Why this "normal" photo HAUNTED Park Rangers for years… 

I can't even imagine their horror when the realization of their fate set in...especially having your two small children with you. May they rest in peace.

Dear Tourists: We're not that imaginative with naming places. So if we call something "Death Valley" or "Devils Den" or "Famine Peak"... beware. There's some obvious backstory involved.

I worked at Death Valley over the winter, before it became a National Park. It was a Monument at the time. The place was super popular with Germans. Though one day, in the Spring I found a car broke down on a remote road. They recommend you carry at least 1 gallon of water per person in you car at all times. It is (or was) actually illegal to not stop and give assistance yo someone stranded in the desert. I found a family of 4 (s adults, two kids) broke down on the side of the road. I stopped and asked how long they had been there and how much water they had. About half an hour and none. I gave them both gallons of my water and told them to drink it all between them, even if they didn't feel thirsty. I then left to call for help. I picked up 4 more gallons of water 2 to replace what I had given away, and 2 more for the family. The tow truck showed up in about an hour, with us all talking and drinking our water. The tow truck driver handed out even more water. The dad laughed making fun of how obsessed we were about water. I said, "In this place, when it's hot and dry like it is now, if you find yourself stranded without water in the morning, you will be dead before sunset. Drink more water. This place is seriously intense. Temperatures can climb to over 125 degrees every day, and temperatures over 130 are not rare. With humidity of around 0.25% you don't get thirsty before your brain begins to be effected by your dehydration. It's a bit safer these days (opposed to 35 years ago) with cell phones, but service can be spotty, and it is so hot, it can cause your cell phone to shut down. Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back, even if it's the Ranger Station. That way, if you get stuck, they can send a rescue to you before it becomes a body recovery. Just make sure you check in so they know you are safe. Also, take water. Lots and lots of water. And yea, I know this story. I didn't know the resolution though.

My dad lived in vegas for years when i was about 9-14urs old. We went threw death valley several times, usually during summer break. I remember my dad telling us as we drove past the sign that we could NEVER stop, NEVER turn off our car and if our car broke down to stay with the car and never walk away. I was terrified of death valley for years thinking everytime we drove threw we were gonna die. My dad always had like 6 gallons of water in the back at all times.. just in case for us or the car. Ive still never actually stopped there. I couldnt imagine the horror these ppl felt. 😥

People who never give up finding the missing, who reject ending the search and want to bring closure, answers and the people back... they are the silent heroes.

As a German who's been to the US, I can tell you that we are not used to the sheer scale of things in the US. In Germany it's hard to go anywhere where there isn't some small village a few kilometers away at the most, and maybe 10 km from the nearest Autobahn. (Look up the English Calamity that happened in 1936 where a group of English students got 'lost' in the Black Forest, they met half a dozen people and came across several dwellings during their day of hiking. After the alarm was raised that they needed help, they were all found within 3 hours. (still too late for some)). Germany is on a entirely different scale than the US. For comparison: The biggest national park in Germany is 123 square miles, just NYC is over twice that with 300 sqm. They only had paper maps, and if they were only used to German maps, I can see how they misjudged the distances so severely. If there were lots of labeled point on them like the military base, they might have assumed that there was more infrastructure than there actually was. Also, they were used to kilometers, not miles. If they saw a distance of 8 miles and assumed it was just 8 kilometers (~5miles), that would have factored into how they determined if a trek was possible or not. Obviously they made bad choices and mistakes, they should have realized they were in over their heads waaaay before they even made it far into Death Valley. This is just for the people wondering how they thought this was a good idea. They probably had a completely different frame of reference with how they were judging distances and the weather. (Until the past couple of years, temperatures in the high 90ies were unheard of in Germany, that was a freak occurrence. When I was in school in the early 00s a day with 95F had kids rioting to be let out of school early (and I live in the very south in basically the hottest place in the entire country and that was unusually hot for us))

One thing worth noting, vans are actually significantly better at rough terrain than most would expect. They have a nice, long wheelbase and tend to be a bit "over built" at least relative to other vehicles that have similar purposes, like sedans. They also have pretty decent weight distribution for that sort of thing, just by nature of how they're designed. Not saying it's a suitable offroad vehicle, just that they're often significantly more capable vehicles than they would appear to be.

I think many in Europe get used to the idea that “countries” can be crossed in about a day, then believe that is true of the US….thereby drastically under-estimating the size of the US. I have on multiple occasions run into seemingly bright European travelers in the US who clearly did this. For example, family friends from the UK visiting my parent’s house near Washington DC asked if they could drive to see California “for the weekend” (thinking California was an afternoon drive away)….and they were shocked to hear it takes a week of full time driving to reach California, Or while at a scientific conference in Texas, a European at dinner said they were flying home out of New York City the next afternoon…..as they wanted to see NYC while in the US. They were surprised to hear that you can’t reach NYC from Texas in even 20 hours driving, let alone 6 hours,

There's actually a somewhat common problem of people on poorly maintained desert roads getting confused by a wash, thinking it is another road. There's actually been a lot of deaths not from hikers but from drivers who turned off a road onto a wash and didn't realize it until they are lost or stuck. It's a well known phenomenon because sometimes people with cell phones are able to get a signal and call for help if they aren't too remote. It's just the way the run off paths during the rare rains causes these smooth natural paths through the landscape that with other atmospheric factors can look indistinguishable from man made dirt roads.

It's named Death Valley for a reason. It should be avoided during summer.

Tourists do the strangest things. While hiking I ran across a family from Japan that had wandered onto a jeep trail in the Pike National Forest near where I live. Their car was high centered and they had to walk a few miles to cell coverage and call someone to come get them. I'm sure that was a bad day.

My father owned a cattle station in the 1960s in one of the hottest areas of the Northern Territory in Australia. His best friend, Uncle Paul, was the local Police Officer in the last small town in the area, about 6 hours drive away, before travelling into the true Red Centre. Dad was driving along the road and came across some English tourists, a family with 4 young children. Their car had overheated in the middle of the day because the radiator had run out of water. He gave them water because they had less than a gallon for the entire family and car. Their only food was a few sandwiches the mum had made. Remember that this was a time before airconditioned cars. They seemed oblivious to how dangerous their situation was. The father said they were "on an adventure". They were going to drive through the town and then onto the red centre. Dad got the car going and asked them to say hi to the Police Officer in the town for him and he'll look after them. They were very thankful. He saw them off then radioed his mate and told him a group of insane tourists were on the way to see him. His friend talked to the couple, realised how daft and totally unprepared they were, and told the father that if he didn't get his car checked, get properly provisioned and drive back to the city he would arrest him for child endangerment. Whether the tourist realised it or not, after the grumbles, Dad and his friend did look after them. Dad and Uncle Paul, and many of the locals had been part of search and rescue efforts a few times for crazy tourists, and Uncle Paul did all he could to stop them when they had young children.

The first rule in Search & Rescue is: Do Not Make Yourself Another Victim. We’re taught that on day 1 and it’s drilled into us by our instructors.

The children likely succumbed a day or so before the adults. I think the reason that no one found their remains is that the parents might have buried them knowing they'd likely never be found.

I can't imagine the pure horror of this situation. I was 5 yrs old when my family drove from Michigan to Disneyland in 1970. In a 1970 Plymouth Cuda. No A/C. I remember riding in the backseat through a desert. Don't know which one, but the road was a straight line as far as you can see. The mirage effect and misery index was fully engaged. My little brother and I had to be let out to puke numerous times. I remember the hot air blowing on me in the backseat as we drove. On the way back to Michigan, we took a route through the northern part of U.S. Wyoming, North Dakota, and so on. We never had a car without A/C again.

Tom Mahood is heroic. This man deserves the highest praise.

Thinking of those poor babies in the heat, not understanding what’s happening to them, probably seeing their parents freaking out. Breaks my heart.

Actually, it was stuck on a old dirt road that followed a dry wash back to Warm Springs Camp on the main road. It had been closed by the Park Rangers for at least 10 years to reclaim the land. The van was stuck near the Geologists' Cabin. The German male didn't know that the track (road) was closed because his map showed it as a short cut back to Warm Springs Camp.

I kept a 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyager I inherited from my parents. They came with AWD as an option, I have it on mine. Ive pulled an F250 with a tandem axle trailer out of the mud with my van, Ive pulled a Silverado stuck at the bottom of a wet/grassy embankment back onto the highway with my van, and Ive "pulled" a flatbed towtruck with its front wheels burried up to the axles in mud back onto dry ground. Mine also has 436,000 miles. Theyre amazing vans. With the cast iron V6, its definitely a vehicle that will safely carry you to hell and back.

I'm a logger in northern California's remote mountains. The things I've seen people do. My favorite from them, "It's fine, we have four wheel drive." My favorite from me (a few hours later after I go looking for them), "Well... you can stay here with your stuck four wheel drive and die or you can let me rescue you. Your choice." And some of them stay with their rig. They're usually a little more open to being rescued the next day after spending a freezing night in their rig.LOL

I was in rural Thailand, our group met a German woman who invited us to hike to the other side of the island, through the jungle, a local man offered to take us in a boat as he said there were big snakes in the jungle, that was enough for me but the woman insisted he was ripping us off and we should hike, I went a short distance where I couldn’t even see my feet then said forget it. She was pissed, thinking us whimps lol, better a live whimp than a snake dinner😱

Legitimately one of the most heartbreaking and tragic but totally preventable cases in national parks history. I worked in Death Valley National Park for 3 years as a ranger before transfering and the amount of tourists who tried to hike with very little water was astounding. I personally was part of 2 missing persons/body recoverys while there in the mid 2000s.

I'm an eagle scout with over 800 miles of hiking while doing that. After i turned 18 i continued hiking and im 33 now. I've hiked places all across America. I always warn foreigners to be extra careful when hiking because our trails and our parks can be thousands of miles or millions of acres. Sometimes people don't realize how truly large and sparce a lot of America is

I think he did an extraordinary job in preparation and finding the IDs/bones. I realized he put himself in danger but it’s his puzzle solving just knowing where to look, incredible!

I can understand why the authorities got angry, but the man is a hero!! I'm a third generation Angeleno and I can tell you, Death Valley is even dangerous in the winter. I feel so bad for them, tourists from a very different country just trying to have a wonderful, memorable vacation. So sad. Thank you for always being compassionate when relaying these tales.

Death Valley National Park is 3M+ acres, China Lake NAWS is 1M+ acres most of which is untouched. They got close to a boundary between vast nothingness and more vast nothingness.

I've hiked numerous times in Phoenix which has two seasons. Summer and Super Summer. I can imagine what it's like to have a hike in Death Valley National Park. When I lived in Phoenix visitors would look at me like I was crazy for wearing a long sleeved shirt and jeans while they were wearing shorts and t-shirts. Jokes on them, I was cooled down while they were overheating and suffering heat strokes.

See? If it had been a 4-wheel drive, nobody would've ever found it because it would've been even further from civilization.

Most Europeans have no real concept of the vastness of the desert, nor the heat. It was so sad

The children were probably small enough for scavenging animals to scatter their remains easier than that of the adults. The elements also destroy DNA in the picked over bones, which is why it's not a surprise that the incomplete remains were only enough to identify one of them. The few animals that venture into that barren landscape will make the most of remains. Also, pretty sure vultures are known to break apart and scatter bones when they eat the marrow as well as the contents of skulls. So yeah... You aren't going to find much of a person unless you find them fairly quickly. What a sad case and horrific death.

If Law Enforcement doesn't want the publics help, then they should stop asking for it.

Thank you for making this channel, I myself lost someone to a tragic hiking accident. I believe these incidents are more common, and the public should be informed on the dangers of mother nature and how serious we need to take outdoor adventures. Thank you for giving warnings and explaining risks of the wild.

Finding a bottle in a desert is like finding a needle in a haystack. And they found three. Thats impressive.

I don't know, in Australia we have signs for tourists like 400 kilometres to the next petrol station. To pass this point have at least 2 spare tyres, 20 litres of water, in case of an emergency NEVER leave your car, call this number to tell the local police of your plans etc.

It passes me how people think cellular service is infallible even when they have issues in major cities. I used to work for a cellular provider in customer service and would always explain it like this ‘if there are more cows/trees/bushes than people, dont expect good cellular service, if ANY. Sparsely populated areas will not have good cellular service. When in doubt, DONT.

If it wasn't for the fact that it was 1996, I'd have blamed Apple Maps on this.

They locked the van that was undrivable in the middle of one of the most remote places on earth. "If I could drive out here, so can the thieves."

Tourist maps can be hard to read. My boyfriend and I got lost one winter while hiking from Govetts Leap to Evan’s Lookout in the Blue Mountains in Australia. He had purchased a new book about day hikes, and we followed the instructions down to the floor of the valley, but couldn’t find the way back up. The sun was setting so finding shelter was a challenge. We finally found a rocky overhang with a dead tree leaning against it. Fortunately I had been a Scout and never went hiking without high energy foodsAND MATCHES. We took turns all night napping or keeping the fire going in the near freezing conditions. In the morning we still couldn’t find the way out by following the book, so we retraced our steps and made it out safely. Oh yeah, and we threw the book away!

I've been through Death Valley one time and kept going. The last two signs you see is no gas or water for 100 miles and Remember to turn your air conditioners off. Me and ex were long haul drivers and it was 120 degrees of the most hellish heat I've ever experienced in my life. First time and the last time

OMG...I live in Arizona and I canNOT believe that people from a cold country like Germany would want to go to Vegas and Death Valley IN JULY!!!!...I'm originally from MN and it was common knowledge up there that these places are fall, winter and spring break places ONLY....it's called Death Valley FOR A REASON y'all....

That was nice of the rental car company to not say anything for a whole month but not in this situation

We go to Death Valley every year in Jan/Feb. My Dad was the assistant to the Director of Furnace Creek Inn in 1935. I have deep roots! But NEVER in the summer.

Oh please. What the government doesn't like is competition. Nothing they hate worse than having a "citizen" or "civilian" show them up.

I read the guy's blog...wow. You could do another video on what happened after Ms. Meyer's remains were found. That was a LOT of work over a very long time. The dedication to finding them is commendable.

Great to see Tom Mahood get a shout out. I found his blog during lock down and was fascinated both by the story of the Death Valley Germans and his descriptions of his adventures looking for them. I'm here because of him. He kick started my interest in the American wilderness that had lain dormant since I watched Grizzly Adams as a child (yes I'm old).

Ambient temp of 107 degrees, but the flat sand may exceed 140 degrees, and reflected heat may create an oven effect in spots. It's cooler to walk at night, but it's too hot to sleep in the daytime. There are others to think about.

about 14 years ago i drove several miles down a deserted dirt road in death valley to get to an overlook. after seeing a few videos like this, i can safely say that is not anything i'll ever do again.

I know you've covered a whole host of stories now, and there have been several with families / children, but this one has hit me particularly hard... Being a parent myself I can't even begin to imagine what they'd have gone through... Thanks for sharing, Kyle. These stories are always interesting but this was especially intriguing, and I'm glad there's some sort of conclusion in this case, thanks to the hard work of Tom, his friend, and everyone else involved...

The baby and child breaks me… so much suffering and by no mistake of their own. 💔💔💔 I couldn’t imagine watching my baby die and know I couldn’t do anything to help them besides die alongside them, so far from home….

Whilst it’s not quite the same in terms of a long time mystery, this particular story reminds me of something that happened in my home state of Oregon not too terribly long ago. In 2006, the Kim family was driving from the Seattle area, where they had spent Thanksgiving, to the Oregon coast. They missed their exit and, due to poor weather conditions, became stuck on a logging road they initially believed to be an alternative route. Unfortunately, Mr Kim ultimately lost his life after hiking out into the elements to find help. The rest of the family was okay because they were rescued after a few days. I think many people consider the mystery and tragedy of this story to be the fact that Mr Kim decided to hike out so soon; this is because people knew where they were headed and the family was expected to arrive there in a certain amount of time. This knowledge is what ultimately lead to the rest of the family’s rescue. It’s still a little unclear why Mr Kim made the decision he did. Similarly to the missing Germans, I believe one Mrs Kim stated that, after looking at a map, they believed to they were much closer to an area inhabited by other humans than they were in reality.

The most disturbing part of this story is that Germans would be drinking Bud Ice beer

And when travelling in the desert always carry, two nesting open top containers, a plastic sheet and a small weight. At night** You pee in the larger container. Dig a hole. Place both containers in the hole with the small container inside the large one so it will not tip. Lay the plastic sheet over the hole and weigh down the edges with sand or rocks. Place the small weight in the centre of the plastic sheet so that the lowest point of the plastic points to the clean centre container. Overnight the heat of the sand will evaporate the clean water from the pee which will hit the plastic which has become cold after sunset. The water vapour will condense on the plastic and drip back into the smaller container and there you have clean drinkable water.

I've been on the internet far too long because I knew what that picture was instantly. Such a tragic story

I found an abandoned vehicle hiking, it really freaked me out, I contacted the forest service and never got any answers.

@KyleHatesHiking Thank you for transferring the Fahrenheit to Celcius! Love seeing you growing like this and I love how you're branching out! Hiking stories are important to hear and you do it well. It is also appropriate and nice to hear other stories, such as this one. Well meaning people who Get lost in crazy places and make it somehow or...they don't. I enjoyed this one a lot. Nice job, Kyle. 👍🏻

I watched your ranger's horrible passings video and was brought to this video next and i have to say you make very good content and are very thorough in your explanation of these stories through research. Very well done!

This always makes my teeth itch.. I've visited Death Valley a few times (from the UK) and have nothing but respect and pretty straight up fear for the environment. Last trip we met a couple who ripped a tyre on a side road but happily caught a ride to the nearest visitor station for help. We were in a 2 seater before you ask but able to report their location. Things can go very bad very quick. Stay hydrated folks. Don't take chances.

What a great video. I’ve always wanted the full story because Death Valley is in my backyard. If anyone wants to go to the desert, be it Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and even California and Texas, please know that in the summer it is HOT. Like serious HOT. 107 degrees is just a normal summer day in the desert. And it’s not just hot, it can also be windy. Ever experienced 18 mph wind when it’s 110? It’s like being inside the clothes dryer. Just hot air that never stops hitting you. And that hot air is dry, so dry it pulls moisture out of you every minute. If I hang my wet laundry on a hot day, it’s completely dry as a bone in 2 hours. Yes, even jeans and towels. The desert is dangerous for many reasons but the heat and dry environment will attack you like you would not believe if you’re not acclimated to it. It takes about two weeks to fully acclimate to a new climate. So if you’ve never been here and you want to go hiking in the summer, deep into the backcountry of the desert for a couple days, expect to end up in a survival situation. There’s nothing out here, I mean nothing. For vast stretches of miles, nothing. Everything looks the same so it is easy to get lost and not be able to find your way back. In many places your gps won’t work, or even worse, will give you wrong directions. Ask me how I know, lol. It’s burning during the day, then when the sun goes down, depending on where you are, it can then get very cold. It is a place of extremes. Please, I am begging you, take the desert seriously. It is an unforgiving place that will kill you easily and no one will hear you scream.

i work for the arizona highway patrol, and we had a vacationer from China take an indian route, approx 50 miles off the interstate, and then lost gps, signal, and followed that road over 100 miles into empty desert because he mistook the off-roading trail for an actual road. if it weren't for cell phones that dude would have 1000% died out there with no one having any idea where he was,.

You did a really good job reporting this story. I live in Las Vegas and remember that story like yesterday. It was sad but most of all a mystery.. I’m glad there was finally closure by someone who cared.

I drove cross country on pavement the whole way but was worried about car trouble in an area with no cellular coverage, so I bought a personal locator beacon. My daughter thought I was nuts. Imagine if this family had one.

I live in the Mojave desert between DV and JTNP and got excited when I saw the thumbnail because I recognized the photo of the van immediately. Such a tragic and easily avoidable story, yet not actually that uncommon out here... people die all the time in the desert getting stuck on remote roads not appropriate for their vehicle (or as in this case, driving on a non-road), or choosing to hike at the peak of summer during the height of the day refusing to believe you can become disoriented with heat stroke within minutes *in view of your car.* What made the Death Valley Germans so crazy is just how far they got before they became stuck. What's sad is that the park service CLEARLY WARNS people in every way in their power not to do these things and yet they keep doing them... 4x4 High Clearance Only doesn't mean a car or van, *but also doesn't mean a Subaru or other AWD vehicle, don't do it.* If you do get stuck in a vehicle in a remote area, DON'T LEAVE THE VEHICLE. After all, look what was found first. I suppose there are a VERY few exceptions, but in almost all cases it's a bad idea *even if* you think you see something that might be a good target. It's probably not, like how the military base wasn't. Even if you think you're going to die if you stay where you are, you almost certainly will if you try to walk out, so stay with your big, obvious, much-easier-to-spot-from-the-air-than-you car. Plus the vehicle provides some survival materials, you can at least huddle in the shade and as someone else already mentioned use the materials it provides to make a signal fire with a lot of black smoke.

I've been to Mengal Pass with a group of offroad and overland enthusiasts. We had convoy of 6 purpose built vehicles and the road was challenging even for us. We had 2 flats that trip, and one guy destroyed their driveshaft and had to which we had to tow them back to a road. Its beyond reckless to attempt anything out in the remote wilderness without a ton of preparation, but as a father, I cant imagine the horror/desperation these parents must have felt as they watched their 2 kids slowly dehydrate to death

Kyle. Showing maps of locations and distances start and end points and where they are found is great for us the viewers. We love maps to get more of a feel of what may have happened. Maps really tie these stories together. Thanks.

Thank you for your videos, you actually inspired me to start volunteering at our local search and rescue org a couple months back. I may not be able to afford to donate money, but I can give my time to help other people.

I remember Kyle Hates Hiking when you and your friend were taking us on trails, staying at motels (showers!), meeting people. I think you had about 15,000 subscribers then. I knew you were going to grow. Handsome, charismatic, and informed! Well done, Kyle!

Thanks for the closure. This is the first time since I learned about this incident over a decade ago any further information about body location.

That's so weird that Germans would drink Bud Light Ice.

my mom has been hiking death valley for decades. she will not go out there past April and she loves the heat. its not for the amateur hiker.

They might have left the kids in the shade somewhere like a small cave and tried to hike in the heat to the base. The gf might have even stayed with the kids but when the bf didn’t come back she ventured out herself. Just some theories

A friend of mine who lived near the desert told us that you never go into the dessert without plenty of water and a tank full of gas and never go off road

First time watcher, loved the coverage of this heartbreaking story. Thoroughly intrigued after just a minute. Subscribed and liked, didn’t even wait till the end. Brand new fan. Good luck on your 1 million subscriber goal. I know you’ll get there. 💜

I live in Arizona and lemme tell you- tourists almost never take the desert seriously. We (as a state) are always trying to rescue idiots hiking at the hottest time of the year without hiking experience and a dangerously low amount of water. EDIT: tourism isn’t a bad thing. But stupid tourists are still stupid if they’ve been warned and hike ill-prepared anyway. The taxes spent on the rescues aren’t quite as bad as I thought so I’ll drop that point, but I’ll note the city pays for the rescues unless the hikers get an ambulance.

Shame on the cops who scolded him for putting in the time and effort to help solve the case. He is a grown man who makes his own decisions. He didn't break any laws. If he chooses to put himself in harms way to help bring closure to the case, then i applaud him. Outstanding job sir!!!

A very good listen, thanks for the story and contribution to the volunteers

I have watched this case several times by now, and I would like to add something. When I saw the first video about it, it was mentioned that the tyres of the van were not made for such hot ground, and they melted. That was why they were flat. I am very much enjoying your channel! Greetings from Germany!

I came across Tom's blog several years ago when I did a deep dive into Death Valley. Such a haunting story but Tom's investigation what so thorough and methodical. Glad you covered this!

Please don't ever drink alcohol while hiking in the desert in summer. You don't realize how dehydrated you get, very quickly.

I read Tom's blog a number of years ago and reread it every couple of years, fascinating, he used to have a site called "Bluefire" and he had a story about looking for (and eventually finding) a downed A12 (single seat SR-71) that is also a story I recommend...

Superb presentation Kyle, as always always so good to see ya, sir x

I lived in the Mojave for 40 years. Worked at China Lake. Believe me there’s nothing to see. At the doorstep to Death Valley. Those of us who learned to respect it had no problem. But we lost Germans every summer. Why everyone thinks Germans are smart blows me away. They INSIST on visiting during the SUMMER . We always go in the WINTER AND in the summer guess what? We go to the mountains!!! Who’d thunk?

Europeans do not understand just how large the US is. Americans forget how old Europe is.

I love the way you tell the stories: logical reasoning, open minded, intelligent and engaging. Given the circumstances, I can’t help but wonder about why no mention of cellphones? I also find it fascinating that the piece of paper remained intact in the elements for a decade?! Interesting story.

107°F (42°C) in that area, in July, is relatively cool. I was in Las Vegas once on the July 4th weekend, and it was only 104°F (40°C). That's because it was overcast and raining. Death Valley and south along the Colorado River (Arizona-California State line) will exceed 120°F (50°C) that time of the year.

...he became oddly obsessed with the case...? Tom Mahood's heart was stirred by this case. Nothing odd about that.

When I was kid, back in the days of B&W TV, there was a western series called “Death Valley Days”, had they ever seen an episode, they would have known not to chance it.

"Too much time on your hands" = "You're not watching enough mind melting TV!"

So, you're telling me that there is a place called "Anvil Canyon" in Death valley, the set of every Roadrunner cartoon? Is there also an ACME Cliffs?

I went to the Death Valley half a dozen times. Last time was 2 years ago. There is a perfectly good paved road going West for them to get to Yosemite from the East entrance through Lone Pine. I can't imagine why they thought the path they took was a short cut.

Great videos Kyle ... I love hiking stories .... even the disappearances. Have you ever heard the story of Daniel Robinson, the geologist who went missing near Buckeye, Arizona in 2021? Such a bizarre (disturbing) story ... he's never been found, either. They found his clothes and his Jeep (which was crashed in a very bizarre way, and the engine had been turned over several times after it crashed) ... Anyway. Not really a hiking story, but disappearance ... like the Germans. Thanks for the videos, Kyle! Subbed! - Muddypaw🐾

Just come across one of your videos and I've started to watch them. I think you give a good story line with great content and you seem confident when you are talking. I will be watching a lot more of your videos from now on Kyle. Can't believe that I've not come across your videos before because this is the type of thing that I watch. From Justin in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿.

The most sobering part of this story is that at least one them had Bud Ice as their last beer ever.. Their final Beer here on this planet was Bud Ice . That's a hard pill to swallow.

I couldnt imagine leaving a paved road in the desert.

I will never understand why people go to these isolated places with extreme climates without having the slightest preparation. Nothing incredible needs to happen for everything go south. Imagine that you are in an isolated place and your car engine breaks down? Those things happen. Does it ever occur to them that they could be in a place far from everything and the tire goes flat or the engine breaks down? And now, you're in the middle of an isolated desert with no car. It is no wonder that expeditions are organized with great detail, spare parts prepared, fuel and extra food provided, you need to think a little, just a little ahead FFS.

I wouldn't say it's the hottest place on earth. When I was in Afghanistan, I clocked it at 142°F.

I saw this a while back with Explore with Us. Is scary what people do without being prepared, especially with kids.

The government that couldn't find this family has no business scolding these men for finding them. What an abuse of authority. I hate this "for your own protection" crap.

Really sobering reminder of just how brutal the American desert can be. A trek as short as 4 miles killed an entire family - that’s a distance that’s easily covered on foot in a single morning in just about everywhere else in the lower 48 but the heat is just so intense out there and it’s so easy to become disoriented and walk yourself in a circle without realizing it…..glad they were finally found.

My wife refers to this channel as "mr shocked eyes". I asked her why and she said because you eyes always make you look like you've been shocked/startled. 🤣

If you are lost in desert. Set a small contained fire with lots of smoke