Speaker 1: Hello friends, Steve Stockton here with you. Welcome to our
Speaker 1: latest episode. In this video, we'll take a look at legends, stories,
Speaker 1: and the missing from Joshua Tree National Park. Join me,
Speaker 1: let's walk and see.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California, east
Speaker 1: of Los Angeles and close to Palm Springs. The park
Speaker 1: is named after the Joshua trees native to the Mojave Desert.
Speaker 1: It spans across San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. It encomps
Speaker 1: as portions of two deserts, with each ecosystem's characteristics primarily
Speaker 1: determined by its elevation, the higher Mohave Desert in the
Speaker 1: lower Colorado Desert. Additionally, the Little San Bernardino Mountains run
Speaker 1: along the southwest border of the park. According to the
Speaker 1: National Park Service, humans having inhabited the Joshua Trey area
Speaker 1: for over five thousand years. However, in the late nineteen twenties,
Speaker 1: new roads were built into the desert, leading to an
Speaker 1: influx of land developers and cactus poachers. Minerva Hoyt, a
Speaker 1: resident of Pasadena who was passionate about desert plants, became
Speaker 1: concerned about removing cacti and other plants for use in
Speaker 1: Los Angeles Gardens. She tirelessly worked towards protecting this area,
Speaker 1: which ultimately led to the designation of eight hundred and
Speaker 1: twenty five thousand acres as Joshua Tree National Monument in
Speaker 1: nineteen thirty six. Before nineteen forty, the superintendent of Yosemite
Speaker 1: National Park administrated this monument. However, James Cole became the
Speaker 1: first superintendent in nineteen forty. The National Park Service received
Speaker 1: the eastern park of the historic Oasis of Mara in
Speaker 1: nineteen fifty, which the twenty nine Palms Corporation deeded. The
Speaker 1: monument was reduced by two hundred and sixty five thousand
Speaker 1: acres in the same year to exclude mining property. On
Speaker 1: October thirty one, nineteen ninety four, Joshua Tree National Monument
Speaker 1: was upgraded to park status as a part of the
Speaker 1: Desert Protection Bill. An additional two hundred and thirty four
Speaker 1: thousand acres were added to the park, with a new
Speaker 1: boundary following natural features such as entire mountain ranges instead
Speaker 1: of survey lines. This change provides better resource protection, easier
Speaker 1: boundary identification and monitoring, and essential habitat for desert big
Speaker 1: horns sheep. The park's elevations range from below five hundred
Speaker 1: and thirty six feet to a high a five eight
Speaker 1: hundred and fourteen feet at Cuayle Mountain. In nineteen seventy six,
Speaker 1: Congish declared four hundred and twenty thousand acres within Joshua
Speaker 1: Tree National Park as wilderness. Out of the total seven
Speaker 1: hundred ninety two, six hundred and twenty three acres of
Speaker 1: the park's area, five hundred ninety one thousand, six hundred
Speaker 1: and twenty four or are designated as wilderness. The park
Speaker 1: provides shelter to eight hundred and thirteen higher plant species,
Speaker 1: forty six reptile species, fifty seven mammal species, and over
Speaker 1: two hundred and fifty bird species. According to the Federal Register,
Speaker 1: the desert tortoise is listed is threatened, the triple ribbed
Speaker 1: milkvetch is endangered, and Parish's daisy is threatened. Furthermore, forty
Speaker 1: nine plant species are protected within the park. Joshua Tree
Speaker 1: has one paleontological area, with potentially eight more. The park
Speaker 1: has taken measures to preserve over seven hundred archaeological sites,
Speaker 1: eighty eight historic structures, and nineteen cultural landscapes. It also
Speaker 1: holds a museum collection of two hundred and thirty thousand,
Speaker 1: three hundred items. National Park Service officials say that Joshua
Speaker 1: Tree National Park is most comfortable to visit during the
Speaker 1: fall and spring seasons. The highs during these seasons usually
Speaker 1: range from seventy to eighty five degrees fahrenheit, while the
Speaker 1: lows are around fifty degrees fahrenheit. In the winter, the
Speaker 1: temperture drops below freezing at night, and the highs are
Speaker 1: usually around sixty fahrenheit. There can be occasional snow at
Speaker 1: higher elevations. Summers are hot, with highs reurching over one
Speaker 1: hundred degrees fahrenheit and the low around seventy five degrees
Speaker 1: fahrenheit at night. It's important to note that the park
Speaker 1: is busy during springtime and holidays, so it can get crowded.
Speaker 1: Joshua Tree is also prone to strong winds and flash
Speaker 1: flooding during any season. It takes around forty five minutes
Speaker 1: to drive from the west entrance in Joshua Tree to
Speaker 1: the north entrance in twenty nine Palms. If you're driving
Speaker 1: from the north entrance to the south entrance, the drive
Speaker 1: will take approximately one hour and If you're driving from
Speaker 1: the West entrance to the South entrance, the drive will
Speaker 1: take roughly an hour and a half. The National Park
Speaker 1: Service is responsible for maintaining one hundred and ninety nine
Speaker 1: miles of roads, of which ninety three miles are paved
Speaker 1: and one hundred and six miles are unpaved. The park
Speaker 1: has nine campgrounds comprising five hundred and twenty three camp
Speaker 1: sites and two horse camps. There are ten picnic areas
Speaker 1: with thirty picnic sites. The park can be accessed through
Speaker 1: any of the thirty two available trailheads, where visitors can
Speaker 1: explore them one hundred ninety one miles of hiking trails
Speaker 1: offered by the park. The National Park Service warns that
Speaker 1: cell phone reception in the park is limited and should
Speaker 1: not be relied upon. Republic li Fi is available at
Speaker 1: the Black Rock Visitor Center, the Joshua Tree Visitor Center,
Speaker 1: and the Joshua Tree Cultural Center. Visitors should consider downloading
Speaker 1: the official National Park Service app before entering the park,
Speaker 1: which allows access to offline maps for free. Joshua Tree
Speaker 1: National Park is also an International Dark Sky Park. It's
Speaker 1: an ideal location for visitors to witness the mesmerizing beauty
Speaker 1: of the Milky Way, which is often a unique and
Speaker 1: unforgettable experience. On a clear and moonless night, you should
Speaker 1: have no difficulty viewing the stars from any part of
Speaker 1: the park. However, it is important to note that light
Speaker 1: pollution from surrounding areas affects the nights guise of Joshua Tree,
Speaker 1: causing some areas of the park to be darker than others.
Speaker 1: Now here's some safety tips for visiting Joshua Tree National Park.
Speaker 1: It's vital to be mindful of the following tips and
Speaker 1: safety suggestions from the National Park Service. Cell Phone service
Speaker 1: coverage is extremely limited inside the park, Therefore, relying on
Speaker 1: your cell phone in an emergency is not advisable. However,
Speaker 1: if you are in an area with cell phone service,
Speaker 1: you can down nine to one one or called nine
Speaker 1: zero nine three eight three five six five to one
Speaker 1: for assistance. You can also use emergency phones at the
Speaker 1: Indian Cove Ranger Station, Intersection Rock Parking Lot, or the
Speaker 1: Cottonwood Visitor Center. High temperatures, intense sunlight, and low humidity
Speaker 1: characterize summer.
Speaker 2: In the desert.
Speaker 1: Drinking at least one gallon of water daily is essential
Speaker 1: to avoid dehydration. Visit to the park should bring enough
Speaker 1: water with them for their visit. However, nottable water is
Speaker 1: available to visitor center in twenty nine palms at park headquarters,
Speaker 1: at Indian Cove Ranger Station, Cottonwood Campground, black Rock Campground,
Speaker 1: and the West Entrance Station. Always travel with extra water
Speaker 1: in your vehicle. Snacking on salty food items on a
Speaker 1: hot day can help replace electrolytes lost through sweating. Protect
Speaker 1: yourself from the sun by wearing loose fitting, light colored clothing,
Speaker 1: a wide brimmed hat, and sunglasses. Remember to apply sunscreen
Speaker 1: to all exposed skin to prevent sunburn. It's also crucial
Speaker 1: to remember that any wild animal can be dangerous if approached. Additionally,
Speaker 1: these animals might carry lethal diseases. Therefore, as best of
Speaker 1: either from a distance or from the safety of your car,
Speaker 1: please avoid approaching them to take pictures and educate children
Speaker 1: not to chase or pick up animals. Feeding wildlife is
Speaker 1: not recommended, as it can harm the animals and cause
Speaker 1: them to become aggressive toward humans. To prevent animals from
Speaker 1: consuming your food, store it in hard siding containers or
Speaker 1: in your vehicle. Catching a glimpse of wildlife in the
Speaker 1: park is always an exhilarating experience. However, it's essential to
Speaker 1: remember that the park is their natural habitat and we
Speaker 1: must ensure it they can live without disturbances. The park
Speaker 1: is home to venomous animals such as rattlesnakes, scorpions and
Speaker 1: black woodow spiders. Therefore, when hiking or climbing, look before
Speaker 1: placing your hands or feet and avoid stepping or reaching
Speaker 1: into places you cannot see. Bees can be dangerous. If
Speaker 1: their hives are threatened, they may attack, so staying away
Speaker 1: and listening for buzzing is best. Bees are attracted to moisture,
Speaker 1: including human sweat, and are particularly active in the dry summer.
Speaker 1: Don't swat at them. Keep food and drinks inside your
Speaker 1: vehicle and roll up your windows. Be cautious when exiting
Speaker 1: your car. Bees will collect water from any available source
Speaker 1: to regulate their hives temperature. If you're allergic to bees,
Speaker 1: visit windb activity is low in winter, and always carry medication.
Speaker 2: It's crucial to.
Speaker 1: Remain vigilant when driving on park roads, as they are
Speaker 1: narrow curving and have soft sandy shoulders. Make sure to
Speaker 1: follow the posted speed limits, as many wild animals have
Speaker 1: been killed by speeding cars, use pull outs or parking
Speaker 1: lots instead of stopping in the travel light when viewing
Speaker 1: scenery or wildlife. Off road driving is prohibited in case
Speaker 1: you experienced car trouble. Stay with your vehicle is essential
Speaker 1: to exercise caution and prepare for storms and flash floods.
Speaker 1: Avoid canyons and washes during rainstorms, and be ready to
Speaker 1: move to higher ground if necessary to stay safe. Now
Speaker 1: here's some legends and paranormal activity from Joshua Tree. First up,
Speaker 1: the Yuka Man. There have been many alleged sightings of
Speaker 1: mysterious desert creatures.
Speaker 2: And around the Mohave.
Speaker 1: These get even different names, such as the Mojave Bigfoot,
Speaker 1: the Sierra Highway Devil, and Marvin of the Mojave. The
Speaker 1: Yucka Man, as he's commonly known, is a desert adapted
Speaker 1: sasquatch and is sent in habits southern California, Nevada, and Arizona.
Speaker 1: He has been seen in the Antelope Valley area since
Speaker 1: the nineteen seventies. Next, the Barker Damn Trail. The Barker
Speaker 1: Damn Trail is a brief hike that leads to an
Speaker 1: old water source used by Native Americans in the past.
Speaker 1: According to local legends, the trail is believed to be
Speaker 1: haunted by the spirits of the Chimmy Wavy people who
Speaker 1: were displaced from the area by European settlers. The Chimmy
Speaker 1: Wavy held the area in high regard, believing it to
Speaker 1: be sacred, and the spirits of their ancestors are rumored
Speaker 1: to reside there still. Watch for unusual rock formations as
Speaker 1: you hike along this trail. Some hikers have reported feeling
Speaker 1: a sense of peace or reverence, as if they were
Speaker 1: in the presence of something sacred. Others claim to I've
Speaker 1: seen ghostly apparitions are heard channing in the distance. Next
Speaker 1: we have the Wall Street Mill Trail. The Wall Street
Speaker 1: Mill Trail is an intermediate hike that leads you through
Speaker 1: a fascinating gold mining area. The mine was used to
Speaker 1: process gold oor and was abandoned in the nineteen forties.
Speaker 1: Some people believe that the spirits of the mill's former
Speaker 1: workers still haunt the area. We alert for shadowy figures
Speaker 1: or unusual lights when exploring the old mill. Several hikers
Speaker 1: have reported feeling uneasy, as though they were being watched.
Speaker 1: Some have even heard whiskers and footsteps coming from the
Speaker 1: empty mill. Next, we have the Lost horse Mine Trail.
Speaker 1: The Lost horse Mine Trail takes you to the remains
Speaker 1: of an old gold mine. It's believed that the mine
Speaker 1: is haunted by the ghost of a miner who died
Speaker 1: in a tragic mining accident. Legend says the spirit still
Speaker 1: ROAs the area searching for lost gold. The Lost horse
Speaker 1: Mine Trail has a chilling reputation. Many hikers have felled
Speaker 1: a cold breeze even to men hot summer temperatures. Others
Speaker 1: have reported hearing pick axes striking rocks with no one
Speaker 1: else is nearby. Lastly, we have Graham Parsons. Country rock
Speaker 1: musician Graham Parsons passed away just outside Joshua Tree National
Speaker 1: Park at the Joshua Tree Inn. However, as for his
Speaker 1: last request, his friend stole his body off the tarmac
Speaker 1: at lax and disposed of it by burning it under
Speaker 1: the overhang at Cap Rock. If you'd like to hear
Speaker 1: more about the legend of Graham Parsons and his goings
Speaker 1: on in Joshua Tree, one of his favorite places, check
Speaker 1: out my book National Park Mysteries and Disappearances, Volume two,
Speaker 1: California from our own experiences at the Joshua Tree Inn.
Speaker 1: Now we have the missing, the found, and tragedies in
Speaker 1: Joshua Tree National Park. First up, we have Anna Nuna.
Speaker 1: In January twenty twenty three, fifty eight year old avid
Speaker 1: adventure and hiker Anna Nuno of Lakewood, California, fell and
Speaker 1: hit her head and rat Snake Canyon, an area inside
Speaker 1: the Indian Cove district of Joshua Tree National Park. Authority
Speaker 1: said how Anna felt was unclear, but there was no
Speaker 1: suspicion of foul play. Bark rangers and search and rescue
Speaker 1: volunteers responded to Anna's aid after receiving notification by cell
Speaker 1: phone of an injured hiker. However, she sadly succumbed to
Speaker 1: her head trauma, according to the Desert Sun News. According
Speaker 1: to the Los Angeles Times, Rattlesnake Canyon features a two
Speaker 1: point six mile trail near twenty nine Palms that takes
Speaker 1: just over an hour to complete. The Sheriff's Office reported
Speaker 1: that Rattlesnake Canyon and the Wonderland of Rocks area are
Speaker 1: challenging to navigate due to their remoteness, difficult terrain, and
Speaker 1: lack of cell phone service.
Speaker 2: Kiki knew.
Speaker 1: No Anna's daughter said, our mother was a kind, caring
Speaker 1: and giving person who always put the needs of her
Speaker 1: family before her own. She was a strong woman who
Speaker 1: faced every challenge in her life with courage and dignity.
Speaker 1: Our mother was a source of inspiration to assault and
Speaker 1: will be deeply missed by everyone who's lives she touched.
Speaker 1: Next up Trammel Evans. According to the National Park Service,
Speaker 1: twenty five year old Avid Trammel Evans was last seen
Speaker 1: on April thirty, twenty twenty three, when he was dropped
Speaker 1: off at the Black Rock Campground in the northwest corner
Speaker 1: of Joshua Tree National Park. Trammell planned to hike from
Speaker 1: black Rock to Geology Tour Road, then back to black
Speaker 1: Rock by the California Riding and Hiking Trail. National Park
Speaker 1: Service official set in a news release. He was supposed
Speaker 1: to be picked up on May five at eleven am
Speaker 1: my Friend, but he was not there and was reported missing.
Speaker 1: Park Service officials initiated a search and rescue on May five,
Speaker 1: twenty twenty three. The search team consisted of highly trained trackers, searchers,
Speaker 1: and climbers, premier with the area and aerial searches.
Speaker 2: Park official set.
Speaker 1: Trammel's mother, Amy Evans, has received unconfirmed tips that he
Speaker 1: has been spoted alive in Slab City and Wonder Valley.
Speaker 1: These sightings remained unconfirmed by the families. PRI investigator. Sadly,
Speaker 1: Trammel is still missing at the time of this video.
Speaker 1: He's described as being six foot three inches tall and
Speaker 1: weighing one hundred ninety pounds. He has reddish brown hair,
Speaker 1: brown eyes, and facial hair. He was last seen wearing
Speaker 1: a silver, white and gray sun hoodie, a black Patagonia
Speaker 1: puffy vest, blue shorts, blue shoes, a black Arii backpack,
Speaker 1: an egg crate style sleeping pad, a dark green beanie,
Speaker 1: and a Patagonia fanny pack. Anyone with information regarding Trammell's
Speaker 1: disappearance or whereabouts is asked to contact the National Park
Speaker 1: Service at eight eight eight sixty five three zero zero
Speaker 1: ninety nine four. You can call nine zero nine three
Speaker 1: eight three five six five two. Next up, we have
Speaker 1: Michael Spitz. On January sixteenth, twenty twenty two, thirty five
Speaker 1: year old teacher Michael Spence of San Diego, California, was
Speaker 1: three solo climbing one hund and foot illusion dweller in
Speaker 1: Joshua Tree National Park. The following day, around nine fifty am,
Speaker 1: two hikers found him deceeized at the base of the
Speaker 1: central wall near the Hidden Valley nature trail, according to
Speaker 1: The Desert Sun and according to the Times of San Diego.
Speaker 1: A Facebook post from Santa Fe Christian Schools in Salona Beach,
Speaker 1: where Michael worked as a Spanish teacher, described him as
Speaker 1: a multi sport adventure athlete, lifelong surfer, avid rock climber,
Speaker 1: licensed skydiver, backpacker, and lover of books and coffee. The
Speaker 1: medical examiners often stated that he sustained an unspecified injury
Speaker 1: around five point thirty pm on Sunday. According to the
Speaker 1: Times of San Diego, officials estimate that Michael fell at
Speaker 1: least eighty feet. According to Owen Clark of climbing dot Com,
Speaker 1: Brian Ja Lad, Michael's friend of eight years, said Illusion
Speaker 1: Dweller was one of Michael's favorite climbs in Joshua Tree.
Speaker 1: He loved the route. He was working on a climb nearby,
Speaker 1: leave it to beaver having to warm up on Illusion Dweller.
Speaker 2: He was very comfortable with it.
Speaker 1: Next Tina land Fiori on March twenty sixth, twenty twenty two,
Speaker 1: fifty one year old Tina land Fiori, a climber from
Speaker 1: Riverside County, California, went climbing with two others in an
Speaker 1: area known as Turkey Tear and Joshua Tree National Park
Speaker 1: after celebrating a friend's birthday. According to The Desert Sun,
Speaker 1: Matt Hemilstein, who was part of Tina's three person climbing team,
Speaker 1: told The Desert Sun that the trio was top roping,
Speaker 1: a climbing method involving string air rope through a permanent
Speaker 1: anchor system at the top of the climb. The rope
Speaker 1: acts as a safety mechanism that supports a climber's weight
Speaker 1: if they fall. A second person assistant gathering slack at
Speaker 1: the bottom of the climb and serving as a counterweight.
Speaker 1: Matt explained to The Desert Sun that climbing equipment, such
Speaker 1: as a type of nylon rope known as webbing, is
Speaker 1: often left attached to the permanent anchors at the top
Speaker 1: of a climb. Tina just ended up being the last
Speaker 1: person in the day to I'm up there, he said.
Speaker 1: She got to the top and told us that she
Speaker 1: had secured herself so the person down at the bottom
Speaker 1: was no longer doing that safety work. Matt told the
Speaker 1: Desert Son that Tina ran her safety rope through nylon
Speaker 1: webbing left by someone who had previously climbed route. The
Speaker 1: desert does not kind to nylon, so I can't tell
Speaker 1: you how old it was, he said. But it doesn't
Speaker 1: take a whole lot. It doesn't take a whole lot
Speaker 1: of time sitting in the sun, baking and also getting
Speaker 1: rained on, being frozen and all that stuff. When Tina
Speaker 1: leaned back to repel down the rocks, the weathered webbing
Speaker 1: gave way and she fell to her death. Tina had
Speaker 1: fallen at least eighty feet near the sheep Passed campground.
Speaker 1: In a press release, Joshua Tree Superintendent David Smith said,
Speaker 1: our hearts go out to Miss Fiori's family and friends
Speaker 1: during this extremely painful time. Next up, Paul Hanks. Fifty
Speaker 1: four year old avid hiker and attorney Paul Hanks set
Speaker 1: out to celebrate his birthday with a high Joshua Tree
Speaker 1: National Park on March eleventh, twenty eighteen. According to CBS
Speaker 1: News Los Angeles. He wore shorts and a T shirt
Speaker 1: and took just a few energy packs and a few
Speaker 1: hours worth of water. All had been the Joshua tree
Speaker 1: several times, but this time would be different. While bouldering
Speaker 1: or rock copping, he fell approximately twenty feet, shattered his
Speaker 1: left heel, and broke his pelvis.
Speaker 2: It happened.
Speaker 1: I slipped, and it was just having not slipped in
Speaker 1: forty five years. It was instant and total shock, he
Speaker 1: told CBS News. Paul called out for help, but the
Speaker 1: vast desert echoed his cries back to him. As the
Speaker 1: sunset and the temperature plummeted, he found refuge beneath a
Speaker 1: Joshua tree, helping the dry soil around it would provide
Speaker 1: him some cushioning and that he could use the loose
Speaker 1: dirt to warm himself up. By this point, he was
Speaker 1: out of water, according to CBS. But the very first night,
Speaker 1: I was drinking my own urine, he said, I drank
Speaker 1: all the water in my bottle and was refilling my
Speaker 1: bottle with my own urine. Paul fell a second time,
Speaker 1: about fifteen feet and hit his head.
Speaker 2: He ate cactus for food.
Speaker 1: He was in and out of consciousness, but refused to
Speaker 1: give up to quit out. There is basically a death sentence.
Speaker 1: He told CBS on day five, he thought he was
Speaker 1: dreaming when he heard voices. They belonged to the search
Speaker 1: and rescue crew.
Speaker 2: That found him.
Speaker 1: These three angels appeared out of nowhere, and I was shocked.
Speaker 1: I just couldn't believe it, he said. I don't want
Speaker 1: to say I'd given up, but multiple times I'd ritten
Speaker 1: myself off that I was never going to see another
Speaker 1: human being again. Paul was taken to a Palm Springs
Speaker 1: hospital and was reunited with his family. Despite facing multiple surgeries,
Speaker 1: he was expected to make a full recovery. You're out
Speaker 1: there and you're on your last breath of life. I
Speaker 1: would think he would be fantasizing about much greater things,
Speaker 1: but for some reason, I was just fantasizing about chugging
Speaker 1: down a gatorade, all said. Next up, David Sewell. On Saturday,
Speaker 1: April twenty one, twenty eighteen, seventy six year old legally
Speaker 1: blind hiker David Sewell left the Quail Spring parking lot
Speaker 1: for an unspecified location in Johnny Lane Canyon. According to
Speaker 1: National Park officials, David's vehicle was found on Saturday at
Speaker 1: around eight pm, and the Quail Springs parking Lot per
Speaker 1: a news release from the National Park Service, a note
Speaker 1: was found inside his Honda Odyssey which stated that he
Speaker 1: had begun his hike around eight forty five am on
Speaker 1: Saturday that would require assistance if he did not return
Speaker 1: by Sunday. The National Park Service said search and rescue
Speaker 1: personnel started operations on Monday at six forty five am,
Speaker 1: with approximately fifty searchers, two K nineteen and fixed and
Speaker 1: rotary wing air support from the California Highway Patrol. On
Speaker 1: Tuesday morning, David was miraculously found alive not far from
Speaker 1: where his car was parked in collapse of exhaustion on
Speaker 1: a secluded hillside. It's a miracle. He was awake, conscio
Speaker 1: and talking to rescuers when they found him. Mark spokesman
Speaker 1: George Land told The Los Angeles Times he been up
Speaker 1: there for about three days without water. Due to the
Speaker 1: remote terrain, David had to be airlifted out of the area.
Speaker 1: He was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center and was
Speaker 1: treated for dehydration. Next Claire Nelson. On Tuesday May twenty two,
Speaker 1: twenty eighteen, Claire Nelson, a thirty five year old hiker
Speaker 1: from New Zealand, set out on the Lost Bomb's Oasis
Speaker 1: Trail in Joshua Tree National Park around nine to fifteen am.
Speaker 1: According to The Desert Sun, she told her friend she
Speaker 1: would be.
Speaker 2: Back the following day.
Speaker 1: Claire was reported missing when she failed to return this schedule.
Speaker 1: Search efforts were initiated on Friday, May twenty five. On
Speaker 1: the same day, around three pm, she was found alive
Speaker 1: by a search helicopter and was airlifted the Desert Regional
Speaker 1: Medical Center. According to The Desert Sun, Claire had followed
Speaker 1: around eleven am on Tuesday after she lost her footing
Speaker 1: and fell about twenty six feet into a small clearing.
Speaker 1: According to an Instagram post, she was scrambling over a
Speaker 1: high boulder and shattered her pelvis and dislocated her left ankle.
Speaker 1: Claire said, I didn't realize it at the time, but
Speaker 1: I'd gone a mile off the trail. I am very,
Speaker 1: very grateful to be alive. Claire said that she had
Speaker 1: to drink her own urine because she ran out of water,
Speaker 1: and fashioned a curtain from a stick in a plastic
Speaker 1: bag to minimi son exposure.
Speaker 2: According to The Desert Sun, I.
Speaker 1: Felt more vulnerable than I could ever have imagined in
Speaker 1: my life.
Speaker 2: Claire said.
Speaker 1: According to The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Claire said she thinks
Speaker 1: it was her hiking experience, not inexperience, that very nearly
Speaker 1: got her killed. She didn't worry about sharing her itinerary
Speaker 1: with anyone and didn't leave any notes telling people where
Speaker 1: they might find her if she didn't come home. Next up,
Speaker 1: Paul Miller. Fifty one year old Paul Miller, an experienced
Speaker 1: hikred outdoorsman from Guelph, Ontario, Canada, went missing on July thirteenth,
Speaker 1: twenty eighteen, while vacationing with his wife, Stephanie. Paul told
Speaker 1: Stephanie he was going for one more hike in Joshua
Speaker 1: Tree National Park on the forty nine Palms Oasis Trail
Speaker 1: before they began their journey home. He left without a
Speaker 1: cell phone, which Stephanie said was typical. According to The
Speaker 1: Desert Sun, Paul was supposed to come back to the
Speaker 1: hotel where he and Stephanie were staying to check out
Speaker 1: at eleven am. When he did not return as expected,
Speaker 1: she decided to wait an extra hour before taking action. However,
Speaker 1: when Paul had not returned by noon, Stephanie reported missing
Speaker 1: to park officials. Prompting a search at twelve thirty pm.
Speaker 1: According to The Desert Sun, Paul's rental car was located
Speaker 1: in a nearby parking lot A short time later. More
Speaker 1: than six hundred volunteers put in six thousand hours looking
Speaker 1: for Paul, to no avail. Also, twenty canine units were
Speaker 1: sent out to help locate him. Efforts to find Paul
Speaker 1: came up short, however, until photographs of the area were
Speaker 1: taken with a drone in November twenty nineteen. After looking
Speaker 1: through the pictures, investigators saw what looked to be human remains.
Speaker 1: Mark rangers recovered them on December twenty, twenty nineteen, and
Speaker 1: the Medical Examiner's Office confirmed they belonged to Paul. It's
Speaker 1: been a tough journey, waiting, waiting, waiting, Then when you
Speaker 1: hear he's been found, it doesn't make it any easier,
Speaker 1: Paul's wife, Stephanie told The Desert Son in a phone interview.
Speaker 1: While we will likely never fully know the circumstances of
Speaker 1: Paul's demise, Stephanie told The Desert Son that they believe
Speaker 1: he could have experienced a heart attack or heatstroke. Officials
Speaker 1: said there was no initial signs of foul play. I
Speaker 1: hated to think that he was suffering and we couldn't
Speaker 1: find him, Stephanie said, Next, we have Bill Ouasco. In
Speaker 1: June twenty ten, sixty six year old Bill Olasco, an
Speaker 1: avid hiker, jogger, and Vietnam veteran, land US solo hiking
Speaker 1: trip to Joshua Tree National Park, which he had visited
Speaker 1: several times before. Bill intended to spend a week in
Speaker 1: the area and catch a return flight home by July one.
Speaker 1: Before he left his home in Georgia, he provided his
Speaker 1: girlfriend Mary Winston with an itinerary of his planned destinations.
Speaker 1: According to Jeff Mannaw of The New York Times, on
Speaker 1: Thursday June twenty four, Bill packed lunch, water and snacks
Speaker 1: for his excursion. He first hiked to Carry's Castle. Mattell
Speaker 1: said the hike was meant to be a loop, starting
Speaker 1: an ending at the remote historic site. Mary tried to
Speaker 1: persuade him to go hiking somewhere else due to the
Speaker 1: remoteness of the area. However, Bill kept his plans the same,
Speaker 1: but promised Mary he would leave the park by five pm,
Speaker 1: which she did not hear from Bill as expected. Mary
Speaker 1: tried calling his cell phone multiple times, put at once
Speaker 1: straight to voicemail. Mary attempted to reach the park service
Speaker 1: officials that night, but was unsuccessful. The following day, around
Speaker 1: eight am, Mary contacted park service official again and reported
Speaker 1: Bill missing. According to Manaw, the day he went missing,
Speaker 1: tempertures in the park had reached nearly one hundred degrees fahrenheit.
Speaker 1: After receiving the news that Bill was missing, park rangers
Speaker 1: quickly set out for the trailhead. However, they could not
Speaker 1: locate Bill Swhite two thousand and seven Chrysler Seabring rental car.
Speaker 1: It seemed that no one had visited the trail in
Speaker 1: at least a week, according to Manaw. Dave Pilman, a
Speaker 1: former executive director of Friends of Joshua Tree and a
Speaker 1: nineteen year Joshua Tree search and rescue veteran, told Jeff
Speaker 1: Manaw it looks benign to a person who drives through it,
Speaker 1: but there are so many areas where you can get
Speaker 1: lost and not even realize it. Until you're lost, you
Speaker 1: look back and figure out where did I come from.
Speaker 1: Pilman also told man Aw the park contains areas of
Speaker 1: unknown difficulty where large rocks lean together, forming dangerous pits
Speaker 1: and caves. According to Manaw, Carrie's Castle was just one
Speaker 1: of the many locations on Bill's itinerary. The list included
Speaker 1: play Is as far away as the Salt and Sea
Speaker 1: and Mount San Jacinto, over an hour's drive from the park.
Speaker 1: Rangers discovered that Bill's National Park pass had never been
Speaker 1: scanned at either park entrance, so there was no record
Speaker 1: of his visit. Manau writes that on June twenty six,
Speaker 1: the California Highway Patrol helicopter located Bill's rental car at
Speaker 1: the Juniper Flats trailhead, approximately a ninety minute drive from
Speaker 1: the Careys Castle trailhead, who would have been exposed to
Speaker 1: mid nineties temperatures in late June with limited access to
Speaker 1: food and water. Therefore, the search efforts were promptly shifted
Speaker 1: towards Juniper Flats under Dave Pilman's guidance, says man Aw.
Speaker 1: Search teams were sent from the location of Bill's car
Speaker 1: up to the top of Quaill Mountain, south to Keys
Speaker 1: View Deep into Juniper Flats, and out through several less
Speaker 1: likely but possible areas. According to Manaw, vaulteers across southern
Speaker 1: California arrived on Saturday afternoon, June twenty sixth and set
Speaker 1: up an incident command post near Cap Rock. They created
Speaker 1: a six by nine foot map in the area and
Speaker 1: marked each team's daily GPS tracks and the routes of
Speaker 1: helicopter flights. One team found a red bandana at the
Speaker 1: foot of Quayll Mountain, while another claimed to have seen
Speaker 1: lights on a ridge. Bilt was still not found despite
Speaker 1: using a bloodhound and additional helicopter flights, Manau writes it.
Speaker 1: On July five, twenty ten, eleven days after being reported missing,
Speaker 1: the official search for Bilt was called off as regional
Speaker 1: resources had been exhausted. It was assumed that he could
Speaker 1: not have survived that long without food and water in
Speaker 1: the extreme temperatures. Pet Carlson of the Riverside Mountain Rescue
Speaker 1: Unit said to Manaw after a while, where else do
Speaker 1: you look? In February twenty twenty two, hikers Mary Nagy
Speaker 1: and her son Zach found human remains in the northwestern
Speaker 1: corner of the park, adjacent to the Panorama Loop Trail.
Speaker 1: High Desert radio station K one O one point seven
Speaker 1: KCDZ reported that a wallet was found with the remains,
Speaker 1: with the name of Bill auasco Tom Mahood, who previously
Speaker 1: volunteered with the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit, told The Desert Sun,
Speaker 1: it's a really odd area for him to have been in,
Speaker 1: and I can't fathom what he was thinking. Always said
Speaker 1: he'll eventually be found in some place no one ever
Speaker 1: thought he would be. While we now know the conclusion,
Speaker 1: we may very likely never know any details unless Bill
Speaker 1: left behind any surviving notes as to his predicament and finally,
Speaker 1: ed Rosenthal. On Friday, September twenty four, twenty ten, sixty
Speaker 1: four year old real estate broker Edward Rosenthal got lost
Speaker 1: when he took a wrong turn on a loop trail
Speaker 1: near Joshua Tree National Parks Black Rock Campground while trying
Speaker 1: to get back to his car after spending six days
Speaker 1: without food or water. He was spotted by a helicopter
Speaker 1: crew around ten thirty am on September thirty, According to
Speaker 1: the National Parks Traveler, Amazingly, Edward was alive, but very dehydrated.
Speaker 1: Edward said he became so weak that he could not
Speaker 1: sit up when the helicopter rescue crew finally found him.
Speaker 1: He just made a wrong turn somewhere. He was hiking
Speaker 1: on a loop trail. Somehow he got off, said Chief
Speaker 1: Joe Zarki. Unfortunately, there he got off on was a
Speaker 1: very steep, gorge like area. He couldn't get out. He
Speaker 1: just kept going downhill. He realized he was lost and
Speaker 1: could not go any further, so he lied low and
Speaker 1: wrote on his hat. Everag's wife, Nicole Kaplan, told the
Speaker 1: Associated Press Edward wrote about what kind of funerally wanted.
Speaker 1: While the spot where Edward was found was probably seven
Speaker 1: to eight miles in a straight line in terms of
Speaker 1: canyon miles from the Loop trail, he probably walked twice.
Speaker 2: That distance, said Chief Sarki.
Speaker 1: According to the Associated Press, Everts's wife told park officials
Speaker 1: that Edward had some food and water with him that
Speaker 1: lasted a day and a half, So maybe since Sunday
Speaker 1: he's been out there without food and water, said Chief Zarki.
Speaker 1: He got a break because we had some cloudy weather
Speaker 1: that kept the temperatu down. Edward was transported to High
Speaker 1: Desert Medical Center and stable condition. He's been reunited with
Speaker 1: his family. He's talking, he's doing reasoning well. Chief Sharky said,
Speaker 1: this is the outcome you hope for. In conclusion, Joshua
Speaker 1: Tree National Park is fascinating with natural allure and an
Speaker 1: intriguing history. The story is surrounding the park at a
Speaker 1: mesmerizing layer that's already captivating landscape. This park harbors natural
Speaker 1: wonders and a sense of enigma that captures the human imagination.
Speaker 1: For it's the eerie beauty of the Joshua Trees with
Speaker 1: the vast expanses of the desert, people have attributed spiritual
Speaker 1: significance to the area. As visitors, we should approach Joshua
Speaker 1: Tree National Park with the utmost respect for its wilderness
Speaker 1: and a keen awareness of our surroundings. The safety of
Speaker 1: those who exports, trails and business should always be paramount. Well, friends,
Speaker 1: there you have it. What are your thoughts on Joshua
Speaker 1: Tree National Park. I look forward to your comments, but
Speaker 1: please keep it friendly and respectful. Until we meet again.
Speaker 1: He cuts yourselves and each other. Stay safe out there.
Speaker 1: As for me, I'll see you a little further on
Speaker 1: down the trail. I'm Steve Stockton and I'll talk to
Speaker 1: you next time. And please tell your animals I said hi.