Well, now, hold on. Maybe Bill's last position actually does make sense and is rational.
Follow my logic, below, and what I've mapped here:
https://caltopo.com/m/1VLTC1. Bill goes to Quail Mtn.
2. Bill goes down Johnny Lang Canyon to Quail Springs Road. Maybe he's a little low on water, but he really wants to see Smith Water Canyon, so he heads west.
3. The further he goes, the lower he gets on water, but he really wants to see Smith Water Canyon. Bill says to himself, "Hey! I know! Smith
Water Canyon. I don't need to abort. I've read that there's reliable water there." And indeed there is water in Smith Water Canyon, but it's not anywhere near the mouth. It's two miles up canyon. The mouth, where Bill is headed, is as dry as a bone.
4. Bill arrives at Smith Water Canyon and has an "oh, sh!t" moment. There's not a drop of water. But Bill keeps a cool head and takes a look at his map. Now, here's where my interest in maps really comes in. What does he see? Let's say he has a map that shows the Bigfoot and Creosote Trails. He knows he needs to get the heck out of there or he's a dead man. What's the shortest way out of here? He sees two routes out, routes that separate at what I've labled "Decision Pt." Park Blvd (and salvation) is on the order of 2.5 miles via the Bigfoot and Creosote Trails whereas it is a shade over 3 miles via the Quail Spgs Road. He sets out on the Bigfoot Trail. On the NPS 1:24,000, there's a little gap where there's no trail between Quail Spgs Rd and the Bigfoot Trail, but there's a wash clearly marked on the map that leads straight there. Bill's route in paralleled that wash, so he knows it's big, and anyone who has spent time cross country hiking in Joshua Tree knows that those washes are like highways in the desert. On the National Geographic "Trails Illustrated" Joshua Tree map, the aformentioned wash is listed
as a trail and even has the mileage marked at 0.6 mi. I think it is entirely plausible that Bill might pick the Bigfoot Trail as his escape route.
5. En route, one of the below occurs:
- He sees a SAR chopper and climbs NW, hoping to be seen.
- He realizes that he's might not make it, sees a close by high point and climbs to see if he can get cell signal.
- He wants to be 100% sure he's on track, so he climbs to get oriented.
6. Alas, the clock has run out on Bill Ewasko, and he perishes, possibly as close as 750' from a known hiking trail. Whatever the precise distance, he's less than a quarter mile from the trail, and he only had to climb maybe 150 vertical feet to get there, which really is very doable if you look at the slope.
7. The exact timing of Bill's demise is not known, but whether living or dead, his cell phone miraculously gets signal long enough for the infamous ping to occur on Sunday.
Now, is this latest theory a foregone conclusion? Absolutely not. For one thing, we still haven't gotten the coroner's report. For another, @otherhand has not yet had a chance to to view the site. And of course, we don't yet know precisely Bill's final location.
However, the one thing my possibly crack pot theory does explain is why Bill went north when he was in trouble. If he made it out to the vicinity of Smith Water Canyon, the shortest way out is via the Bigfoot Trail. If looked at from that perspective, suddenly
Bill's location makes sense. I might very well choose the same bail out route were I rational and in trouble.
I sure would like to know what maps he had on his person, but if he had the free topo map that the park service gives out of that area, Indian Cove 1:24,000, or the National Geographic "Trails Illustrated" Joshua Tree map, then this is a very possible, rational scenario.
HJ