Found Deceased CA - Philip Kreycik, 37, Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, 10 Jul 2021 #2

[Deleted member 222031]

One of the videos Body found near East Bay trail believed to be of missing runner Philip Kreycik shows some helicopter footage or airplane footage of the area he was found. It looks like there were perhaps a pair of deep tire tracks or a pair of some sort of sunken trails side by side near the tree line. I am having difficulty figuring out what they might be.

I am not sure if these are the same as this from the aerial view of Google maps Google Maps

Also, at 1:25 you can see how close he was to the nearby Pleasanton houses from the aerial shot in the news. That looks to be the Preserve which has its staging area called Laurel Creek staging area, and is not the Moller Ranch subdivision. Body of missing runner found in Pleasanton According to the newscast, he was found in EBRPD property 'not open for recreation' which sounds to me like landbank property that they purchased but have never opened to the public. If I am looking at the map correctly, I think EBRPD purchased it a very long time ago in 1991. That is irritating in itself. They have had 30 years to make this parcel safe, put up directional signs on the trails, yet it looks as though they have made no steps to make it safe or put up trail signs.

I hope they are able to figure out exactly how he got there, including an explanation of why he was not spotted on video in the Moller Ranch neighborhood. I hope they can figure out how he ended up next to The Preserve neighborhood perhaps by obtaining the watch and attempting to figure out whether he took the route he intended to, took a different route completely, made it around the loop and took a wrong turn, or perhaps he never made it to the loop area at all.

Also if they use the watch data hopefully it will explain why the dog scent ended or whether the dog actually accurately traced Philip's path in the first place and also will settle once and for all if those are his shoe prints on the Mariposa trail.

Also a lot of maps and text the EBRPD seems to be very confusing so even with one of these maps accompanied by text, anyone can get lost. In some of the documents they refer to Devany Canyon Rd. Devany Canyon Rd as far as I can tell does not exit. Maybe they mean Dublin Canyon Rd. I have no idea. But if I live here locally and see a lot errors in their documents that don't make any sense, it is no surprise people can get lost up there.

Once they figure out what happened, I hope the city and park district put up directional signs so that a tragedy like this will not ever happen again. Also if they put up some sort of emergency phone system at staging areas and several up there in the park like there are emergency phones with embedded security cameras on college campuses, hopefully future tragedies like this can be prevented. That way, someone who needs help can summon emergency personnel immediately.

Good ideas but anytime someone chooses a route that is not an established, mapped trail, there is danger. I am not victim blaming. I am just pointing out that the way he chose to access the PR trails (if what we know of his planned route is accurate) was not the safest or best access. If he completed his route and was on his way back to his car, he may have been in distress from the heat or a medical problem, causing him to unwittingly go off trail. No matter how many signs and phones there are, this kind of event could still happen on the perimeter of any well-marked open space. This can serve as a lesson to all trail users everywhere. When you are off an established trail, risk increases greatly. It always has and it always will. Let's work hard on all fronts (signage, education, etc.) to protect ourselves and others while experiencing the unlimited joys of being out there. This devastating loss is fresh. I hope PK was not a crime victim.

 

[ElizabethAnne]

Good ideas but anytime someone chooses a route that is not an established, mapped trail, there is danger. I am not victim blaming. I am just pointing out that the way he chose to access the PR trails (if what we know of his planned route is accurate) was not the safest or best access. If he completed his route and was on his way back to his car, he may have been in distress from the heat or a medical problem, causing him to unwittingly go off trail. No matter how many signs and phones there are, this kind of event could still happen on the perimeter of any well-marked open space. This can serve as a lesson to all trail users everywhere. When you are off an established trail, risk increases greatly. It always has and it always will. Let's work hard on all fronts (signage, education, etc.) to protect ourselves and others while experiencing the unlimited joys of being out there. This devastating loss is fresh. I hope PK was not a crime victim.

On the East Coast there a lot of dense woods where it would be difficult to forge a brand new unofficial trail without cutting down trees, cutting down bushes, etc. and there are far less unofficial trails. In grasslands out in this part of CA there are many unofficial trails. For Pleasanton Ridge, I stick to EBRPD parking lots like Foothill and Castle ridge or go to the Augustin Bernal city park with official trails into Pleasanton Ridge. I personally would never go into landbank property also, but would stick to the signed trails. I have gone off official trails only to avoid bulls and cows that EBRPD puts out to graze and wander on their property. Sometimes the farm animals can become territorial and literally run toward you.

 

[Deleted member 222031]

On the East Coast there a lot of dense woods where it would be difficult to forge a brand new unofficial trail without cutting down trees, cutting down bushes, etc. and there are far less unofficial trails. In grasslands out in this part of CA there are many unofficial trails. For Pleasanton Ridge, I stick to EBRPD parking lots like Foothill and Castle ridge or go to the Augustin Bernal city park with official trails into Pleasanton Ridge. I personally would never go into landbank property also, but would stick to the signed trails. I have gone off official trails only to avoid bulls and cows that EBRPD puts out to graze and wander on their property. Sometimes the farm animals can become territorial and literally run toward you.

You have made an excellent point about PR trails. A child was reported to be injured by a bull there in 2005. He and his Mom were on trail.

Dangerous encounter (December 30, 2005)

 

[moonriverfarm]

Hoping for details as to where he was found, why he would go off trail on to a game trail (which is so different from a running trail) and what his friends think happened.

 

[happyday]

Coming back since you all are analyzing my Strava activity that did get close. I noted the trail that ultimately we found him on at that time as something to follow up on since it wasn't on any maps, but it wasn't in the section we were traveling that day. Ultimately we found Phil because we knew we had a gap there to fill and filled it, the folks that filled it didn't complete the section but noted the wind direction and a smell. We found him today following that.

I would ask that out of respect for some folks that are grieving you not try to publicly post routes that came close. I'll go ahead and say that we've done this analysis already, and there's one that got very close the Monday morning after he went missing. There are also no SAR tracks that get closer than the fire-road (which is where Scott and my tracks are in the one linked above). The one that actually took the single-track (intentional usage here) is a friend of Phil's, please consider the unnecessary guilt this person is likely to feel when they realize just how close they came.

From the fire-road it's about 200' to where he was, around a bend and a hill.

If you talk to folks in SAR these sorts of near-misses are relatively common, and heartbreaking. Especially for the folks that got so near. I can't begin to describe how bad I personally feel knowing I got within 200' on multiple occasions and even photographed (and later instagrammed) the rough location he was eventually found (the single-track is out-of-view not 10 feet from where I'm standing taking the first picture here. Login • Instagram)

It’s so incredibly hard to find people outside. You did an excellent job helping to find your friend. We should all be so lucky to have someone take charge and keep searching. Missing people don’t always have someone like that.

 

[Beekarina]

So very sorry. I hope they will conclude he was overcome by heat, and you will all not have to go through more pain of an investigation. PK seemed a truly lovely person.

 

[ThoughtFox]

Very sad outcome to this story, and I'm heartbroken for the family and friends. I always believed he was still in the park somewhere, so I'm not surprised. He took so little with him and left everything else I the car. He didn't sound like the kind of person who would just skip town on his family.

But the autopsy is key because sadly decomposition would have happened quickly in such high temperatures. Anything could have happened to him, from heat distress, animal or insect attack, snakebite, a bad fall, or human interaction (gun shot?). The simplest answer is that without water and a phone he might have just sat down by a tree and passed out, but it's very odd because he was near some houses. That is confusing.

I recall that vultures were mentioned by some searchers. Of course that is not an uncommon sight anywhere in summer if predators are around. But with houses close-by and a major search going on, surely someone would have noticed vultures in that area.

 

[NSamuelle]

Very sad outcome to this story, and I'm heartbroken for the family and friends. I always believed he was still in the park somewhere, so I'm not surprised. He took so little with him and left everything else I the car. He didn't sound like the kind of person who would just skip town on his family.

But the autopsy is key because sadly decomposition would have happened quickly in such high temperatures. Anything could have happened to him, from heat distress, animal or insect attack, snakebite, a bad fall, or human interaction (gun shot?). The simplest answer is that without water and a phone he might have just sat down by a tree and passed out, but it's very odd because he was near some houses. That is confusing.

I recall that vultures were mentioned by some searchers. Of course that is not an uncommon sight anywhere in summer if predators are around. But with houses close-by and a major search going on, surely someone would have noticed vultures in that area.

The most confusing aspect of this, IMO, is that he was found so close to the edge of the park (I.e., near houses and civilization) that he could have crawled out and gotten help. Heatstroke could have rendered him irrational, of course, and he may have been seeking shade in the trees, but his relatively low body fat and lanky build put him at relatively low risk for heatstroke - meaning that he should have had a window of time where he knew he was in danger and was still rational enough to get help. I hope, for his family’s sake, the autopsy yields some answers and closure. Heat stroke causes organ damage but I don’t know what could be detected after 3 weeks in high temperatures and animal activity.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

The most confusing aspect of this, IMO, is that he was found so close to the edge of the park (I.e., near houses and civilization) that he could have crawled out and gotten help. Heatstroke could have rendered him irrational, of course, and he may have been seeking shade in the trees, but his relatively low body fat and lanky build put him at relatively low risk for heatstroke - meaning that he should have had a window of time where he knew he was in danger and was still rational enough to get help. I hope, for his family’s sake, the autopsy yields some answers and closure. Heat stroke causes organ damage but I don’t know what could be detected after 3 weeks in high temperatures and animal activity.

As I understand it "civilization" was over a hill, so he may not have known how close help was?

 

[NSamuelle]

If anyone who has been in that area can provide insight, it would be very interesting to know whether he could hear traffic, etc., from where he was.

 

[terracotta1982]

As I understand it "civilization" was over a hill, so he may not have known how close help was?

The homes/freeway are visible from the trail next to where he was found. Google earth illustrates this. Thank you

 

[Allynator]

Still have many unanswered questions. This doesn't change the pain this family is feeling. So sad for his loss and I am sending comfort to his loved ones.

I want to commend all of the mods and sleuthers on this thread. Great insight and input, as always.

 

[10ofRods]

Very sad outcome.

Once again we see a well-searched area not yielding up the missing person until many passes. He probably was seeking shade near the tree or even help at one of the buildings . I will be very surprised if it's foul play. I think we discussed this earlier, how shade-seeking is one of the behaviors that overheated individuals will instinctively do. He was in an area where neither a helicopter nor a drone could easily see him, and in a "very remote" area of the park - just as his friends/volunteer searchers theorized, from knowing his training plans and personality.

It sounds like he got disoriented and missed the loop trail back to his car.

What other hikers have said about the area is that there is a network of "social trails" as well as "game trails" and that these trails are like a web and while the general direction of them is clear, they are confusing and difficult to follow between sections of main trail. It does look as if Phil made a small mistake (missed the main trail turning back toward the parking lot) and was a mere 2000 feet from that fork in the trail - on a smaller "game trail," but it also may be that he didn't know how much further it was to the parking lot and was seeking shade.

I predict the CoD will be heat/dehydration or perhaps a cardiac event. I'm also betting that there was cellular service where he was. I assume the watch transmitted the data via cellular. Losing just 1 liter of water through sweat can bring someone into the unhealthy zone.

The latest edition of The Sharp Edge Podcast has an interview with someone who (with companions) decided to go on/off trail on a much higher ridge in Colorado. Fortunately, she was with a group. Also, they had phones - but not locater beacons. It's a harrowing tale, but it shows how easily things can go south among very experienced people. If the woman in the interview had been alone and phoneless, she might well have met the same fate. In her case, the weather was cold rather than hot, and no one had brought bivvy sacs or anything like that - she was lucky she had on a "running vest."

My heart goes out to his wife and two children. He was their rock and their entire former life evaporated with his death. Also, all sympathy and condolences to his friends and coworkers, who will miss him tremendously.

 

[10ofRods]

To @runspired: please accept all my heartfelt sympathy and condolences. You and your friends did what the SAR group could not do and brought closure to the family - and I know that there was some small chance that Phil could have been found alive, a chance that you never gave up on.

 

[JMapes]

Hoping for details as to where he was found, why he would go off trail on to a game trail (which is so different from a running trail) and what his friends think happened.

There's a frustrating lack of signage up there...And on a lot of other similar trails in the park district. I hope it's something they work to address to prevent further tragedies. The one time I hiked the ridge, I ended up descending the hill on one of these cow trails. EBRPD is the largest urban regional park district in the country, but ranchers also actively use the land for cattle grazing.

Several of the parks here have cattle guards, gates, watering troughs, cow trails etc, so definitely not uncommon for this area to have the appearance of several smaller trails (in addition to the wider trails for emergency access vehicles, 4x4s and ranchers), which makes it easy to get confused and lose your way. MOO.

 

[Deleted member 222031]

There's a frustrating lack of signage up there...And on a lot of other similar trails in the park district. I hope it's something they work to address to prevent further tragedies. The one time I hiked the ridge, I ended up descending the hill on one of these cow trails. EBRPD is the largest urban regional park district in the country, but ranchers also actively use the land for cattle grazing.

Several of the parks here have cattle guards, gates, watering troughs, cow trails etc, so definitely not uncommon for this area to have the appearance of several smaller trails (in addition to the wider trails for emergency access vehicles, 4x4s and ranchers), which makes it easy to get confused and lose your way. MOO.

The EBPRD says this about Pleasanton Ridge: "This beautiful 9090-acre parkland is on the oak-covered ridge overlooking Pleasanton and the Livermore Valley from the west. It is planned as the core of a Ridgelands Regional Park to be acquired over a period of many years. Parkland development has been intentionally limited to preserve the pastoral atmosphere. The park occupies Pleasanton Ridge and beyond....In the park, elevations exceed 1,600 feet." Here is a district map:

 

[MntnHiker]

So very sad to hear this outcome. My condolences to his family and friends.

 

[CocoTutu]

Hoping for details as to where he was found, why he would go off trail on to a game trail (which is so different from a running trail) and what his friends think happened.

If you know East Bay Regional Parks-- particularly those in this part of the East Bay, game trails, or what I call "deer trails" are not really so different than reg trails. I use a trail map app on my phone so if I go off on a smaller trail I can see if it loops back & also helps me get back to my car if I'm in a new spot. I've often gone on deer trails or foot trails around here just because it's hot & a smaller trail looks more shaded. That day was, as I'm sure has been covered here, oppressively hot. I live about 15 min from that park & I recall heading to the coast before 10 am as I could tell already it was going to be super hot.

 

[ElizabethAnne]

If anyone who has been in that area can provide insight, it would be very interesting to know whether he could hear traffic, etc., from where he was.

Yes, he would have been able to hear the traffic from I-580 from where he was found. He was found I think if the SF Chron map is accurate on the 214 acre Poole property that used to be owned by Robert and Charlene Poole...they sold it to East Bay Parks in Oct. 1990. It is on top of Devaney or Devany Canyon (some people spell it both ways) in unincorporated Alameda County land near Dublin Canyon Road, which parallels I-580. It does not have a sound wall through much of Pleasanton; therefore, it is the loudest one. He would have heard the BART train as well that is in the median between the lanes of I-580. At night he would also been able to hear I-680.

 

[DeDee]

I am here today to offer sincere condolences to the Kreycik family and friends of Philip Kreycik. Many kind and wonderful things have been said about Philip. He had many family, friends and coworkers who loved him. Everyone should be so fortunate as Mr Kreycik to have a loyal friend as @runspired who has been instrumental in the searches for Philip.

Chris, your presence means more than you may ever know. These bittersweet memories are yours forever. May they bring peace and comfort that's beyond our own understanding.

It is to his lovely wife, my heart feels such sorrow. She is young, brilliant and beautiful. And, also, to his two young children who have their entire precious lives without their loving father. Goodness will surely follow this dark hour. May they be richly blessed with an abundance of love and kindness from their family and friends forevermore.

I wanted Philip to be alive in a world where he could hop a private jet to anywhere and have the opportunity to turn the thing around. I did not want Philip to succumb to the environment he loved so dearly.

I hope Philip fell into delirium when the body attempted to cool itself so that Philip did not suffer extreme agony before losing consciousness. I'm sure he silently spoke of how much he loved everyone, esp. JY, their two lovely children and their parents. Philip realized they were his earthly treasures.