Found Deceased CA - Paul Miller, 51, Canadian missing in Joshua Tree National Park, San Bernardino Co., 13 Jul 2018

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Desert Bighorn Sheep - Joshua Tree National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Habitat
Desert bighorn prefer a habitat of steep, rocky terrain for escape from predators, bedding, and lambing. Bighorn zigzag up and down cliff faces with amazing ease. They use ledges only two inches wide for foot holds, and bounce from ledge to ledge over spans as wide as 20 feet. They can move over level ground at 30 miles per hour and scramble up mountain slopes at 15 mph. They are aided by cloven hooves which are sharp-edged, elastic, and concave.

Three herds live in the park
The bighorn uses open areas of low growing vegetation near rugged terrain for feeding. This habitat preference divides Joshua Tree's bighorns into three more or less separate herds. The 120 animals that live in the Eagle Mountains at the far easterm boundary of the park is the largest herd. The second consists of about 100 animals and ranges through the main part of the Little San Bernardino Mountains. The smallest herd, which numbers only 30 animals, is found in the Wonderland of Rocks. Members of this last band are the ones most often seen by park visitors. Ewes seldom venture from their natal herd, but rams wander rather frequently.

Activity
The Desert bighorn is most active during daylight, moving to traditional bedding areas at night. During the summer bighorn rest during the hot midday, often on cliffs above their water source. Rest periods are also used for chewing cud.

Water is critical to bighorn survival. In early spring of years with good winter rains they get enough water from the grass they eat to go without drinking. At other times they must trek to a spring or water-holding depression at least every third day. Lactating ewes need to drink almost every day. Making the trek to water is the most dangerous part of a bighorn's life. It is in the narrow canyons, where most springs occur, that the adult sheep's only significant predator, the mountain lion, Felis concolor, lies in wait. Most dead sheep found in the park are mountain lion kills.

Bighorn have extremely acute eyesight, which aids in jumping and gaining footholds in the steep terrain. They often watch other animals moving at a distance of almost a mile. During the rut, the bighorn rams snort loudly. The lambs bleat, and the ewes respond with a guttural "ba-aa". They also utter throaty rumbles when frightened.
 
Wow -- the article says more than 600 searchers and 20 K-9 units have put in more than 6,000 hours looking for Paul!

Family/friends may think more can be done but I think that is amazing. Hats off to all those searchers (both two- and four-legged).
That is really amazing! This reminds me of the case of Gary Tweedle, who was at a conference in Australia and ended up dead on a ledge of a massive cliff. It took quite awhile to find him, and I suspect this is similar to Paul.
 
Wow -- the article says more than 600 searchers and 20 K-9 units have put in more than 6,000 hours looking for Paul!

Family/friends may think more can be done but I think that is amazing. Hats off to all those searchers (both two- and four-legged).

For any who curious about the surrounding terrain and want to appreciate what they are up against, go to google maps and put in “fortynine palms oasis” and view it in satellite mode. If Paul made it to the oasis and picked a false trail by accident, it is easy to see how quickly you would be in trouble.
 
Reviewing old news videos & just realized Paul went missing on Friday the 13th... :thud:


A couple of other niggly things, mainly wording LOL:
@0:47 "...i would encourage people, you know, for this time of year, find something else to do...."
@ 0:53 "...his vehicle found parked at the 49 Palms Oasis trail head where he began to hike alone..."
@ 1:00 "...authorities says it's unusual for hikers to go missing on the trail..............."

SMH...FWIW.

This is LE speaking (SMH)...FWIW
1:06 "...it's a difficult place to get lost out there, the trail goes out about a mile and a half, you turn around and walk back the same a mile and a half out..."
 
For any who curious about the surrounding terrain and want to appreciate what they are up against, go to google maps and put in “fortynine palms oasis” and view it in satellite mode. If Paul made it to the oasis and picked a false trail by accident, it is easy to see how quickly you would be in trouble.


I did, and I never knew I could get dizzy looking at a satellite Google Map - it was that scary to me!
 
For any who curious about the surrounding terrain and want to appreciate what they are up against, go to google maps and put in “fortynine palms oasis” and view it in satellite mode. If Paul made it to the oasis and picked a false trail by accident, it is easy to see how quickly you would be in trouble.

The false trail would be my favorite theory for almost anything else (having seen my fair share of them in real life), except SAR keeps saying that people don't get lost on that trail.

They also (earlier) said they looked at the one place off the trail where Paul could have gone and didn't find anything, and while they didn't say what that was, I did find some trail reports indicating that the only places to go once you reached the oasis was (a) back to the trailhead or (b) you keep going in a certain direction. I think they searched that and didn't find anything. I would think that if Paul headed in the wrong direction after leaving the oasis, he would have realized it quickly, and headed back to the oasis since it is a very obvious visual marker in an otherwise desolate landscape. MOO.
 
Providing you STAY on the trail, which it appears Paul did not.

Hiking Etiquette (U.S. National Park Service)

Stay on the trail. Don’t step off trail unless you absolutely must when yielding. Going off trail can damage or kill certain plant or animal species, and can hurt the ecosystems that surround the trail. Always practice Leave No Trace principles: Leave rocks, vegetation, and artifacts where you find them for others to enjoy.

Another link with lots of great information:

Hike Smart (U.S. National Park Service)
 
From article Search continues for missing Canadian hiker in Joshua Tree

"He was last seen saying goodbye to his wife as he went to hike the trail."

This is reinforcement that the Neil_Witness 'sighting' really isn't even been considered as credible by MSM (and LE I would assume).

Also from the article...
"We're hoping that we find him in good health and we're able to return him to his loved ones, said" Land.

Seriously? That statement is almost cruel. No way he could still be alive and surviving after this length of time in JT this time of year.
 
From article Search continues for missing Canadian hiker in Joshua Tree
"We're hoping that we find him in good health and we're able to return him to his loved ones, said" Land.

Seriously? That statement is almost cruel. No way he could still be alive and surviving after this length of time in JT this time of year.

To be fair, that article was first posted July 14, the day after he went missing, and last updated July 18, so this quote could have been from early in the search.
 
To be fair, that article was first posted July 14, the day after he went missing, and last updated July 18, so this quote could have been from early in the search.
Thank you for correcting me. I always assume a new article posted on here is up to date. :). Got to pay attention to details a bit more often.
 
The false trail would be my favorite theory for almost anything else (having seen my fair share of them in real life), except SAR keeps saying that people don't get lost on that trail.

They also (earlier) said they looked at the one place off the trail where Paul could have gone and didn't find anything, and while they didn't say what that was, I did find some trail reports indicating that the only places to go once you reached the oasis was (a) back to the trailhead or (b) you keep going in a certain direction. I think they searched that and didn't find anything. I would think that if Paul headed in the wrong direction after leaving the oasis, he would have realized it quickly, and headed back to the oasis since it is a very obvious visual marker in an otherwise desolate landscape. MOO.
Your synopsis is consistent with quotes I’ve read from SAR and LE looking for Paul. It seems they are not convinced he went hiking there.

So where does that leave us? I have been confused from the get-go by his wife’s quick departure. Doesn’t add up to me.

Insurance scam? New life in Mexico? One would think his financial records would help narrow those options down.

I’m uncharacteristically on the fence with this case because of the SAR/LE statements. But if forced to bet, I’d say Paul is off trail, yet to be found.
 
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