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

[Hatfield]

Worth repeating/ resharing:
Tragically Lost in Joshua Tree’s Wild Interior

"If you haven't found them, then they're someplace you haven't looked yet."

Re BBM So true.

JMO
This case continues to baffle me. I have followed it right from the beginning and havent had much to share after all the early discussions.

I could still see this ending up with a few possibilities.

The witness that came here to claim he saw him is interesting but the problem I had with that story was he didnt describe what he had on if it was all black clothing. He seemed convinced he saw him and maybe he did but I would need more information about the description of him to know if he saw him dressed in black on that day.

The black clothing really bothers me. It should have been something that PM should have known not to wear in hot sunny desert. I learned about not wearing black on hot sunny days when I was a child. So why would he choose to wear black in the hottest area in the US. It doesnt make any sense to me at all.

Afterall he was supposed to be somewhat experienced and that is an amateur mistake. A critical amateur mistake.

If I could search I would search the boulders around the parking lot. I often wondered if he wanted to take one more look right from the parking lot area and climbed those boulders and fell in a crevice.

I wish he had invested in one of those emergency beacon devices we had talked about before. That device may have saved him if he is still out there somewhere.

I also think another theory is he got abducted right there in the parking lot as he returned to his vehicle.
I really do think he could have gotten taken there by someone else to try to rob him and they took him away somewhere else and could have killed him elsewhere.

One last theory I keep thinking about involves the reason they were vacationing in the first place. It was stated it was a anniversary vacation of some sort and I often wonder if some argument happened on that very last day. If something like that happened then it could have taken some strange turns on that last day.

So many possibilities still and I cannot pick just one theory anymore. We need to find him to get the answers we need.

I will keep praying that he will be found. Hopefully sometime soon.

 

[crhedBngr]

Thinking of you, Paul!

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

Thinking of our 2 missing Pauls. Paul Batson and this Paul. Saw this thread today: GA - Sept. 1, 2018 - 55-65 y/o Male found in lake w/ anchor & shot in the head and thought of these men. Some family somewhere will be getting some sad news soon...

 

[MissMYB]

Re BBM So true.

JMO
This case continues to baffle me. I have followed it right from the beginning and havent had much to share after all the early discussions.

I could still see this ending up with a few possibilities.

The witness that came here to claim he saw him is interesting but the problem I had with that story was he didnt describe what he had on if it was all black clothing. He seemed convinced he saw him and maybe he did but I would need more information about the description of him to know if he saw him dressed in black on that day.

The black clothing really bothers me. It should have been something that PM should have known not to wear in hot sunny desert. I learned about not wearing black on hot sunny days when I was a child. So why would he choose to wear black in the hottest area in the US. It doesnt make any sense to me at all.

Afterall he was supposed to be somewhat experienced and that is an amateur mistake. A critical amateur mistake.

If I could search I would search the boulders around the parking lot. I often wondered if he wanted to take one more look right from the parking lot area and climbed those boulders and fell in a crevice.

I wish he had invested in one of those emergency beacon devices we had talked about before. That device may have saved him if he is still out there somewhere.

I also think another theory is he got abducted right there in the parking lot as he returned to his vehicle.
I really do think he could have gotten taken there by someone else to try to rob him and they took him away somewhere else and could have killed him elsewhere.

One last theory I keep thinking about involves the reason they were vacationing in the first place. It was stated it was a anniversary vacation of some sort and I often wonder if some argument happened on that very last day. If something like that happened then it could have taken some strange turns on that last day.

So many possibilities still and I cannot pick just one theory anymore. We need to find him to get the answers we need.

I will keep praying that he will be found. Hopefully sometime soon.

The black clothing would definitely stick out to anyone who has grown up in and around the desert. If I had seen what the witness described "man who seemed determined" which I assume to mean, focused, possibly a little sweaty, maybe breathing hard, AND wearing all black, I would definitely think "This guy is out of his mind, black clothing in JTNP in JULY?" I would have paid close attention to what he was wearing most likely because I would wonder how someone of his age, and shape (remember he was not in perfect shape, perhaps a little doughy for lack of better description) he doesn't succumb to heat exhaustion. Also, I'm constantly comparing myself (approximately the same age) to others on the trail and saying "How do they do that?" when I can barely make it from the car to the trail head without a rest.

The whole things seems off to me. From the hotel forward.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Maybe he liked black and wanted to hike like a ninja.
Maybe he didn't want his sweat stains to show.
Who knows.
He's in there, I hope he is found and sent home to his family before the holidays.
Loved the interview with his son, great kid.

 

[MissMYB]

Maybe he liked black and wanted to hike like a ninja.
Maybe he didn't want his sweat stains to show.
Who knows.
He's in there, I hope he is found and sent home to his family before the holidays.
Loved the interview with his son, great kid.

My point is they call Paul an experienced hiker, and to anyone even casually experienced in hiking in the desert black clothing would not be your first choice and would stick out on the trail in July like a sore thumb.

Maybe he is out there. I would like to know either way.

 

[rosesfromangels]

My point is they call Paul an experienced hiker, and to anyone even casually experienced in hiking in the desert black clothing would not be your first choice and would stick out on the trail in July like a sore thumb.

Maybe he is out there. I would like to know either way.

I admit it seems odd, but we don’t know if it was odd for him. Maybe black was his thing.
However, we know black is a funeral color, so there is that too. Sigh....

 

[zecats]

My point is they call Paul an experienced hiker, and to anyone even casually experienced in hiking in the desert black clothing would not be your first choice and would stick out on the trail in July like a sore thumb.

Maybe he is out there. I would like to know either way.

As I recall, the color of his tee shirt was never listed. The black color was attributed to his shorts and hat, and possibly shoes. It also was mentioned in as far as his inexperience with desert hiking that he would have been better prepared if he had covered his skin. Not worn a tee shirt and shorts, due to baking temps, sunburn etc.

 

[RickshawFan]

My point is they call Paul an experienced hiker, and to anyone even casually experienced in hiking in the desert black clothing would not be your first choice and would stick out on the trail in July like a sore thumb.

Maybe he is out there. I would like to know either way.

The black clothing was the least of it, though. He reportedly was wearing a short sleeve T-shirt and shorts. Have you ever experienced sunburn so severe that your whole body swelled up? That you became violently ill? That for days you became waterlogged as the skin healed and then peeled off in sheets. That happened to me once. I was suffering from jet lag in Greece, fell asleep under a big umbrella, and the sun shifted, leaving me unprotected. I only slept for an hour.
And it wasn’t even close to the temperature and exposure of JTNP.
Plus, UV rays penetrate T shirts. Paul evidently was wearing a cotton T-shirt. He may have been wearing a hat, but I’ll bet it wasn’t the kind that covers the neck and has a really broad brim; probably just a bucket hat or baseball cap, leaving his face pretty much fully exposed, especially when you factor in light reflecting back from the ground.
Can you imagine how severe and dangerous his burns will have been by the time he got to the oasis?
And, no, sunscreen isn’t up to meeting the demands of those conditions.

 

[MissMYB]

The black clothing was the least of it, though. He reportedly was wearing a short sleeve T-shirt and shorts. Have you ever experienced sunburn so severe that your whole body swelled up? That you became violently ill? That for days you became waterlogged as the skin healed and then peeled off in sheets. That happened to me once. I was suffering from jet lag in Greece, fell asleep under a big umbrella, and the sun shifted, leaving me unprotected. I only slept for an hour.
And it wasn’t even close to the temperature and exposure of JTNP.
Plus, UV rays penetrate T shirts. Paul evidently was wearing a cotton T-shirt. He may have been wearing a hat, but I’ll bet it wasn’t the kind that covers the neck and has a really broad brim; probably just a bucket hat or baseball cap, leaving his face pretty much fully exposed, especially when you factor in light reflecting back from the ground.
Can you imagine how severe and dangerous his burns will have been by the time he got to the oasis?
And, no, sunscreen isn’t up to meeting the demands of those conditions.

If this did happen to Paul how far REALISTICALLY could he have traveled in 2 or 3 hours off trail to be this hard to find.

Also, sounds brutal!

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

Not a peep on Paul's thread all weekend. Bumping... still looking for you!

 

[Toddp76]

Signs are bleak at this point. There were strong floods about 3 weeks ago out there. I Still say look across the street from the trail. Does the family have a PI.

 

[neesaki]

Signs are bleak at this point. There were strong floods about 3 weeks ago out there. I Still say look across the street from the trail. Does the family have a PI.

What is across the street, is it unofficial trails? I wonder where they go.

 

[tarabull]

Google Maps

 

[neesaki]

Google Maps

Thank you, I guess I’m not too good at maps, as I still can’t tell.much from this. For instance, what’s that steeet, and what’s across from that street. I’m on my iPad and it seems to be having problems lately.

 

[Tim Callahan]

The black clothing was the least of it, though. He reportedly was wearing a short sleeve T-shirt and shorts. Have you ever experienced sunburn so severe that your whole body swelled up? That you became violently ill? That for days you became waterlogged as the skin healed and then peeled off in sheets. That happened to me once. I was suffering from jet lag in Greece, fell asleep under a big umbrella, and the sun shifted, leaving me unprotected. I only slept for an hour.
And it wasn’t even close to the temperature and exposure of JTNP.
Plus, UV rays penetrate T shirts. Paul evidently was wearing a cotton T-shirt. He may have been wearing a hat, but I’ll bet it wasn’t the kind that covers the neck and has a really broad brim; probably just a bucket hat or baseball cap, leaving his face pretty much fully exposed, especially when you factor in light reflecting back from the ground.
Can you imagine how severe and dangerous his burns will have been by the time he got to the oasis?
And, no, sunscreen isn’t up to meeting the demands of those conditions.

I wouldn’t think of going desert hiking in the summer without a long sleeve shirt and long pants. Several companies make specialized clothing just for this. Some times, I’ll unzip the bottom half of the pant legs off to turn them in to shorts, but I never go without a long sleeve desert shirt. Also, I’ve mentioned before, but I can’t stress it enough, bring a reflective umbrella as well! Even if you want both hands free for trekking poles or whatever, just having that lightweight umbrella in your pack for backup emergency shade is worth it alone.

 

[neesaki]

What is across the street, is it unofficial trails? I wonder where they go.

I pulled the map up on my desk top for a better view and still don’t see any other routes away from there.

Wasn’t it reported that they had been hiking that desert area for several days prior? And they reportedly had previous experience as well. So I agree it is a mystery why he wouldn’t have dressed for the desert heat.
I hope LE is investigating other possibilities, how else can they rule out the possibility he could have been victim of a crime.

 

[zecats]

I pulled the map up on my desk top for a better view and still don’t see any other routes away from there.

Wasn’t it reported that they had been hiking that desert area for several days prior? And they reportedly had previous experience as well. So I agree it is a mystery why he wouldn’t have dressed for the desert heat.
I hope LE is investigating other possibilities, how else can they rule out the possibility he could have been victim of a crime.

It was reported that they had planned to hike JTNP, and this particular trail, but that it had been raining there and prevented them from doing so until the day Paul left to hike it. Also they had been to several other National Parks in the West/Southwest prior to JTNP. Grand Canyon for one, which can be hot if one descends into the canyon any distance. Not sure if they did or not.

 

[carbuff]

People vary widely in how much sun they can tolerate. I'll burn to a crisp in conditions where Mr. Carbuff won't even tan. If PM was somebody who didn't normally need much sun protection, he might have misjudged the conditions that morning. And heatstroke is one of those things that if you misjudge, you might nto get a chance to recover from.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

yes, but we still have the issue of where he is now. Had Paul succumbed to heatstroke, where is he?