Young Hikers Missing in Joshua Tree Since Thursday [7/27/17]

[cynthia23]

A young LA couple are missing at Joshua Tree. Their car was found in the park near the Maze Loop and their cell phone last pinged on Thursday in the park. They were supposed to check out of their motel on Friday morning but never returned.

Really hope and pray the rescue teams find them soon. The couple were only day hikers and were not prepared to overnight. It's very hot. Their situation must be dire by now. My thoughts are with the rescue teams.


http://www.kesq.com/news/top-stories/se ... /595405421

[cynthia23]

Correction, I meant to type 'the Maze Loop'. I have never done it, but reading about it, sounds, unfortunately, well named.

[Wildhorse]

It is a beautiful area. Not hard to hike, except that it is easy to lose the trail and surely would be very hot in the sun on a summer day. Several years ago I had the pleasure of getting lost there, but the air was cool that day, and my gps bailed me out. The nolinas were in bloom, huge and spectacular blooms.

I hope this young couple has somehow survived.

[Ellen]

Oh no

[zippetydude]

It fills my heart with dread to hear this. I'm convinced we need to institute an army of drones to search for lost hikers. They could be coordinated and cover vast areas in just a few minutes. This couple would be home by now if the available technology were employed to its maximum potential. It would also be an excellent way to assist SAR in pinpointing the location of people they were going to rescue. Hope these two are okay and just hunkered down against the heat...time is running short though.

z

[Sally]

Oh no! That sounds like a very dire situation. Hoping and praying.

[cynthia23]

Latest as of 5pm Monday, no real news, though they have found 'intermittent footprints' according to KESQ. Yes, Zip, drones could certainly be of use in this situation. In a way, though, I'm puzzled that the rescue teams can't find them. The couple, who don't seem to be regular hikers, can't have walked that far, even if they went in a straight line for the past two days--their fatigue level must be so high they're barely moving, and the radius around their car must be fairly limited. I really, really hope they are found today.

[zippetydude]

...or tonight. If they kept their wits about them and saved a little bit of battery in their phones, it is far easier to spot a light in the darkness than a hiker on the desert floor. Hoping for the best now that a full search has been mobilized.

z

[cynthia23]

That's a smart idea, Zip. There is so much knowledge on this board about Joshua Tree--the Bill Ewasko thread (about hiker missing in JT since 2010) is 54 pages! I can't help feeling that some of these folks could help in this search effort, not necessarily physically, but with their knowledge of JT and their intensive study of the matter.

[Wildhorse]

News reports now say that some of the SAR volunteers have required rescue themselves because of heat problems. They also report the use of technology in the search including heat seeking instruments used from aircraft.