CA - Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung, daughter, 1 & dog, suspicious death hiking area, Aug 2021 #4

[Newsjunkiejen]

I think I can shed light on it. We're well past our prime now, but ~40 yrs ago my wife and I were hiking (and backpacking) with our baby and dog. These days we walk or hike nearly every day with our dog, and this time of year have to take heat and toxic algae into consideration. We live an hour drive north of San Francisco, and 3 or 4 hours from Mariposa. We organized hundreds of hikes and other outings for our club, so we have a lot of experience with hiking, and things going wrong on hikes including the death of a dear friend from a heart attack. I have NEVER hiked up a long, steep climb in that kind of heat. I don't think I've ever done any hiking in that kind of heat. I agree with Runswithdogs comments about the effect of heat on dogs, my dogs have less tolerance than I do. My opinion is that the dog and adults were all suffering severely from the heat and exertion of the climb, but the dog collapsed first. This happened either where they were found or the dog was carried there. JG was older, some photos show him with a bit of a paunch, and he was carrying the baby (and maybe the dog). He was the next to overheat and be unable to go on, either after carrying the dog a short distance or after stopping where the dog collapsed. EC was younger and thinner, and not carrying the baby, so the last to overheat. Leave your husband, baby and dog? No, she would have stayed with them and done what she could as she overheated too, which wouldn't take long. At that point she went for help, but only made it 100 feet/30m before collapsing. I have no experience with extreme heat and babies, and it's just too sad to contemplate, so I'm not going to speculate about that beautiful child. In that kind of heat, and steep slope, there is no "running" to the air conditioned truck. Continuing up that steep slope in that heat was not survivable, staying where they were in that heat with no shade was not survivable, and by then it was too far to go back down to where there was shade. There was no way out once they were in the middle of those switchbacks. My own opinion, based on decades of hiking, and planning and organizing hundreds of hikes.

This is pretty much the conclusion I'd reached in my head, if ruling out any kind of ground lightning strike. I don't think it was the algae or potential toxic gases, I think it was heat exhaustion, and your order of events matches with what I posted here a couple of days ago: Ellen was the last to succumb, and her being found that short distance up the trail from the others was her last ditch attempt to reach the vehicle and/or help.

So tragic.

Some have questioned why the family wouldn't have turned back or returned sooner once they realised just how bad the seering heat was (which they had maybe underestimated at the start of their hike)...

I still wonder if there was something that delayed them making the ascent back up to the vehicle.

Does anyone recall if reports or LE have said the car keys were found on either body? I wonder if they'd lost the keys and wasted valuable time looking for them and retracing their steps? This would've meant additional exertion, a longer time exposed to the sun, and more water intake than they'd planned.

 

[rosesfromangels]

This is pretty much the conclusion I'd reached in my head, if ruling out any kind of ground lightning strike. I don't think it was the algae or potential toxic gases, I think it was heat exhaustion, and your order of events matches with what I posted here a couple of days ago: Ellen was the last to succumb, and her being found that short distance up the trail from the others was her last ditch attempt to reach the vehicle and/or help.

So tragic.

Some have questioned why the family wouldn't have turned back or returned sooner once they realised just how bad the seering heat was (which they had maybe underestimated at the start of their hike)...

I still wonder if there was something that delayed them making the ascent back up to the vehicle.

Does anyone recall if reports or LE have said the car keys were found on either body? I wonder if they'd lost the keys and wasted valuable time looking for them and retracing their steps? This would've meant additional exertion, a longer time exposed to the sun, and more water intake than they'd planned.

While I agree it was certainly hot enough for a heat related medical episode, I can't come to this conclusion for a couple reasons. First, all of them expiring. And second, the dog. Dogs are smarter than humans when it comes to this sort of thing, despite their loyalty. The dog would have laid down and refused to carry on, IMO. Still not adding up for me, and all explanations offered still don't compute for me.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Countem]

RSBM

Dogs are smarter than humans when it comes to this sort of thing, despite their loyalty. The dog would have laid down and refused to carry on, IMO.

Previously in the threads, some have theorized that the dog became distressed (whether due to the heat or due to the toxic algae) and was carried by JG along with the baby, hence why all three were found together.

MOO.

 

[deadfoot13]

How about uphill, in 100% weather, no shade?

Well, I've done it in the pouring rain, snow, the humidity of a NY summer, and just about everything in between (and the last six years was pre-and post-total hip replacement and I'm a smoker...) Our mountains aren't nearly as large as those out west, but they aren't anything to sneeze at, either. I was only saying that he has a larger frame than I do, so I wouldn't think that weight would be so very taxing.

I'm fully in the camp of this being a heat-related event, but I don't think it was exclusive to the added weight of carrying the baby.

 

[jonjon747]

JG searched for Hites Cove trail specifically on his phone the night before.
It's not normal to see the family ending up in complete opposite side of the switchback trail (SL's NOT even listed in Alltrails site)
It's worth considering that they might not have taken the steep switchback down trail to just reach for Merced River.
They just hiked on the Hites Cove trail and came back before noon but when they returned back to their vehicle no one knows what might've happened from that point on.
They consumed much of water from the Hites Cove hike.
Is it common to see hikers taking on an unknown trail and just follow along to see where they may end up?
It's a wild speculation that if you believe JG originally planned for HC trail, changed his mind when they got there, decided to take on a completely uninformed steep downslope hike. How often do you see something like that happening from a family man? Never.
That is with their baby and the dog thus them hiking on SL trail should be ruled out imo.

 

[Newsjunkiejen]

While I agree it was certainly hot enough for a heat related medical episode, I can't come to this conclusion for a couple reasons. First, all of them expiring. And second, the dog. Dogs are smarter than humans when it comes to this sort of thing, despite their loyalty. The dog would have laid down and refused to carry on, IMO. Still not adding up for me, and all explanations offered still don't compute for me.

Amateur opinion and speculation

Maybe the dog did lay down and refuse, but Ellen or Jonathan then carried him up the hill a distance, which contributed to their exertion? Perhaps where they were found was the point where they couldn't go any further but the dog had been carried upto that point.

I know as an animal lover and dog owner, despite if I felt like I was struggling myself, I just couldn't leave my dog behind, and I expect if the dog had either refused to, or been unable to, carry on, whoever wasn't carrying the baby would've carried him, but that would've meant 3 "loads" of weight to bear: their dog, their baby, and their supplies.

 

[rosesfromangels]

RSBM


Previously in the threads, some have theorized that the dog became distressed (whether due to the heat or due to the toxic algae) and was carried by JG along with the baby, hence why all three were found together.

MOO.

Possible, but not probable, in my amateur speculation and opinion.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Maybe the dog did lay down and refuse, but Ellen or Jonathan then carried him up the hill a distance, which contributed to their exertion? Perhaps where they were found was the point where they couldn't go any further but the dog had been carried upto that point.

I know as an animal lover and dog owner, despite if I felt like I was struggling myself, I just couldn't leave my dog behind, and I expect if the dog had either refused to, or been unable to, carry on, whoever wasn't carrying the baby would've carried him, but that would've meant 3 "loads" of weight to bear: their dog, their baby, and their supplies.

You and other posters have mentioned this as a possibility. It's not resonating for me, but I could certainly be wrong.

 

[deadfoot13]

JG searched for Hites Cove trail specifically on his phone the night before.
It's not normal to see the family ending up in complete opposite side of the switchback trail (SL's NOT even listed in Alltrails site)
It's worth considering that they might not have taken the steep switchback down trail to just reach for Merced River.
They just hiked on the Hites Cove trail and came back before noon but when they returned back to their vehicle no one knows what might've happened from that point on.
They consumed much of water from the Hites Cove hike.
Is it common to see hikers taking on an unknown trail and just follow along to see where they may end up?
It's a wild speculation that if you believe JG originally planned for HC trail, changed his mind when they got there, decided to take on a completely uninformed steep downslope hike. How often do you see something like that happening from a family man? Never.
That is with their baby and the dog thus them hiking on SL trail should be ruled out imo.

It's important to note that the AllTrails site isn't all-inclusive, despite its name -- it's a site built by users in that people upload their data and write a trail review for hikes they have chosen. Once someone has established a trail on the site, people add onto it and build the data for that particular trail. But the site itself isn't a listing of all trails in existence everywhere -- just because the S/L trail isn't present in AllTrails does not mean that it isn't an established trail, it just means that no one has added the trail as of yet.

I use AllTrails a lot of times to get ideas for a place to hike, or see current trail conditions, check out photos of the trail, etc., but I personally do not upload my data to AllTrails (if I bring a phone, it's powered off.) There are many times when I'm researching a trail and find that it isn't present in AllTrails, I then have to collect my information from other sites or just take a chance and find out for myself firsthand.

I can't speak for that specific area, but there have been many times that I've looked at a trail map, seen how close one trail may be to another, and planned to bushwhack over to the other trail to form a loop of sorts. Just because someone starts on one trail doesn't mean they have to stick to that trail. Can that result in some unpleasant surprises? Definitely, especially if there are unforeseen obstacles like water or cliffs (or extremely steep terrain fully exposed to the sun...)

As far as taking an unknown trail to see where it may end up, I personally don't do that (mostly because of time constraints as I hate hiking in the dark, but also because with my luck it would lead to private property and an unhappy landowner), but I imagine there are plenty of people who do like to explore that way.

MOO.

 

[wary]

You and other posters have mentioned this as a possibility. It's not resonating for me, but I could certainly be wrong.

MOO

The dog may have been on a leash. It’s highly recommended, to keep those inquisitive noses away from possible rattlesnakes.

Or, if anyone in the group became medically distressed, it would be logical to snap the leash on the dog, so there’s not the added complication of his doing his own thing.

I do not believe that LE has said outright whether the dog was leashed or loose. (There was a quote in a news article that possibly implied leashed, but it was not clear.)

MOO

 

[Auntie Cipation]

It's worth considering that they might not have taken the steep switchback down trail to just reach for Merced River.
They just hiked on the Hites Cove trail and came back before noon

Based on the information described (quoting LE) in news articles, it appears their footprints went DOWN the Hites Cove trail, but not back UP it. No mention was made of footprints heading DOWN the Savage-Lundy trail.

It's a wild speculation that if you believe JG originally planned for HC trail, changed his mind when they got there, decided to take on a completely uninformed steep downslope hike.

I do not equate "searching the trail on his phone" with "planning to hike that trail" necessarily. It's consistent, but it's not conclusive evidence of his intent. He may have searched the trail, then looked at other topo maps, and decided to try the loop. He may have searched multiple trails shortly before the hike, but we've only heard about the one search.

How often do you see something like that happening from a family man? Never.
That is with their baby and the dog thus them hiking on SL trail should be ruled out imo.

I can't see how we can rule out them hiking on SL since that's where they were found. MOO

 

[DCA58]

While I agree it was certainly hot enough for a heat related medical episode, I can't come to this conclusion for a couple reasons. First, all of them expiring. And second, the dog. Dogs are smarter than humans when it comes to this sort of thing, despite their loyalty. The dog would have laid down and refused to carry on, IMO. Still not adding up for me, and all explanations offered still don't compute for me.

Amateur opinion and speculation

I totally agree!

 

[TailSpin]

While I agree it was certainly hot enough for a heat related medical episode, I can't come to this conclusion for a couple reasons. First, all of them expiring. And second, the dog. Dogs are smarter than humans when it comes to this sort of thing, despite their loyalty. The dog would have laid down and refused to carry on, IMO. Still not adding up for me, and all explanations offered still don't compute for me.

Amateur opinion and speculation

I don't see all of them expiring as a reason to rule out heat. They were a family so when the first individual to experience distress due to heat (likely baby or dog) the whole group would likely have decided to stop and rest. There was no shelter from the heat where they were located so laying down would not have helped and they all would have progressively gotten worse until Ellen realized she was the only one who could carry on her own to seek help but didn't make it far.

 

[SeattleStew]

Dogs die after playing in Washington state rivers; toxic algae suspected

Ugh. I had no idea this was happening so frequently. This really hit home as my young grandson, age 10, was stand-up paddle boarding in one of the mentioned park areas all summer this year.

 

[SophieRose]

Here's video of the South Fork Merced taken in June 2021 to get an idea of what the upstream water looked like earlier this year not far from where they were. Starts at about :58 and ends about 2:20.

 

[Bodhi]

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have spent my entire life in and around Northern California. Toxic algae blooms have been a regular occurrence for a number of years and are frequently reported on the nightly news/MSM. Canine deaths from the neurotoxin produced by the cyanobacteria are not uncommon especially during drought years. There were several in 2016 (Russian River, Clearlake) for example. My point is that the couple are frequent Nor Cal hikers with a dog and likely know about common dangers like toxic algae blooms and would avoid affected areas. What most people don't know about, myself included, is that portable water filters don't filter out the neurotoxin itself. This has been stated on NPS water safety postings as well as different government websites like this one Oregon Health Authority : Frequently Asked Questions : Cyanobacteria Blooms : State of Oregon

Membrane filters as well as boiling don't remove the toxin.

Also, it seems strange that adults would be stricken in a similar time frame as the dog and baby, that is, one adult would likely be able to get back to the car, but it's just speculation. (I understand the dog would have fallen ill much, much earlier since according to vet postings they succumb quickly to the toxin which would spur an adult to seek help IMO.)

I posted a question earlier but didn't get a response. If they were killed by a underground lightening strike wouldn't that have damaged the cell phone? I ask because other posters state that this type of strike doesn't always leave obvious physical injuries and is hard to identify postmortem etc. but it seems like a cell phone would get damaged. MOO

In California we don't have as much summer lightening activity as most of the US and as such don't receive frequent warnings about lightening safety. For example, in 2019 Calif. had 365,225 strikes and Kansas had 8,200,321. And Calif is a lot bigger! That doesn't mean we don't know anything but it's just not always on our radar in terms of safety/risk assessment.

I appreciate the info about filters. I'd been wondering about that.

 

[Deleted member 222031]

Here's video of the South Fork Merced taken in June 2021 to get an idea of what the upstream water looked like earlier this year not far from where they were. Starts at about :58 and ends about 2:20.

Looks like paradise! Very inviting, especially recreating in the water. Easy to believe they stopped and refreshed at a place like this before running into whatever contributed to their deaths. MOO

Thanks for sharing this!

 

[Lex Parsimoniae]

While I agree it was certainly hot enough for a heat related medical episode, I can't come to this conclusion for a couple reasons. First, all of them expiring. And second, the dog. Dogs are smarter than humans when it comes to this sort of thing, despite their loyalty. The dog would have laid down and refused to carry on, IMO. Still not adding up for me, and all explanations offered still don't compute for me.

Amateur opinion and speculation

I've had dogs all my life, they don't all behave the same so it's quite possible this dog laid down and refused to go on. Then what? The humans would have a choice to make- leave the dog, carry the dog, or stop and try to coax it into continuing. An overheated dog lying in 100F/38C+ heat, with no shade would quickly go from refusing to continue to being unable to continue. The humans just climbed ~1000'/305m in extreme heat with no shade, and they have only a small amount of water left. Their dog is dead or dying, and the gravity of their situation is sinking in. They take off the backpack so they can both take a close look at their baby. They're feeling the effects of incipient heat stroke, and need to sit down. According to the National Weather Service "It surprises many people to learn that the heat index values in the chart above are for shady locations. If you are exposed to direct sunlight, the heat index value can be increased by up to 15°F (8°C)." It computes for me. That's my own opinion of roughly what happened.

 

[Newsjunkiejen]

Here's video of the South Fork Merced taken in June 2021 to get an idea of what the upstream water looked like earlier this year not far from where they were. Starts at about :58 and ends about 2:20.

Thank you for sharing. This helped me to visualise what the landscape is like there. It's so beautiful, but after seeing this video I can see how it can be potentially very deadly too.

 

[SophieRose]

Here's pictures taken in 2015 (bad drought year, hardly any rain) of a maintenance crew working on the Savage Lundy Trail. For more pictures swipe arrows.

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