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There was information posted earlier in the thread, saying that people living nearby would go running there before work a few times a week, so it can't be too difficult terrain, IF you stay on the trail.
People get lost out there all the time. Just last month and injured woman nearly died after spending four days out there before rescuers finally found her.
Quote:
Nobody could hear me scream.' Injured hiker in Joshua Tree was trapped for days
While visiting the California desert in mid-May, Claire Nelson went for a hike in Joshua Tree National Park. Four days later, she left the park — injured and in a helicopter, after she was finally found by rescue teams.
"I nearly died this week," Nelson later tweeted.
Nelson told the Desert Sun that about two hours into her hike early in the morning on May 22, she sat on a large boulder, trying to find where she was on the trail. After she figured it out, she tried to get down from the boulder — but she fell, she tweeted.
I agree, we're now just going in circles. This case is going to remain a mystery.
It's interesting how quickly the Bed and Breakfast owner raised an alarm, and it's interesting how far they were from the trail.
Also curious that Law Enforcement states it appeared they were "rationing food". I would think they might have brought a couple granola bars and a snack sack of grapes at the most. It was intended to be a morning hike. I'm trying to imagine what evidence there might be that they were "rationing food".
Anyway, very sad case, and I agree with you that there's really no way to know what happened.
Right. They only had a few snacks. The search parties found a couple of candy wrappers along the trail, and some other minor items of trash. It was only planned as a morning hike, so they didn't bring an actual meal, like a sack lunch. In fact, one article from the time of the investigation said that a friend of Orbezo's said he & the friend had driven through the nearby town, taking a look at what kind of restaurants were there. They'd probably planned a morning hike, to be followed by lunch in town.
I don't think it is strange how quickly the B&B reported them missing. They were there in July 27, the B&B noted on July 28 that they had not come back. After a day of a couple just not returning at all, it makes sense to wonder if something is up. JMO.
because of the condition of the bodies, sheriff’s officials said it would be difficult to determine exactly when the two died, whether it was soon after they were reported missing, or a few days or weeks after that.
Right. By the time they were found, it was impossible to tell. They planned a morning hike, based on the bed and breakfast owner's concern. That's what they communicated to the BnB's owner.
I guess I don't know why their exact time of death is relevant at all to what happened to them?
The plan that they expressed was, to go for a morning hike. They were found months later, after a very very aggressive search pretty much ended, deceased in an area that was difficult to get to and experienced searchers completely missed. They were so far from the trail that no one searching for them could locate them, including his father, who searched for weeks.
I was reading an article from a man who says he hikes JT regularly and that it is easy to accidentally veer off the trails as they are not clearly marked. It's sand and low brush.
It's easy to wander off use trails or old tracks. It takes a special determination to get lost on the posted, maintained park trails. It takes even more determination not to be able to find your way back to them if you do wander off of them. In the area of the maze, if you get lost then you should climb to the top of a nearby rock formation. Almost all can be climbed to an overlook. A paved road runs south of the maze, bisecting the park. A major highway runs north of the maze, just beyond the park boundary. Both see constant traffic. And there's cell phone reception at most highpoints.
Food is not really an issue. People can survive many days without food. It's the water that matters. Still, in the area of the Maze it's impossible to be more than two miles from a major road, picnic area, or developed campsite. I've been there before, including this year. I've also been far deeper in the Joshua Tree backcountry. Bring a map and know how to use it - it's not that hard. Bring a compass (every smartphone has one). And even deep in the backcountry, when I was up a couple thousand feet on a mountain side, much further from a cell tower than the Maze? I had reception.
It's a fairly developed part of a national park within a few miles of cities of 10,000+ people. We're not talking the Alaska bush here. People just don't think. They lose their wits, act foolishly, and die.
Investigators and searchers have no indication that Orbeso may have been planning to hurt Nguyen, Bachman said.
“I’m not aware of anyone coming forward to offer information that Rachel was in any danger or that there was anything planned to cause harm to her,” she said.
It had been previously reported the pair was embracing when they were found Sunday. “It did appear that way, but we’ll really never know,” Bachman said on Friday.
Right. By the time they were found, it was impossible to tell. They planned a morning hike, based on the bed and breakfast owner's concern. That's what they communicated to the BnB's owner.
I guess I don't know why their exact time of death is relevant at all to what happened to them?
The plan that they expressed was, to go for a morning hike. They were found months later, after a very very aggressive search pretty much ended, deceased in an area that was difficult to get to and experienced searchers completely missed. They were so far from the trail that no one searching for them could locate them, including his father, who searched for weeks.
This doesn't seem purposeful to you?
It doesn't seem weird to you that she would willingly follow this guy to some really remote area of the park, carrying just one morning's worth of snacks and water?
It sounds much more to me that they were lost.
Why the timing is relevant - I was not the one who initially brought up the timing and made it relevant but I *think* the point was attempting to postulate that he killed her pretty much immediately, because it had been his plan all along to kill her. We don't have support for that at all, though.
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