CA CA - Sandra Hughes, 53, Sierra National Forest/Madera Co, 26 Jun 2020

[LAhiker]

Where did you find this info. And is this still in the Chiquita Lake grid?

Not sure what is meant by the Chiquito Lake grid. Which maps are you looking at? As far as I can tell, Yosemite Valley is around 15 miles north and northwest of the Upper Chiquito Campground as the crow flies. It looks like her car was found around 1 mile north of the Upper Chiquito Campground.

But note that the terrain is rough and that forest roads and trails tend to be winding. That may explain the discrepancy between the distances reported from where her tent/gear were found and where the car was found. The distance may be around 2 miles as the crow flies and around 5 miles by road.

Similarly, though it may be around 14 miles as the crow flies from the car location to Yosemite, it might be much longer for a hiker who has to stick to trails which go around mountains and such. I don't yet know much about the trails & forest roads in that area.

JMO

 

[Wander143]

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Oops, I need to proofread better. In the first scenario, I meant to type "she drives off to find a particular trailhead and has an accident."

I don't think she hiked 5 miles in to set up camp. Especially since so much appeared dumped there...at the campsite. I want to know how close the closest road to the tentsite was. What distance. ? I can not imagine her having any reason to dump things from her car to campsite. Unless the car could be parked very close. Even then. I do not see her doing that.

 

[Wander143]

Not sure what is meant by the Chiquito Lake grid. Which maps are you looking at? As far as I can tell, Yosemite Valley is around 15 miles north and northwest of the Upper Chiquito Campground as the crow flies. It looks like her car was found around 1 mile north of the Upper Chiquito Campground.

The map I am looking at is the one the articles posted.

But note that the terrain is rough and that forest roads and trails tend to be winding. That may explain the discrepancy between the distances reported from where her tent/gear were found and where the car was found. The distance may be around 2 miles as the crow flies and around 5 miles by road.

Similarly, though it may be around 14 miles as the crow flies from the car location to Yosemite, it might be much longer for a hiker who has to stick to trails which go around mountains and such. I don't yet know much about the trails & forest roads in that area.

JMO

 

[LAhiker]

I don't think she hiked 5 miles in to set up camp. Especially since so much appeared dumped there...at the campsite. I want to know how close the closest road to the tentsite was. What distance. ? I can not imagine her having any reason to dump things from her car to campsite. Unless the car could be parked very close. Even then. I do not see her doing that.

I don't think she hiked to set up camp either. My assumption is that she set up camp in a place that was accessible by car. (At one point I thought she might've hiked back to the campsite after the car accident, but now that I see the distances and terrain, I think that's unlikely.)

I'm also assuming that the location of the campsite on various maps coming from law enforcement or search and rescue is correct. In that case, looking at CalTopo, and based on the shape of the streams, it looks like there's a road (probably a dirt road) that goes off Forest Road 5S13 to the spot where the campsite was found. In that case, the campsite (red circle) would have been on Mugler Creek near its intersection with Chiquito Creek.

 

[mlhenn]

This is merely my opinion as I ask this...

But why didn’t the people who came across her barefooted and bruised up not help her anyway? I know she said she was ok & declined help, but the condition in which they describe her would convince me otherwise. Or why didn’t they at least call for help or to get authorities to check up on her? Again, this is merely my opinion as I ask these questions.

 

[mlhenn]

I don't think she hiked to set up camp either. My assumption is that she set up camp in a place that was accessible by car. (At one point I thought she might've hiked back to the campsite after the car accident, but now that I see the distances and terrain, I think that's unlikely.)

I'm also assuming that the location of the campsite on various maps coming from law enforcement or search and rescue is correct. In that case, looking at CalTopo, and based on the shape of the streams, it looks like there's a road (probably a dirt road) that goes off Forest Road 5S13 to the spot where the campsite was found. In that case, the campsite (red circle) would have been on Mugler Creek near its intersection with Chiquito Creek.

View attachment 255796

Yes, The Sheriff’s fb page included an updated map to include campsite & location car was found

I noticed her campsite is labeled “1st Campsite”

Madera County Sheriff's Office

 

[LAhiker]

This is merely my opinion as I ask this...

But why didn’t the people who came across her barefooted and bruised up not help her anyway? I know she said she was ok & declined help, but the condition in which they describe her would convince me otherwise. Or why didn’t they at least call for help or to get authorities to check up on her? Again, this is merely my opinion as I ask these questions.

I don't know, but my impression is that people often hesitate to intervene or contact authorities when someone refuses help. Some may hope they won't have to do anything and the person refusing help may give them an excuse. Others may not want to get involved, especially when the person who appears to be in trouble says they're fine. They may think that if the person who they thought was in trouble says they're okay, then they must be okay. They may feel that getting involved in such a situation would be imposing on the person who refuses help.

JMO

 

[Wander143]

This is merely my opinion as I ask this...

But why didn’t the people who came across her barefooted and bruised up not help her anyway? I know she said she was ok & declined help, but the condition in which they describe her would convince me otherwise. Or why didn’t they at least call for help or to get authorities to check up on her? Again, this is merely my opinion as I ask these questions.

That is what is disturbing me the most. The bare feet and the bruise. Perhaps where she was said sighted was not far into any trail, close to a trailhead. Maybe they assumed she was ok. But barefeet? Who are these people? I want to know. I would havevhadva conversation long enough to be confident she was ok and asked why she was shoeless

 

[MntnHiker]

Is it possible she set up her camp site and then headed off in her car to go hiking somewhere? She, for whatever reason, hits a tree and becomes disoriented. Meanwhile someone comes across her campsite and rummages through it, hoping for something to steal, hence the disheveled site? MOO

 

[LAhiker]

Is it possible she set up her camp site and then headed off in her car to go hiking somewhere? She, for whatever reason, hits a tree and becomes disoriented. Meanwhile someone comes across her campsite and rummages through it, hoping for something to steal, hence the disheveled site? MOO

I think that's a possible scenario.

 

[Wander143]

I don't know, but my impression is that people often hesitate to intervene or contact authorities when someone refuses help. Some may hope they won't have to do anything and the person refusing help may give them an excuse. Others may not want to get involved, especially when the person who appears to be in trouble says they're fine. They may think that if the person who they thought was in trouble says they're okay, then they must be okay. They may feel that getting involved in such a situation would be imposing on the person who refuses help.

JMO

True. I imagine now they wish they had. We don't know what that conversation looked like. No details really. There are very limited details being released. Updates. Yes. Details. No

 

[Wander143]

Is it possible she set up her camp site and then headed off in her car to go hiking somewhere? She, for whatever reason, hits a tree and becomes disoriented. Meanwhile someone comes across her campsite and rummages through it, hoping for something to steal, hence the disheveled site? MOO

Anything is possible. I was thinking about this too. It is probable she was doing exactly that. Going off for a hike. She used camp as base to go explore.
And it's possible she hit the tree on her way. And got hurt. Thus, no shoes. Was out of it.
And possible someone raided her site. While she Was gone. I want to know where the hikers spotted her. Closer to the car? ( I'd lean towards`she was the driver of her car).
IF THE HIKERS SPOTTED her closer to tent site. I'd say someone else was driving the car and abandoned it after robbing it.

 

[Wander143]

I don't think she hiked to set up camp either. My assumption is that she set up camp in a place that was accessible by car. (At one point I thought she might've hiked back to the campsite after the car accident, but now that I see the distances and terrain, I think that's unlikely.)

I'm also assuming that the location of the campsite on various maps coming from law enforcement or search and rescue is correct. In that case, looking at CalTopo, and based on the shape of the streams, it looks like there's a road (probably a dirt road) that goes off Forest Road 5S13 to the spot where the campsite was found. In that case, the campsite (red circle) would have been on Mugler Creek near its intersection with Chiquito Creek.

View attachment 255796

I would say with certainty she did not hike into a campsite. Especially since she indicated she'd be there awhile. To me in her last text. Using the same language as the articles said . " to quarantine". To me that meant for a bit of time. Especially if she found a pretty spot. She camped out of her car. Meaning did not empty it and set up elaborate functional sites with lots of bells and whistles. Not that I ever witnessed. But I could be wrong. But I know it would not be thrown all over. Her site imho was disturbed by an intruder. And I do not see her leaving food out. Or at her site. But secure in her car from wild life. Especially if she was to be gone for a few hours. But I don't know what food was found at the site. Or how much. To me. She was more of a snacker eater. Not a prepare 3 meals a day eater. From what I observed.

 

[Wander143]

It's very upsetting for me to talk about all this right now. I'm going to leave the thread at this time. Let's all hope Sandy is found. Thank you everyone for your concern.

 

[Curiousobserver]

I hope she has been hunkered down somewhere waiting to be found.

It seems probable that someone may have attacked her and caused her injuries, then stole the car and crashed it after throwing out her things.

Fortunately she seems to have survived (if those hikers are to believed) and so there is always a chance they will find her. There is plenty of water so she stands a good chance.

Cheering you on Sandra...

 

[Limecat]

Was hoping for news of Sandra today. Was anyone else under the assumption from how the report was worded that the witnesses who saw her bruised and barefoot saw her near her car? I’ll have to go back and look but I got the impression they either saw the crash occur or saw her by the car and asked if she was all right, etc?

 

[mlhenn]

Was hoping for news of Sandra today. Was anyone else under the assumption from how the report was worded that the witnesses who saw her bruised and barefoot saw her near her car? I’ll have to go back and look but I got the impression they either saw the crash occur or saw her by the car and asked if she was all right, etc?

I was under the impression they saw her directly after the crash as well.

 

[mlhenn]

Was hoping for news of Sandra today. Was anyone else under the assumption from how the report was worded that the witnesses who saw her bruised and barefoot saw her near her car? I’ll have to go back and look but I got the impression they either saw the crash occur or saw her by the car and asked if she was all right, etc?

Search for woman missing since July 4 in Sierra National Forest | Daily Mail Online

But then I come across this...
•Hikers reported seeing Hughes on July 4 and said she was barefoot and had a bruise on her face.
•found her campsite near the Johnsons Meadow section of the forest in disarray on July 5.
•The following day (July 6) officers located Hughes' silver Saab in Chiquito Creek to the north of the campsite.

so I wonder how long the car had been then before officials found it July 6?

 

[mlhenn]

several photos of Sandra

Search Continues for Woman Missing for 3-Weeks in Sierra National Forest, CA

 

[mlhenn]

Madera County Sheriff's Office

I wonder if the campsite LK mentions in the comments was Sandra’s or someone else’s?