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Sheriff started search on August 17th and found the truck by gate leading into the Hites Cove trail. Search and rescue found shoe and paw prints.
At 3:20 AM on August 17th, a helicopter was reserved to start a search during the day. Second search team assisted with search winding back on the loop.
Suburban_Guy, I snipped this to make it easier for my question. Was the helicopter really reserved only 3 hours and 20 minutes after they started the search and found the truck?
I'm not sure, they weren't specific for that block of time in when they started searching and when they reserved the chopper. It seems like they started the search late on August 16th and continued straight through to the next day before finding the bodies at 11:00AM August 17th.
There is a video of the correct trail on the internet: it is steep at times and very narrow.
Somebody up thread posted that from their experience hiking - depending if the trail was in the shade- the temperature of the air would be much lower- which made me wonder if the reason family started to hike in the afternoon was that they thought it would be in the shade?
Counterintuitive to what we thought was crazy to start hiking in the middle of the day with the baby.
I did not see however a lot of cliffs to throw shade on that trail- maybe that was the mistake on their part?
Would you care to share the link to that video? I have searched YouTube and can't find even one video of the Savage-Lundy Trail. All I have been able to find on it is this one blog post talking about the trail. This person couldn't make it down the trail and had to turn around, due to heat and water issues. This was from 2015, before the fire ravaged the area and burned most of the trees.
Quote:
The long trailhead access road was not suited for cars with low clearance, so I brought the truck. Leslie, a woman whom I met for the first time rode with me over the rugged terrain. At times it felt like we were going to tip over and tumble into the canyon. I was stressed out when we reached the trailhead, so Leslie offered to drive back when we were finished hiking. We were hiking out and back on a historic path that gold miners walked in the mid-1800’s: the Savage-Lundy trail in the Sierra National Forest down to Devil’s Gulch on the South Fork of the Merced River.
We hiked the mountain’s edge climbing over and under downed trees that blocked the way. We walked through the brush and around switchbacks steering clear of poison oak that crept onto the trail. Wildflowers flanked the edge of the path, mostly Clarkia—farewell to spring. Oaks and cedars grew in abundance. Tall pines swayed in the wind, yet no breeze could be felt. Though the area was pretty and the view vast, my mind was on the return drive, the rutted and rocky road. The morning’s drive in was my first experience with that type of terrain.
Rita began talking about how hot it would be on the return trip verbalizing my thoughts. It was supposed to be in the 80’s that afternoon, but the canyon was already warm and we were both damp with perspiration. She was also concerned that she may not have brought enough water for herself and her dog.
The farther into the canyon we dropped, the more often she brought up turning back and heading out. As I swabbed beaded drops of sweat from my brow, Rita asked, “Do you want to do it, Janet?” Quitting the hike didn’t feel right, but the haunting thoughts of the jeep road unnerved me. Traversing it again seemed harder than walking uphill in the heat. I wanted to get the drive over and done with, so I said, “yes, let’s go.” It was the first time I quit a hike without reaching the planned destination.
Rita had ridden to the trailhead with another couple. We sent word to Leslie who was much farther ahead that she could ride back with them. Everyone agreed so Rita and I turned back and headed up the hill.
That's the strain they have isolated from that area. I don't buy the toxin theory, it wouldn't kill them all at the same time and that appears to be what happened except for the wife who was 30 yards away. To be honest, I don't think we will ever know, even if the cause of death is discovered. Personally, I think it was murder/suicide or foul play.
Maybe foul play. I don't know them of course, but I can't see any obvious reason for murder-suicide, they looked very happy and everyone they knew apparently thought they were, too. In those pics of him holding the baby, he looks positively transcendent.
Would you care to share the link to that video? I have searched YouTube and can't find even one video of the Savage-Lundy Trail. All I have been able to find on it is this one blog post talking about the trail. This person couldn't make it down the trail and had to turn around, due to heat and water issues. This was from 2015, before the fire ravaged the area and burned most of the trees.
I saw it on website of Sacramento bee, I think?
I went today- it is not there.
But you have got the right name of the trail!
Will try to find it if I am not mistaken it was around 9-14 min video-
In this 2 min video- only 2 seconds of the actual trail is shown- second 5 and 57 - not counting the wide part - where you can drive a car.
Guess news media clipped it. https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/entire-...ause-1.5554666
Last edited by L00k4ward; 08-26-2021 at 04:59 PM..
I saw it on website of Sacramento bee, I think?
I went today- it is not there.
But you have got the right name of the trail!
Will try to find it if I am not mistaken it was around 9-14 min video-
Okay, thanks. I have been looking for it. But from what I have read already, this is a pretty crazy trail. Very remote, poorly maintained, and very hot even before the fire burned most of the trees. Definitely a difficult trail to hike.
Maybe foul play. I don't know them of course, but I can't see any obvious reason for murder-suicide, they looked very happy and everyone they knew apparently thought they were, too. In those pics of him holding the baby, he looks positively transcendent.
There is a video of the correct trail on the internet: it is steep at times and very narrow.
Somebody up thread posted that from their experience hiking - depending if the trail was in the shade- the temperature of the air would be much lower- which made me wonder if the reason family started to hike in the afternoon was that they thought it would be in the shade?
Counterintuitive to what we thought was crazy to start hiking in the middle of the day with the baby.
I did not see however a lot of cliffs to throw shade on that trail- maybe that was the mistake on their part?
They wouldn't have expected shade, because they'd hiked it before.
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