They probably went to just venture out, so it wouldnt have been like an extreme hike of any sort, Jeffe said. The Mariposa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that search teams located the family's vehicle near the national forest gate that leads to Hite's Cove, and then found the family's bodies on the trail shortly thereafter. The trail is overgrown in places with chemise and you had to part the brush to get through in places. The California family mysteriously found dead this week along a hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest was in an area northeast of Mariposa and southwest of Yosemite National Park. Samples from the dog were sent to multiple labs for testing. Devil Gulch Valley in Colorado, United States Devils Gulch Depression in Ventura County, United States In the Area Devil Gulch is situated close to the hamlets Clearing House and Darrah . Jack Wildt, a retired gold miner, said it would have been difficult for the family to even find an entrance to a historic mine, as most had been blanked by years of brush. Each week the Sierra Hiking Seniors (a group of overone hundred hikers)put out an e-mail announcing two hikes for the following week. Samples of bacteria bloom along the south fork of the Merced River and Snyder Creek, which run adjacent to the trail were also taken to test for any other possible contamination in the water in the area. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. May 25, 2015 Thus, the best time to hike this trail is when temperatures are cooler, which you'll find from mid-October through early May. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. The Mysterious Deaths of a Young California Family on California Trail Near Toxic Algal Blooms | Who Has the Answers?, Plant Fruit Trees in Public Spaces to Fight Climate & Hunger, Worse than Snakes and Alligators: Floridas Toxic Algae Blooms Spell Death. For all of the fretting I did in my mind about the drive, it wasnt as bad as I built it up to be. The purpose of Forest Order No. Tall pines swayed in the wind, yet no breeze could be felt. Check out their new restaurant in Fresno, This Fresno brewery and restaurant is opening its fourth location. A Mariposa County Sheriff's Office official stopped media Wednesday afternoon along Hites Cove Road near. Sheriff Jeremy Briese said," For Mariposa County, this is rare. Heat exhaustion and stroke are very real dangers on this trail. While there are several historic gold mines in the area, experts who spoke to The Chronicle on Thursday cast doubt on the idea that any noxious gases from there would be responsible for the familys demise. The family had relocated to Mariposa County during the pandemic in 2020, when Gerrish's job became remote, according to the Merced Sun-Star. Hiking through country that is rich with mining history gave me the chance to walk in the footprints of unknown miners who had dreams of striking it rich in the South Fork of the Merced River. Briese said the last major incident his office responded to in Devils Gulch was during that fire, when firefighter Braden Varney was found dead alongside his bulldozer at the bottom of a ravine. The Ferguson Fire blasted through the area in 2018, scorching more than 96,000 acres along the hiking path. The family also had a backpack with a Camelback bladder that held a small amount of water and this was sent for testing in case it was in some way contaminated. Be aware. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Mitchell said some water samples were sent to labs for testing Aug. 19, and additional water samples were collected Monday from along the trail area where they were found. 17.8 km They reportedly continued 1.9 miles to the Savage Lundy Trail intersection. Toxicology results from autopsies are pending. In addition to the gold, minerals such as Arsenopyrite, Baryte, Calcite, Galena, Gold, Nontronite, Pitticite, Platinum, Pyrite, Quartz, Scorodite, Siderite and Sphalerite. After the autopsies, the deaths of the Gerrish family remained unexplained. They continued walking along 20E01.4 trail which parallels the South Fork of the Merced River for approximately 1.9 miles towards the Savage Lundy Trail intersection. Toxic algae in the area is among hazards being considered by investigators, who have no smoking gun clues pointing to how the family died. . Epic: Extreme storms have California near an all-time snowpack record set 40 years ago, Near-record snow and more to come: Heres how long Tahoe ski resorts will stay open, Male seadragon makes history at CA aquarium with arrival of more than 70 newborns, Mountain travel hazardous to impossible as Northern California braces for next storm. The trail is open for the following uses: Hiking. Leslie, a woman whom I met for the first timerodewith me over the rugged terrain. She has a passion for sharing peoples stories to highlight issues and promote greater understanding. Carmen Kohlruss is a features and news reporter for The Fresno Bee. Water the family was carrying also is being tested. Sunday, Aug. 15: 7:45 a.m., witness sees the Gerrish/Chung family traveling toward the trailhead in their vehicle. There is a known toxic harmful algal bloom on the south fork of the Merced River, a couple miles from where the family was found dead, which is among hazards still being considered in their deaths. A map provided by the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office shows a re-creation of the Gerrish-Chung family's final hours while hiking the Hite Cove and Savage Lundy trails in the Sierra Nevada . Savage Lundy Trail. . We left the trail to head over to the river where there was a wide flat spot. Love the Half Dome shot Janet. One of the premier mountain bike trails in the PNW. This was once a mining community after the discovery of gold there in 1861, but it burnt down in 1924. 1,048' Down Looking into Devils Gulch canyon from the Hite Cove Trail, where a family of hikers were found dead. Theres no obvious indicators of how it occurred . Elevation is 1,800 feet; temperature was 99-103. Her stories have been recognized with Best of the West and McClatchy Presidents awards, and many top awards from the California News Publishers Association. 2 min read Several areas in the Sierra National Forest have. In a press conference on Thursday, October 21, 2021, the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the Gerrish family died of hyperthermia and probable dehydration, while their 8-year-old dog Oski also suffered a heat-related death. Some did, most didnt. 3,931' Down They were city folks and then completely shifted gears moving to Mariposa for this quieter life, focusing on their daughter.. There are no toxic gases in any of these mines up there, Wildt said. Spam? The bodies of Jonathan Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju and their dog were discovered with no obvious signs of trauma by searchers on Tuesday on the Hite Cove Trail near an area known as Devil Gulch. 1216.16 m Up She is a two-time graduate of the University of Missouri, and has additionally worked at the Casper Star-Tribune, National Geographic and an online publication in Buenos Aires. ", Become a member of StrangeOutdoors for exclusive content, See the latest Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, Read other strange stories from the Sierra National Forest and Yosemite, The Sandra Johnsen Hughes disappearance in Sierra National Forest, The bizarre disappearance of Stacey Arras from Yosemite National Park, The strange disappearance and death of Jeannie Hesselschwerdt in Yosemite National Park, The puzzling disappearance of Max Schweitzer in Yosemite National Park, https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gerrish-2748376/?originalSubdomain=uk, https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-mystery-autopsy-fails-to-reveal-cause-of-death-for-family-and-dog-found-dead-on-hiking-trial, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/poison-algae-on-gold-trail-may-have-killed-family-59vmwjf3q, https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/hites-cove-trail?u=m, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hites_Cove,_California, https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Not-one-clue-The-mystery-is-only-deepening-16401921.php, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9914627/Deaths-husband-wife-baby-treated-homicide.html, http://merced-river.org/HitesCoveTrail.html, https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Unknown-hazards-Yosemite-trail-Calif-family-dead-16429088.php, https://www.facebook.com/SierraNF/posts/3133758160228109, https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article253864053.html?fbclid=IwAR0_Sv0T7TGRIEuytyuph8M5f50VWWgo4skgRuB3YaHIUKjO6JPK31FMNYU, https://kmph.com/news/local/mariposa-county-sheriff-multiple-causes-of-death-ruled-out-in-death-of-california-family, https://people.com/human-interest/cause-of-death-revealed-for-california-family-who-died-on-hiking-trail/, Tagged: The bizarre deaths of the Gerrish family in Devils Gulch, john gerrish death, ellen chung death, gerrish family deaths in sierra national forest, John Gerrish autopsy, Savage lundy trail deaths, Sign Up now for a one-off fee for exclusive access to many articles, The strange disappearance of Daniel Robinson from Buckeye in Arizona, The strange death of Lucas Renoud at the Hrisson waterfalls in the Jura Mountains, The bizarre deaths of the Gerrish family in Devils Gulch, Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, gerrish family deaths in sierra national forest, The mysterious disappearance and death of Nicola Bulley in Lancashire, The strange disappearance of the YouTube Survivalist Finn Creaney in the Scottish Highlands, The shocking disappearance of Theresa Ann Bier, The disturbing disappearance of Daylenn Pua from Hawaiis Stairway To Heaven walkway, The puzzling disappearance of ex-paratrooper Gilbert Gilman from Olympic National Park, The Dead man who saved Brandon Day and Gina Allen on Mount San Jacinto, The strange disappearance and death of Geoff Hague in the Great Smoky Mountains, The weird disappearance of Garrett Bardsley from Cuberant Lake in Utah, The bizarre death of Cullen Finnerty in the Michigan wilderness, The puzzling disappearance of Barbara Bolick from the Bitterroot Mountains, The strange disappearance of Mike Hearon from the Great Smoky Mountains, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) report June 2021, The bizarre disappearance and death of Adrienne Quintal in Michigan, The strange disappearance of Fern Baird from the Prairie Peak Trail in Idaho, The strange deaths of David Horesay and Frederick Hardisty in the Northwest Territories, The disappearance of Steven Kubacki in the Lake Michigan Triangle, The lucky survival story of Chris Staff in the White Mountains - hallucinations, bugs and hunger, Mysterious UFO phenomena begins to be acknowledged officially by the US Military, The mysterious disappearance of Michael Bryson from the Hobo Campground in Oregon. Camping is allowed at Hite Cove, but campfire permits are required. Because there were no apparent causes of death, the scene was handled as a hazmat investigation, and a spokesperson told the Associated Press that there were concerns that it could be related to carbon monoxide, possibly from old mines in the area. John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their daughter Miju, 1, and the family's dog Oski were all discovered on the 3-mile long Savage-Lundy Trail in the forest, in an area known as Devil's Gulch near the community of Hites Cove. Boy Scouts carrying full packs squeezed by. The best way to get to Hites Cove is by hiking the Hites Cove Trail starting at Savages Trading post near El Portal on HWY 140. The sky was becoming overcast and we could finally feel a cooling breeze. http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gtusa/usa/ca/mrp-co/h.htmlhttp://www.mindat.org/loc-217355.htmlhttp://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/call_of_gold/http://www.dickestel.com/images/mariposa358.jpgChamberlain, Newell D., The Call of the Gold, 1972http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/cone-bearing_trees/knobcone_pine.html, https://www.sierranewsonline.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3373:hiking-with-the-sierra-newt-to-view-wildflowers-at-hite-covehttps://www.sierranewsonline.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1758:hite-cove-wildflower-hike-part-1https://www.sierranewsonline.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1783:hite-cove-wildflower-hike-part-2, Fire Alert: Residential Structure Fire North Fork, http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gtusa/usa/ca/mrp-co/h.html, http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/call_of_gold/, http://www.dickestel.com/images/mariposa358.jpg, http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/cone-bearing_trees/knobcone_pine.html, https://www.sierranewsonline.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3373:hiking-with-the-sierra-newt-to-view-wildflowers-at-hite-cove, https://www.sierranewsonline.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1758:hite-cove-wildflower-hike-part-1, https://www.sierranewsonline.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1783:hite-cove-wildflower-hike-part-2, Current Yosemite Conditions for February 3, 2023, History Mystery #116: Sam Long Knife Clark, Over the Garden Fence: Spring Garden Daydreams.