Jump to content

Cali Hiker Found In Zion NP After Two Weeks


TwiceHorn

Recommended Posts

5 hours ago, Bill Lumbergh said:

I'm genuinely curious, do you think her story adds up?

Found in a highly trafficked area with no one having an her for weeks. No food or water. Originally family implied she stayed by the creek for water, until a ranger called bs because the water is toxic, then family changes the story to say she never drank the water (but doesn't explain where she got water, which she must have had or she'd be dead). Family says she may have been disoriented when she first entered the park, but she had no trouble getting to the park and hiking in the that far. Supposed head injury that kept her lost, but was not found or insignificant enough not to concern medical responders when she was found. Walked out under her own power and released to her family, but they need a $15k gofundme for medical assistance.

You think all of this is on the up and up and the doubters here are just tinfoil conspiracy nuts?

This reminds me of the woman who was "kidnapped" by two hispanic women who held her captive for 3 weeks.  They never contacted anyone about ransom and none of their DNA was found on the victim or her loose "bindings."  She couldn't describe them because they never showed their faces. They allegedly beat her during her captivity but she had no injuries. 50K gofundme.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, Dennis Taylor said:

Almost sounds like you believe that whole story

I don't believe it at all. My guess if she was going for three days - per the story - she had a filter or purification tablets, emergency food, and bedding. I think she camped for three days, had the rumpled look that goes with camping for three days, and knew how to get out (based on the trail she was near). The gofundme sounds like a scam, in my opinion. 

Edited by washparkhorn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/23/2020 at 9:27 PM, Bernard said:

And here’s a view of the trail near where Geraldine Largay got lost. I can imagine it would be a bitch to find the trail again once you’re lost in a sea of trees and undergrowth.

Bernard

D48D1E02-21A0-4BCA-8001-2B74FB220C0B.jpeg

 

 

Yeah, you leave the trail to go take a piss, get turned around, walk back to the trail in a slightly wrong direction, never find the trail, and you are fucked. You can be 10 yards from the trail and not see it. Bushwhacking is stupid and dangerous, unless you know exactly what you are doing, and I'm betting this person didn't know exactly what they were doing.

I don't know what happened in this case, and neither do any of you assholes, but I'm going with stupid people getting lost in the wild (such as it is) because Occam's razor and all. Until hard evidence to the contrary comes to light.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

 

Yeah, you leave the trail to go take a piss, get turned around, walk back to the trail in a slightly wrong direction, never find the trail, and you are fucked. You can be 10 yards from the trail and not see it. Bushwhacking is stupid and dangerous, unless you know exactly what you are doing, and I'm betting this person didn't know exactly what they were doing.

I don't know what happened in this case, and neither do any of you assholes, but I'm going with stupid people getting lost in the wild (such as it is) because Occam's razor and all. Until hard evidence to the contrary comes to light.

 


Just curious, what would you consider “hard evidence”?  Theres the fact that SAR, Park Rangers and the Sheriffs Senior Rescue officer said she’s full of shit. The fact that a child and his mom saw her hammock from the easiest trail in the park after SAR and numerous volunteers had spent 6 days searching that area before that tip and definitely would have seen it before, the fact that she claims to have a false injury that caused this whole ordeal, the fact she literally claims to not have had water for 12 days, the fact she didn’t stay overnight in the hospital after her family took her there instead of the SAR paramedics and went immediately into an Mental health facility without giving any statement to the press.  And theres also the fact that Godfundme is refunding the donations.  

If she had a mental episode or is a closet drug addict then the family should ask for privacy, not outright lie to the public. Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it raining.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still think that this is some kind of GoFundMe scam, but HPD is right about getting off trail and how disorienting it can be, especially if there aren't clearly visible landmarks or the subject doesn't have a good map in their head or an overall picture of where they are. Personally, I spent a lot of time in college learning to navigate through the woods with nothing but a compass and pacing (basically walking at a normal clip in the direction your compass points you and counting your steps) in order to hit several predetermined points on the map and survey the vegetation or wildlife at those points. Basically we would wind our way through the woods walking with a compass to guide us and got quite good at knowing where we were.

But we always knew where we were and how to get out because we had studied the arials of the tract and had it on hand to reference. I don't really do anything with my major these days, but if I am hiking in the backcountry I can pretty much look at a map and know almost instantly exactly where I am because I've spent so much time doing it.

Even then, there have been times when i have gotten mildly disoriented. I was on the coast of Senegal taking a walk through a pretty awesome cedar forest with no underbrush (place would have been wonderful to ride a dirt bike through the woods without having to worry about hitting random things) and realized after I lost sight of the beach that I was disoriented. Luckily I had enough experience not to panic and was able to to reorient myself fairly quickly by paying attention to the position of the sun. That seems like something that should be obvious, but to a hiker that only thinks they are experienced it might not be.

Just last year I was deer hunting on our family land in East Texas. This was the land I grew up exploring and getting into mischief on. The family planted it in pine after my grandfather passed it down, and there was an area that wasn't maintained very well with young trees and lots of briers. I figured I would cut through and get to the pipeline pretty easily. The going was much tougher than I expected and I wound up coming out at the pipeline a lot later than I expected and at a completely different location. There just wasn't anything visually that could help me maintain a relatively straight path, and the brush was so thick that I ended up kind of wandering aimlessly until I got sight of the treeline along a creek and was able to reorient myself. Luckily I already knew the lay of the land from growing up there, but it just goes to illustrate how easy it is for someone who isn't actually experienced to loose their bearing.

That said, I'm not sure the other facts of the story add up, but strange things do happen.

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

 

Yeah, you leave the trail to go take a piss, get turned around, walk back to the trail in a slightly wrong direction, never find the trail, and you are fucked. You can be 10 yards from the trail and not see it. Bushwhacking is stupid and dangerous, unless you know exactly what you are doing, and I'm betting this person didn't know exactly what they were doing.

I don't know what happened in this case, and neither do any of you assholes, but I'm going with stupid people getting lost in the wild (such as it is) because Occam's razor and all. Until hard evidence to the contrary comes to light.

 

You are right, of course, to wait -  but something is off-kilter. Could be the reporting. 

The sound of the river is the homing beacon. Flow of the streams is the direction to the river. Natural instincts would kick in - if lucid and relatively calm. 

I am going with this was a spiritual journey gone wrong. Full speculation and I do wish her and her family the best. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of y'all have presented very sensible scenarios on how you can get lost in the woods. For a little while, that is, but 12 days? During which she neither heard nor saw that river or people or voices or hollered so that she might be discovered?

I've been lost in the deep woods after dark and it is horrible. Yes, you can panic and get yourself deeper in a bind, but in this case it just seems mathematically impossible for her to see nobody or be seen herself, unless she wanted to be neither seen nor heard. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites


sister doubling down on stupid Says there aren’t holes in the story because her sister didn’t drink water for 12 days. Why are people having trouble believing that? 

 

 

The sister of missing hiker Holly Courtier has hit back at criticisms of her sibling’s story about disappearing for 12 days in Utah's Zion National Park — saying suggestions that her survival tale was hoax are “very blown out of proportion.”

“There are not holes in the story, there are no discrepancies. It just got blown very out of proportion,” her sister Jaime Strong told The Spectrum.

ZION HIKER RESCUE: UTAH SHERIFF’S SERGEANT QUESTIONS CIRCUMSTANCES THAT ‘DO NOT ADD UP,’ REPORT SAYS

Search crews canvassed the park for 38-year-old Courtier after she went for a hike and left behind her phone Oct. 6.
Holly Courtier (National Park Service)

Holly Courtier (National Park Service)

ZION HIKER HOLLY COURTIER'S SISTER SPEAKS OUT ON 'DISCREPANCIES' IN RESCUE STORY

“She definitely was having a mental breakdown,” Strong told the outlet. “She told us later she was seeking a total disconnect from everything. She really just wanted to be alone. She had no idea it would turn into anything it would turn into or the worry she would cause or what it would become.”

Once there, Courtier began fasting from food as part of a spiritual journey because she wanted to “connect with nature and read her Bible,” Strong said. But she had gone on an exhausting hike the first day, likely weakening her state.

ZION HIKER HOLLY COURTIER WAS FOUND IN 'THICKLY VEGETATED' AREA, REQUIRED 'MINIMAL ASSISTANCE' DURING RESCUE

She attempted to set up her hammock but fell when she went to sit, hitting her head on a tree and apparently suffered a concussion, Strong said.

Strong said Courtier stayed by a river and used the water to wet her mouth.

That claim has been called into question by Washington County Sgt. Darrell Cashin, since the river is contaminated.

Holly Courtier (National Park Service Investigative Services Branch)

Holly Courtier (National Park Service Investigative Services Branch)

“The Sherriff’s sergeant has made it 10 times worse for [Kailey],” Strong said. “I’ve never even seen him or met him. This is someone who looked at some paperwork and looked at things on paper. He wasn’t there. I think it might be easy to look at a few things on paper and make conclusions.”

Strong said the sergeant has “taken something and blown it out of proportion and the attention has gone to him.

“We never said she drank the water. He made it look like there’s a hole in the story and there wasn’t,” she said.

Courtier was too dehydrated to call out to search crews, according to her sister — but someone ultimately spotted her Oct. 18 off the trail near the popular Emerald Pools hiking area.

“I’m just glad we found her and reunited with our family,” Zion spokesperson Amanda Rolland told the outlet

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that it is easy enough to get disoriented, even when you are close to a trail or even to civilization.  But that tends to happen in dense woods where few or no landmarks are visible.

If you look at that aerial of the area, it is hardly dense woods.  And the canyon/valley walls would be visible again after just a few yards' progress in just about any direction.  Not to mention you probably cross one of the trails or get to said canyon/valley walls in a few hundred yards in any direction.  And a river runs through it ffs.

She could have had her own water supply, although not 12 days worth.  She apparently had a hammock, maybe she had some water treatment tablets or a straw.  From my knowledge/recall, when a water source is contaminated with crypto or something similar, the park makes it pretty hard to miss that fact, and a crypto algae bloom would make the river water obviously at least potentially dangerous.

Just a lot of inconsistencies.  Maybe she didn't want out or to be "found."  Hard to comprehend how they couldn't find her unless she was actively hiding.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Doc Reeves said:

Well that finally has a plausible explanation for the head injury.  Still going into the woods without water, even for an hours' hike es muy estupido.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

I can't believe they keep pushing "she wet her mouth but didn't drink" to explain her survival for 12 days.  That's not how hydration works and no one seems to call them out on it.

 

Yeah, and about that ‘wet her mouth’ bullshit, I don’t think that’s an effective way to avoid poisoning. Especially if “The harmful algae has plagued the Virgin River in Zion since at least July when park officials discovered it after a dog died after playing in the water.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Damn I discovered this thread way too late. I was at Zion National Park the weekend she was found and her story is bullshit. There's no way she drank the water near the grotto because there are signs everywhere saying "water contaminated with deadly algae". The grotto is a very busy transportation hub that requires a pass to get through due to camping restrictions. The company that took her there should have sounded the alarm the same day she never returned. How does she go missing half a mile from this area surrounded by people and survives by drinking algae water? Not to mention it's goddamn cold overnight. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

I can't believe they keep pushing "she wet her mouth but didn't drink" to explain her survival for 12 days.  That's not how hydration works and no one seems to call them out on it.

 

I read that and was like:

That's not how this works That's not how any of this works - That's not how  it works | Meme Generator

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Uh-ohhhh....

Link

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the California woman who disappeared in Zion National Park for 12 days — and has raised the possibility of fraud.

Holly Courtier, 38, disappeared Oct. 6 after she was dropped off by a private shuttle bus at the Grotto park area and did not return. She was found by park rangers Oct. 18 after they were alerted by a park visitor. According to family members, Courtier hit her head and was disoriented, surviving on very little food and water as she stayed next to the Virgin River.

However, she was able to leave the park without the assistance of medical personnel, and her sister told NBC’s “Today Show” that Courtier knew the river was potentially toxic and didn’t drink from it, adding, “She said she didn’t have anything to drink at all.” Her sister also said Courtier had been fasting for two days before she entered the park.

And that raised red flags with police. Sgt. Darrell Cashin of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told KTVX-Ch. 4 he had doubts about her story, citing “discrepancies and questions that do not add up.” According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, “These inconsistencies raised some questions as to the authenticity of the events as reported to law enforcement,” adding it “stands behind” Cashin’s “observations and statements.”

“Numerous tips have been received indicating the incident was possibly conceived and carried out as part of a plan to fraudulently generate money to a GoFundMe account for Courtier’s recovery," according to police, although they have “no evidence to support the theory that the incident was committed intentionally as an effort to achieve financial gain.”

The sheriff’s office asked for members of the public to share “any credible information … based on tangible leads.” Tips should be submitted to tips@washeriff.net.

A GoFundMe page for Courtier — whose family said she lost her job as a nanny earlier this year because of the pandemic — raised nearly $12,000 before donations were suspended by Courtier’s sister, the page organizer.

According to an Oct. 22 update on the GoFundMe page, Courtier “suffered from mental health issues in the past and went on her hike not in the best frame of mind. She did not intend ... for her trip to become a search and rescue effort. If Holly was not found when she was, she would have died.” And any money raised would be used to reimburse “the family and friends' costs” during the search and “to cover the medical care applied to Holly during her hospital stay as well as therapy costs moving forward

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't see why there's such confusion whether she's lying or not.  She's a woman.  See the eyes.

Although, here's the thing, she gets famous/celebrity/attention either way.  She's a hero/liar.  It's a very small margin.  Both bring awareness, liar probably more, sadly.

Edited by mulletpelini
what a shitty world we live in.
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/24/2020 at 10:58 PM, Doc Reeves said:


Just curious, what would you consider “hard evidence”?  Theres the fact that SAR, Park Rangers and the Sheriffs Senior Rescue officer said she’s full of shit. The fact that a child and his mom saw her hammock from the easiest trail in the park after SAR and numerous volunteers had spent 6 days searching that area before that tip and definitely would have seen it before, the fact that she claims to have a false injury that caused this whole ordeal, the fact she literally claims to not have had water for 12 days, the fact she didn’t stay overnight in the hospital after her family took her there instead of the SAR paramedics and went immediately into an Mental health facility without giving any statement to the press.  And theres also the fact that Godfundme is refunding the donations.  

If she had a mental episode or is a closet drug addict then the family should ask for privacy, not outright lie to the public. Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it raining.

 

On 11/1/2020 at 1:08 AM, Doc Reeves said:

Uh-ohhhh....

Link

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the California woman who disappeared in Zion National Park for 12 days — and has raised the possibility of fraud.

Holly Courtier, 38, disappeared Oct. 6 after she was dropped off by a private shuttle bus at the Grotto park area and did not return. She was found by park rangers Oct. 18 after they were alerted by a park visitor. According to family members, Courtier hit her head and was disoriented, surviving on very little food and water as she stayed next to the Virgin River.

However, she was able to leave the park without the assistance of medical personnel, and her sister told NBC’s “Today Show” that Courtier knew the river was potentially toxic and didn’t drink from it, adding, “She said she didn’t have anything to drink at all.” Her sister also said Courtier had been fasting for two days before she entered the park.

And that raised red flags with police. Sgt. Darrell Cashin of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told KTVX-Ch. 4 he had doubts about her story, citing “discrepancies and questions that do not add up.” According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, “These inconsistencies raised some questions as to the authenticity of the events as reported to law enforcement,” adding it “stands behind” Cashin’s “observations and statements.”

“Numerous tips have been received indicating the incident was possibly conceived and carried out as part of a plan to fraudulently generate money to a GoFundMe account for Courtier’s recovery," according to police, although they have “no evidence to support the theory that the incident was committed intentionally as an effort to achieve financial gain.”

The sheriff’s office asked for members of the public to share “any credible information … based on tangible leads.” Tips should be submitted to tips@washeriff.net.

A GoFundMe page for Courtier — whose family said she lost her job as a nanny earlier this year because of the pandemic — raised nearly $12,000 before donations were suspended by Courtier’s sister, the page organizer.

According to an Oct. 22 update on the GoFundMe page, Courtier “suffered from mental health issues in the past and went on her hike not in the best frame of mind. She did not intend ... for her trip to become a search and rescue effort. If Holly was not found when she was, she would have died.” And any money raised would be used to reimburse “the family and friends' costs” during the search and “to cover the medical care applied to Holly during her hospital stay as well as therapy costs moving forward

 

Ok doc, I will concede that there might be some bullshit going on.

Looks right you were right, this time

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will concede that most of the fishiness of the "account of events" is coming from her family, and not directly from her.  So she may not be a liar, per se.

But the family seems to be stretching to cover up something embarrassing or maybe just inexplicable. 

Sounds like no one really knows wtf happened.

Edited by TwiceHorn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting mystery - John Doe hiker

https://www.wired.com/story/nameless-hiker-mostly-harmless-internet-mystery/

A Nameless Hiker and the Case the Internet Can’t Crack

"The man on the trail went by “Mostly Harmless." He was friendly and said he worked in tech. After he died in his tent, no one could figure out who he was."

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

Interesting mystery - John Doe hiker

https://www.wired.com/story/nameless-hiker-mostly-harmless-internet-mystery/

A Nameless Hiker and the Case the Internet Can’t Crack

"The man on the trail went by “Mostly Harmless." He was friendly and said he worked in tech. After he died in his tent, no one could figure out who he was."

 

I read this story last night.  Very interesting and amazing the interwebs haven't identified him.

DNA matches will catch up eventually, but it's odd that someone can be that anonymous in today's world. 

 

 

 

Edited by Reagan1k
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/1/2020 at 1:08 AM, Doc Reeves said:

Uh-ohhhh....

Link

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the California woman who disappeared in Zion National Park for 12 days — and has raised the possibility of fraud.

Holly Courtier, 38, disappeared Oct. 6 after she was dropped off by a private shuttle bus at the Grotto park area and did not return. She was found by park rangers Oct. 18 after they were alerted by a park visitor. According to family members, Courtier hit her head and was disoriented, surviving on very little food and water as she stayed next to the Virgin River.

However, she was able to leave the park without the assistance of medical personnel, and her sister told NBC’s “Today Show” that Courtier knew the river was potentially toxic and didn’t drink from it, adding, “She said she didn’t have anything to drink at all.” Her sister also said Courtier had been fasting for two days before she entered the park.

And that raised red flags with police. Sgt. Darrell Cashin of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told KTVX-Ch. 4 he had doubts about her story, citing “discrepancies and questions that do not add up.” According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, “These inconsistencies raised some questions as to the authenticity of the events as reported to law enforcement,” adding it “stands behind” Cashin’s “observations and statements.”

“Numerous tips have been received indicating the incident was possibly conceived and carried out as part of a plan to fraudulently generate money to a GoFundMe account for Courtier’s recovery," according to police, although they have “no evidence to support the theory that the incident was committed intentionally as an effort to achieve financial gain.”

The sheriff’s office asked for members of the public to share “any credible information … based on tangible leads.” Tips should be submitted to tips@washeriff.net.

A GoFundMe page for Courtier — whose family said she lost her job as a nanny earlier this year because of the pandemic — raised nearly $12,000 before donations were suspended by Courtier’s sister, the page organizer.

According to an Oct. 22 update on the GoFundMe page, Courtier “suffered from mental health issues in the past and went on her hike not in the best frame of mind. She did not intend ... for her trip to become a search and rescue effort. If Holly was not found when she was, she would have died.” And any money raised would be used to reimburse “the family and friends' costs” during the search and “to cover the medical care applied to Holly during her hospital stay as well as therapy costs moving forward

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, Reagan1k said:

I read this story last night.  Very interesting and amazing the interwebs haven't identified him.

DNA matches will catch up eventually, but it's odd that someone can be that anonymous in today's world. 

 

 

 

Yeah I read it yesterday too - crazy story, and that they couldn't determine a cause of death.  I was thinking maybe he knew he had cancer or some terminal illness.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/1/2020 at 1:08 AM, Doc Reeves said:

Uh-ohhhh....

Link

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the California woman who disappeared in Zion National Park for 12 days — and has raised the possibility of fraud.

Holly Courtier, 38, disappeared Oct. 6 after she was dropped off by a private shuttle bus at the Grotto park area and did not return. She was found by park rangers Oct. 18 after they were alerted by a park visitor. According to family members, Courtier hit her head and was disoriented, surviving on very little food and water as she stayed next to the Virgin River.

However, she was able to leave the park without the assistance of medical personnel, and her sister told NBC’s “Today Show” that Courtier knew the river was potentially toxic and didn’t drink from it, adding, “She said she didn’t have anything to drink at all.” Her sister also said Courtier had been fasting for two days before she entered the park.

And that raised red flags with police. Sgt. Darrell Cashin of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told KTVX-Ch. 4 he had doubts about her story, citing “discrepancies and questions that do not add up.” According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, “These inconsistencies raised some questions as to the authenticity of the events as reported to law enforcement,” adding it “stands behind” Cashin’s “observations and statements.”

“Numerous tips have been received indicating the incident was possibly conceived and carried out as part of a plan to fraudulently generate money to a GoFundMe account for Courtier’s recovery," according to police, although they have “no evidence to support the theory that the incident was committed intentionally as an effort to achieve financial gain.”

The sheriff’s office asked for members of the public to share “any credible information … based on tangible leads.” Tips should be submitted to tips@washeriff.net.

A GoFundMe page for Courtier — whose family said she lost her job as a nanny earlier this year because of the pandemic — raised nearly $12,000 before donations were suspended by Courtier’s sister, the page organizer.

According to an Oct. 22 update on the GoFundMe page, Courtier “suffered from mental health issues in the past and went on her hike not in the best frame of mind. She did not intend ... for her trip to become a search and rescue effort. If Holly was not found when she was, she would have died.” And any money raised would be used to reimburse “the family and friends' costs” during the search and “to cover the medical care applied to Holly during her hospital stay as well as therapy costs moving forward

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQusaKtUtdqhGe4qLQsdzU   2e195b0aa71e3241c4dc8bec733b14c3.jpg  rick-louie-gambling.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

I just surly detectived this personally recently

The Grotto is a very busy shuttle serviced stop with multiple popular trails in multiple directions. It is the busiest stop in the park for hikers  

The one she was found near is close to the road.

Shuttles drive up and down the road all day.

In a canyon, sound travels. You can clearly hear the shuttles, and people, at a distance.

Typically Zion is packed with hikers. Last year over 4 million people visited the park.

Unless you are a goat, you’re not hiking out of the canyon. The river and the road run right down the middle. You can’t not see where you are with 2000 foot cliffs above you. Between them, at the lowest point, is the river, and the river is next to the road. You can’t be at the river and not see the road.

Signs all over warn you about the river.

And finally, there is a water station at the Grotto, I used it.

Same for the Lodge stop just to the south, except there’s actually a hotel there.

You could walk from one stop to the next in about 10 minutes. 

No way could you consider where she was as off trail or backcountry. This is high desert scrub, not a jungle in ‘Nam. It ain’t that hard to see.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 4/22/2021 at 5:59 AM, 4th and 5 said:

I just surly detectived this personally recently

The Grotto is a very busy shuttle serviced stop with multiple popular trails in multiple directions. It is the busiest stop in the park for hikers  

The one she was found near is close to the road.

Shuttles drive up and down the road all day.

In a canyon, sound travels. You can clearly hear the shuttles, and people, at a distance.

Typically Zion is packed with hikers. Last year over 4 million people visited the park.

Unless you are a goat, you’re not hiking out of the canyon. The river and the road run right down the middle. You can’t not see where you are with 2000 foot cliffs above you. Between them, at the lowest point, is the river, and the river is next to the road. You can’t be at the river and not see the road.

Signs all over warn you about the river.

And finally, there is a water station at the Grotto, I used it.

Same for the Lodge stop just to the south, except there’s actually a hotel there.

You could walk from one stop to the next in about 10 minutes. 

No way could you consider where she was as off trail or backcountry. This is high desert scrub, not a jungle in ‘Nam. It ain’t that hard to see.

Was there last week, and I agree on all points.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...