Travellers that have perished in the Sonoran desert

[phenomenon]

Originally Posted by grmi66

On the hiking forum I frequent one of the regulars disappeared in the Mazatal Mountains northeast of Phoenix a few years back. Every few months someone tries to find his remains up there, but no such luck yet.

That's very spooky. If it gives you comfort, know that people leave internet forum communities all the time for different reasons. Sometimes real life becomes too busy with a new job or baby or else the person simply gets bored with the forum and stops posting.

Originally Posted by grmi66

Another gruesome place is up on the Flatiron in the Superstition Mountains. There was a plane crash up there a few years ago and you can still see the burn marks on the rocks as well as bits & pieces of the plane. Poor people missed the top of the mountain by about 50 feet.

I remember that story. RIP to the poor souls who perished. There are pictures online of a fireball of flames from the crash on the mountain. I've never hiked the Flatiron so I think I may make it my next challenge...

[grmi66]

Originally Posted by phenomenon

That's very spooky. If it gives you comfort, know that people leave internet forum communities all the time for different reasons. Sometimes real life becomes too busy with a new job or baby or else the person simply gets bored with the forum and stops posting.

No, he disappeared while hiking. They found his vehicle, he told a few people where he was going and then nothing. SAR looked for him as well. It's a forum that attracts a lot of people who like to do off-trail hiking and exploring.

[MarianR]

You might like to read one of the books about the disappearance of Glen and Bessie Hyde. They were rafting the Colorado river thru the Grand Canyon and never made it out.
[off topic] Another desert disappearance book is BONES IN THE DESERT by Jana Bommerbach, but IMO it could be better written.

I really liked DEATH IN THE CANYON - a good lesson on what not to do when hiking. We were recently at Glacier NP and I asked if there was a similar book about Glacier - no one knew of any, though.

[Podo944]

Originally Posted by phenomenon

With respect, I take it you're not from Arizona @Podo944

Ha ha, no I'm in California. Just saw the thread title on the general board.



[off topic]

People need to have respect for the sun!

[saffordpastor]

There is quite an area due east of Safford that has seen quite a few deaths over the years. Haekel rd, Tanque Hot Springs and Dunes, and the San Simon riverbed and train tracks sort of the general area.

Over the years there have been several deaths by exposure, murder, accident, suicide, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Probably a dozen or better in all...and these are not undocumented folks...these are locals, several that I knew personally.

Weird out there....many square miles of emptiness.

Love it out there tho...just was out there this morning.

And there is an old fighter jet, (or there was for years) at about the 10,000 ft level on Mt Graham....crashed there in 1946 or so and wasn't found for 30 years. The remains of the pilot and copilot were still strapped in when snowshoeers found it in 1976. As far as I know the plane is still there but is inaccessible because it is in the Red Squirrel Refugium restricted area.

[saffordpastor]

Copied this from the web....a different crash.

PB4Y2 - Air Tanker C-50
27 June 74, Bu#59763, N-7263C
This PB4Y2 is the only known aircraft crash in Arizona where the plane actually saw combat duty during WWII. Charlie 50, as it was known in the fire fighting community, served in the Pacific Theater with VPB-111 in August of 45.
The aircraft was fighting a forest fire near Safford, AZ when one of the wings caught a tree during a slurry drop. The plane then crashed down a ridge line, spreading parts for hundreds of yards. The pilots were a father and son team, George and Greg Stell. Both were killed in the crash.

This was up Tripp Canyon if I remember correctly.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by phenomenon

With respect, I take it you're not from Arizona @Podo944
Camelback Mountain is a popular hiking destination within Phoenix city limits. It's hardly isolated. Think of it as our Central Park. We actually have several mountains within the metro area which locals climb for their daily exercise and tourists can hike in an hour or two. They offer spectacular views of the city.

Having said that, they can be challenging places if you attempt to climb them in the middle of the day without water. There is almost zero chance of anyone getting stranded on Camelback Mountain though. Park rangers and other hikers are plentiful. My OP was more aimed at the more isolated stretches of desert off the beaten track i.e. down dirt roads off the highway.

A young man who was not from here died on Camelback within the last couple of months. Yes, he was seen by other hikers on the trail, and if I recall correctly, told them the climb was harder than he expected; he tragically died later, whether from dehydration or a fall or a fall caused by dehydration. He was, in fact, climbing in the middle of the day with water (a 'camelback", in fact), but not enough.

[saffordpastor]

Originally Posted by saffordpastor

There is quite an area due east of Safford that has seen quite a few deaths over the years. Haekel rd, Tanque Hot Springs and Dunes, and the San Simon riverbed and train tracks sort of the general area.

Over the years there have been several deaths by exposure, murder, accident, suicide, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Probably a dozen or better in all...and these are not undocumented folks...these are locals, several that I knew personally.

Weird out there....many square miles of emptiness.

Love it out there tho...just was out there this morning.

And there is an old fighter jet, (or there was for years) at about the 10,000 ft level on Mt Graham....crashed there in 1946 or so and wasn't found for 30 years. The remains of the pilot and copilot were still strapped in when snowshoeers found it in 1976. As far as I know the plane is still there but is inaccessible because it is in the Red Squirrel Refugium restricted area.

Okaaaay.....

Looks like my memory of the story was a bit off....but not too much..

Here is the link to the story.

Mystery high in the pines on Mt. Graham - Eastern Arizona Courier: Opinion

[curly5759]

I have heard of a family that perished along devil's highway in the late 1800's. The gravesite is marked by stones and a large 8. Haven't been able to find much information on it, supposed to be about 8 miles east of the Tinajas Altas (sp?). I've traveled that road many times, never heard of it until recently.

This was the only reference I could find. (Searched 'Circle of 8', Devil's highway)
Last Water on the Devil's Highway: A Cultural and Natural History of Tinajas ... - Bill Broyles, Gayle Harrison Hartmann, Thomas E. Sheridan, Gary Paul Nabhan - Google Books

Curly