines.

As always, your amateur speculator with an abundance of opinions!

 

[tarabull]

Hadn't seen this detailed video from September, sorry if it was already posted:

ETA: Pay special attention after 8:05 minute mark...FWIW.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Hadn't seen this detailed video from September, sorry if it was already posted:

ETA: Pay special attention after 8:05 minute mark...FWIW.

Not saying her claim/speculation is accurate, but these disappearances certainly are bad for tourism....

As always, amateur speculation and opinion only.

 

[zecats]

I agree that there are CamelBak packs that are large enough to carry the gear he would have needed for that hike. (I own and use one--lots of pockets and places to stash snacks and an extra water bottle.)

I thought that early on there was a photo of him with the pack and we had identified it? Or am I thinking of one of the other lost hikers this summer?

That may have been Sam Sayers. We had photos of her gear and clothing.

 

[carbuff]

That may have been Sam Sayers. We had photos of her gear and clothing.

Hm, you could be right.