Overdue Hiker Joshua Tree
October 22, 2025
Keys View Joshua Tree
2025-034
Written by: Geoffrey Marshall
On the morning of October 21, a 63-year-old female set out to hike the Inspiration Peak Trail near Keys View in Joshua Tree National Park. When she did not return to her Airbnb, her husband drove to the Keys View trailhead and found her rental truck still parked there, but she was missing.
Authorities were notified, and a search was initiated that evening by Joshua Tree Search and Rescue (JSAR). Teams located shoe prints matching the subject’s footwear but found no other signs. Rescue 9 conducted multiple aerial passes over the area without success. RMRU was alerted at 9:15 p.m. that a ground search would continue at 6:00 a.m. the following morning.
Alex and I met at the Hemet Sheriff’s Station at 4:00 a.m. to pick up the team van. Overnight temperatures in Joshua Tree had dropped into the 50s, with unexpected wind and light rain. After arriving on scene, we were briefed by JSAR and assigned to search sectors around the Inspiration Peak Trail.
I was partnered with Riverside County Dog Team member Max and his white shepherd, Casper. Because K9 teams are most effective before the area becomes contaminated with human scent, we were among the first groups to enter the field. The terrain in our assigned area was steep with loose rocks and uneven footing. We conducted periodic callouts but heard only wind in response.
About halfway through our search, we experienced a brief lull in the wind. I was searching higher up along a rock structure while Max was slightly lower following Casper, who appeared interested in the ravine below. We decided to perform another downhill callout.
We heard a faint noise after our callout. “I think I heard something,” Max said. We called out again, and this time the sound repeated…distinct enough that we were sure it was a human voice. Unsure if it might have been an echo from another team, Max radioed the other dog team to confirm, but no other callouts had been made. We notified Eric at base that we believed we might have heard someone downhill in the ravine, though we could not yet confirm.
Around this time, two other RMRU teams were approaching our area in route to their assignments. I descended slightly lower toward the ravine, and we conducted a group callout together. This time I clearly heard a faint “HELP!” from below, though the members higher up did not. We called out again and confirmed it was the female subject. The other teams began moving to a nearby ridge to identify a safe descent route.
Within minutes we heard the sound of rotors overhead. It was Rescue 9, which had already been scheduled for aerial support. It was as if by some miracle they had not arrived earlier during the break in the wind, or we would not have heard the subject’s call. Using the directional bearing our team had provided to Eric at base, Rescue 9 was able to locate the subject approximately half a mile from our position.
Rescue 9 initiated a hoist operation to extract the subject. Two RMRU teams continued descending toward her location in case the hoist was unsuccessful. The terrain contained large, unstable rocks that would have made a ground extraction very hazardous. Luckily, we heard radio traffic that the subject had been successfully airlifted and we could return.
After all teams returned to base, we were debriefed. The subject had become disoriented during her hike, dropped her phone, and sustained fractures to both wrists in a fall. It is believed during the night, she had attempted to navigate toward visible city lights, which inadvertently led her deeper into the ravine. Her family expressed deep gratitude for the combined efforts of all responding teams and were amazed that she had survived the cold, windy night.
Lessons Learned & Recommendations:
RMRU recommends that hikers always notify someone of their planned route and expected return time, especially when hiking alone. In this case, the subject had done so, which was critical to initiating the search quickly.
If you become lost, shelter in place rather than continuing to move; remaining in one location greatly increases the likelihood of being found. Even on short day hikes, carry a small pack with essential items such as a charged headlamp and spare batteries, food, water, and an emergency layer. These simple preparations can make the difference of surviving when conditions change unexpectedly.
RMRU Members Involved: (Trygve Anderson, Chad Becker, Alex Cochran, Eric Holden, Dave Kosmal, Geoffrey Marshall, Blake Rankin, and Solan Watts)
Other Agencies Involved: (Riverside County Sheriff’s, Aviation Star-9)
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department