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Whoever said murder suicide first was probably right. Maybe the guy was holding the girl in place. If the Maze is as people describe then it makes more sense.
They could have done drugs in the hotel room. They wouldn't have needed to go out into the desert .
I grew up in the Mojave Desert, which is where Joshua Tree is, and people are dumb-dumb-dumb about desert survival, especially city dwellers and Europeans; the latter are especially fascinated by the desert, as there is nothing like it where they live. So...
1. WATER. Lots of it, you can never have enough. Desert air is very dry. You will get dehydrated quickly, in cold or hot temperatures. A teeny little bottle of water will not sustain you.
2. Do not hike in the summer, in the heat of the day. Temperatures easily reach 110F or above. How stupid is that?
3. Joshua Tree is high desert, which gets very cold, sometimes below freezing, in the winter. Death due to hypothermia in winter is not uncommon. It does not get cold on summer desert nights...in fact, if you get lost or disoriented in the desert during the summer, night is when you should be trying to find your way back.
4. Don’t wander around in the old mines unless you’re an accomplished spelunker with appropriate equipment.
5. Don’t take drugs, then go out into the desert for a “spiritual experience”. Being in the desert sober is plenty spiritual.
When I was growing up, a lot of guys in our town belonged to the volunteer desert rescue squad, & they had crazy stories about helping people who came to the desert completely unprepared, & had to be saved, or died, mostly because they were uneducated & unprepared.
Whoever said murder suicide first was probably right. Maybe the guy was holding the girl in place. If the Maze is as people describe then it makes more sense.
They could have done drugs in the hotel room. They wouldn't have needed to go out into the desert .
Perhaps they wanted "enjoy" the desert while in a drugged induced state.
Perhaps they wanted "enjoy" the desert while in a drugged induced state.
Really, really dumb idea, during a major heat wave in an area already known for very high temperatures.
I'm guessing by their attempt to make a cellphone call the afternoon of their departure for the park, that they were already in trouble that same day. If they survived the night, they'd probably have died at some point the next day.
These hikers went missing on July 27th. The nearest city to the Maze is Twentynine Palms, which saw a high of 106 F on that day. That date has an average high of 103 F. Not exactly a heat wave.
But here's the thing: Twentynine Palms is about 10 miles ENE of the Maze. Furthermore, its elevation is 2000' above sea level. Why is that relevant? Because in the desert, temperatures tend to be higher at lower elevations (it's no coincidence that Death Valley is both the lowest place and the hottest place in North America). The Maze's trailhead is located at 4000', while most of the Maze itself is around 4200'.
So I went looking for a closer weather station, and I found one. It is 2 miles NW of the Maze at an elevation of 3370', and saw a high of 99 F and a low of 72 F on July 27th of this year. The following three days saw highs of 97 F, 97 F again, and finally 100 F. https://www.wunderground.com/persona...d?ID=KCAJOSHU9
Note again that this weather reading was taken over 600' lower than the Maze, which means that temperatures there were probably 3-4 degrees lower. While a bit too warm for my tastes, those prattling on about how this was insane weather in which to be out hiking need to take a deep breath and inform themselves. A half gallon of water apiece, very basic map-reading skills, and some extremely simply common sense (ie, proceed downhill, wait until night - I checked, and moonset wasn't until after 11pm that night, so there would have been some light - scramble out of the canyon for a better vantage - no, these are not slot canyons with sheer walls) and they'd have been just fine.
Simply put, the idea that it was insane to be out hiking in temperatures 'soaring' into the mid-90s is absurd. Cluelessness killed these two individuals. For properly prepared individuals who have even average backcountry skills, that hike under those conditions was perfectly reasonable.
These hikers went missing on July 27th. The nearest city to the Maze is Twentynine Palms, which saw a high of 106 F on that day. That date has an average high of 103 F. Not exactly a heat wave.
But here's the thing: Twentynine Palms is about 10 miles ENE of the Maze. Furthermore, its elevation is 2000' above sea level. Why is that relevant? Because in the desert, temperatures tend to be higher at lower elevations (it's no coincidence that Death Valley is both the lowest place and the hottest place in North America). The Maze's trailhead is located at 4000', while most of the Maze itself is around 4200'.
So I went looking for a closer weather station, and I found one. It is 2 miles NW of the Maze at an elevation of 3370', and saw a high of 99 F and a low of 72 F on July 27th of this year. The following three days saw highs of 97 F, 97 F again, and finally 100 F. https://www.wunderground.com/persona...d?ID=KCAJOSHU9
Note again that this weather reading was taken over 600' lower than the Maze, which means that temperatures there were probably 3-4 degrees lower. While a bit too warm for my tastes, those prattling on about how this was insane weather in which to be out hiking need to take a deep breath and inform themselves. A half gallon of water apiece, very basic map-reading skills, and some extremely simply common sense (ie, proceed downhill, wait until night - I checked, and moonset wasn't until after 11pm that night, so there would have been some light - scramble out of the canyon for a better vantage - no, these are not slot canyons with sheer walls) and they'd have been just fine.
Simply put, the idea that it was insane to be out hiking in temperatures 'soaring' into the mid-90s is absurd. Cluelessness killed these two individuals. For properly prepared individuals who have even average backcountry skills, that hike under those conditions was perfectly reasonable.
This is interesting info, thanks for doing the research, and sharing it. But they would have had no idea that it would be cooler on the trail than in their hotel. So it was still reckless of them to make their plans. Not to mention, adding drugs into the equation.
These hikers went missing on July 27th. The nearest city to the Maze is Twentynine Palms, which saw a high of 106 F on that day. That date has an average high of 103 F. Not exactly a heat wave.
But here's the thing: Twentynine Palms is about 10 miles ENE of the Maze. Furthermore, its elevation is 2000' above sea level. Why is that relevant? Because in the desert, temperatures tend to be higher at lower elevations (it's no coincidence that Death Valley is both the lowest place and the hottest place in North America). The Maze's trailhead is located at 4000', while most of the Maze itself is around 4200'.
So I went looking for a closer weather station, and I found one. It is 2 miles NW of the Maze at an elevation of 3370', and saw a high of 99 F and a low of 72 F on July 27th of this year. The following three days saw highs of 97 F, 97 F again, and finally 100 F. https://www.wunderground.com/persona...d?ID=KCAJOSHU9
Note again that this weather reading was taken over 600' lower than the Maze, which means that temperatures there were probably 3-4 degrees lower. While a bit too warm for my tastes, those prattling on about how this was insane weather in which to be out hiking need to take a deep breath and inform themselves. A half gallon of water apiece, very basic map-reading skills, and some extremely simply common sense (ie, proceed downhill, wait until night - I checked, and moonset wasn't until after 11pm that night, so there would have been some light - scramble out of the canyon for a better vantage - no, these are not slot canyons with sheer walls) and they'd have been just fine.
Simply put, the idea that it was insane to be out hiking in temperatures 'soaring' into the mid-90s is absurd. Cluelessness killed these two individuals. For properly prepared individuals who have even average backcountry skills, that hike under those conditions was perfectly reasonable.
um, 99 degrees in the summer desert heat is HOT. 95 degrees in the summer desert heat is HOT. i don't know if there were clouds that day, but if there weren't, with sun beating down on you and it's in the 90's it is hot out there.
found this from on online article a couple days after they were reported missing:
"Several search-and-rescue personnel experienced medical issues due to sweltering conditions Tuesday in the Joshua Tree area, where the high temperature was expected to reach 100 degrees."
another article from another source:
"The search was suspended on Tuesday afternoon due to the heat, but has been restarted as of Wednesday, reports City News Service. Land added to CNS that it is "highly unusual" to have hikers missing for so many days, and cautions that survival in such heat over an extended period of time is unlikely."
everywhere that i am reading there are quotes from SAR about the heat conditions when they disappeared and in the days following. why would they all be saying that if it wasn't really that hot?
With civilization being about only 10 miles away wouldn't they be within range of cell service?
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A word about 'soaring temperatures'...
into the mid-90s is absurd. Cluelessness killed these two individuals. For properly prepared individuals who have even average backcountry skills, that hike under those conditions was perfectly reasonable.
