in any case still closer to park blvd than hwy 62.

I don't know why the shot at Ken, but he doesn't seem far off:

One def. of irony: "a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects"

Does one EXPECT to die so close to salvation? Maybe we should, but I don't. So perhaps some irony. Damn sad, regardless.

BAd

The searchers said they were covering new grounds and were scaling 30 foot cliffs and boulders
maybe height played a roll?

Authorities have found the bodies of two missing southern California hikers in Joshua Tree National Park — locked in a final embrace.

The couple was reported missing in July after an Airbnb host noticed that Joseph Orbeso, 21, and Rachel Nguyen, 20, had not checked out or removed their belongings, which included four types of hallucinogenic drugs.

It took a search team comprised of hundreds of would-be rescuers and family members until Sunday night to discover the bodies. The National Park Service said bodies were discovered around 11:30 p.m. Sunday in a remote region.

KABC7 reported that the bodies were embracing.

“I believed that I was going to find them,” Orbeso's father, Gilbert, told KESQ. “I didn’t know when, but I had my answer today.

"I feel like we have closure. We know we found them. That was our main goal, to find them," added Orbeso, who was among the group that discovered the bodies.

Orbeso’s father found the body of his son when he decided to head a few miles from Maze Loop in the park, where the couple's car had been discovered shortly after their disappearance. Eventually, he noticed items of clothing, water bottles and food wrappers. Orbeso had spent months searching over the rugged terrain of cliffs and boulders before making his sad discovery.

The couple disappeared amid heat and intense sunlight, which can lead to dehydration, according to the National Park Service.

Early on, authorities investigating the missing couple did not believe that any foul play was involved in the pair's disappearance.

Joshua Tree National Park is in a remote area of eastern California, where the Mojave and Colorado desert ecosystems meet, according to the National Park Service. The park is beloved by star-gazers for its almost complete lack of light pollution. The park is named after the distinctive, dagger-leafed, zig-zag trees that dot the landscape.

"I feel like we have closure. We know we found them. That was our main goal, to find them," added Orbeso, who was among the group that discovered the bodies.

Orbeso’s father found the body of his son when he decided to head a few miles from Maze Loop in the park, where the couple's car had been discovered shortly after their disappearance. Eventually, he noticed items of clothing, water bottles and food wrappers. Orbeso had spent months searching over the rugged terrain of cliffs and boulders before making his sad discovery.

Seems strange that they couldn't retrace their steps.

It's unbelievable that it took so long to find the bodies.
They had groups of searchers WITH cadaver dogs the first couple weeks after the 2 disappeared!

Why couldn't the dogs find them then??
Are the dogs not that good in the desert for some reason?

Orbeso had spent months searching over the rugged terrain of cliffs and boulders before making his sad discovery.

Russ Walling:
Haven't heard the mushrooms thing.... but it was reported they had 4 types of hallucinogenics in the room. So, if I had to guess.... they had some shrooms for sure, most likely some Ecstasy, LSD of course, and hmmmm.... how about some Salvia or BathSalts

Bet they were on E and got way dehydrated like those clubbers who dance all night.

The above website Russ gave appears to be infected with malware!

Orbeso and Nguyen checked in to an Airbnb in the high desert on Wednesday July 26th. The owner, who spoke with Devine on the telephone said the pair planned to hike at Joshua Tree National Park Thursday, July 27th and he confirmed with Devine that a neighbor saw them leave before 6 a.m. By Friday, when they hadn't checked out of the Airbnb, the owner called the sheriff's department. Some belongings, including 4 types of hallucinogenic drugs, were discovered in the rental, suggesting they never came back.

DMT..."Another sad example of why the frenzied speculator gossips early in this thread so often entirely miss the mark."

Werner..."Foul play or psychedelics involved here?

What is the nature of these two peoples history?"

The sheriff's department said it's possible that extreme heat and lack of resources played a role in their demise.

"They had positioned their clothing to protect to cover the lower parts of their body from the sun and the heat," said San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Cindy Bachman. "Investigators say it appeared they were rationing food, and they had no water."

Sorry, I'm not buying the shootings as an act of mercy. What's up with young people hiking in J-tree with guns? For the weight of that gun, they could have carried more water. I bet the guy's background is suspect.

Who in the hell takes a gun to Jtree?

This whole thing is hokey ....

I don't mean to trivialize the issue of lives at stake - I hope they are found alive and reasonably well.

The male vs female navigational comparison is something I've observed and found interesting throughout my life, as my mom has basically no sense of direction, and I routinely have almost flawless orienting skills, in the mountains and forest especially.

Not bragging - it's just a fact. Anyone who has adventured w me extensively would agree.

I've observed other women having very little sense of direction consistently in my travels, markedly more so than males, to the point I'm surprised when I meet one that is well oriented in the wild.

Locker, that may be true, but in all the years I climbed in Josh none of my climbing partners carried.

Orbeso and Nguyen had dated but most recently were friends, Young said. Orbeso was familiar with Joshua Tree National Park and had taken Nguyen there to celebrate her birthday, he added.

who were hoping the pair went voluntarily missing [sic]

My opinion is based on real life experience over decades of observing women and men in navigational situations