One Family's Desperate Attempt to Survive in the Scorching Desert | The Death Valley Germans Story
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- Опубликовано: 29 май 2024
- The story of the “Death Valley Germans” which took place in July 1996, is a very sad and disturbing story of misadventure in California’s Death Valley, one of the hottest places on planet Earth. The group of four German tourists disappeared without explanation in an area near Anvil Canyon and the only clue was an abandoned minivan with its contents. After a search over a few days, the authorities were unable to locate the missing Germans, and the operation was called off. However, 13 years later, two volunteer searchers Tom Mahood and Les Walker finally discovered partial remains thirteen years later in 2009 in an isolated desert location many miles to the southeast of the minivan. Finally, the mystery of the German Tourists in Death Valley was solved.
0:00 Introduction
0:34 Death Valley
1:28 1996 Investigation and Search
7:34 The Mahood search in 2009
9:24 What happened to the Death Valley Germans? (Mahood Theory)
17:58 Locating the remains
20:09 Outdoor Disaster's Theory On the German's last days
24:30 Conclusion/Survival Tips
Much of this video is just a dramatic retelling of Tom Mahood's excellent blog. If more in-depth details about Mahood's search, please check out his blog.
www.otherhand.org/home-page/s...
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Music by Scott Buckley "Omega"
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Развлечения
Years ago my sister and I decided to do a hike in the Arizona desert. She told me it was a half mile out to the landmark she wanted to see and a half mile back. Seemed reasonable. It was February, so days were short. We set off at about 2p thinking we'd be back by 4 at the latest. We each had our cell phones and a 500ml water bottle, and that was it.
On the trail out we had many people returning to the trail head asking us why we were setting out so late. My sister scuffed them off and said we'd make good time. I wanted to set an absolute turn around time, but didn't push the issue. We ventured on. We got to the landmark/turn around place much much later than expected. On the way there we passed the trailhead that was ACTUALLY only a half mile away and realized we had started from a different one, much further out. At the rock formation at the end of the trail we watched the sun set as we tried to scurry back to our car. By the time we got to the trailhead that was half a mile from the landmark (which we now know is 3 miles from where we parked), it was pitch black.
Neither of us were prepared for how absolutely black dark the desert was at night and how completely disorienting it was. We of course had no phone reception. We tried using the flashlight function of our phone, but that helped little. We wondered pretty aimlessly for hours.
Around 9p-10p we saw lights flashing and heard honking in the distance. We walked toward it and arrived at our car. A good Samaritan saw our car still parked at the trailhead and figured that couldn't be good and flashed his brights and honked his horn to help guide us out. I'm very thankful for him!
Thinking back on that experience and hearing stories like this makes me realize how dumb and lucky we were. Realistically, the area we were in was pretty heavily trafficked during the day. I don't think we were at risk of death, just a very miserable night of open air camping in the desert.
Wow that's crazy! Thank God for the wonderful people out there who aware. What a story with a happy ending!
Are y'all not scared of scorpions and rattlesnakes when you hike in places like that?! Also, the story of the man who helped you was one of the sweetest stories I've ever heard
@@sassycat6487 it was in February, not many creepy crawlies out til the summer
I'm going to tell you mine.
I'm from Costa Rica. We don't have deserts, but we have rainforests.
I was a leader in a children's group. One day, some leaders decided to take the children to Braulio Carrillo National Park, taking advantage of the experience of one of the children and his teenage brother, who used to go there weekly with their father, a Scout leader. The park consists of a mountainous rainforest, located close to San José, the capital of the country, with less than an hour of travel. The plan was to stay on the tourist trails, which are mostly marked and take about an hour or two to walk. We arrived around 10 am. What could go wrong?
The trail was clear at the beginning. But at some point, it started to narrow and fade somewhat. Our guide was the teenage Scout, who used to go there weekly. However, time passed, and the landscape remained the same. Hours went by, and at 3 pm, one of the leaders asked the teenager, "Hey, how much longer until we get out?" The teen replied, "I know we'll get out on this trail, but I don't know how much time it will take."
There we were: 12 children between 8-15 years old and 3 leaders, lost in the jungle. They began to show signs of tiredness, asking when we would get out, and people started having opinions about the "right" direction. In those moments, the brain enters a mode that I could call "death management", where it starts calculating the time left, energy remaining, food supplies, possible outcomes, consequences, and obsessively weighs all those contradicting parameters.
Thankfully, we made it out of the park at around 5:20 pm, perhaps half an hour before it started to get dark.
But the story doesn't end there. My best friend was part of the National Parks Group, and she knew most of the parks in the country. I told her the story, and she was shocked: "How did you get lost on the tourist trails of Braulio Carrillo Park? Those trails are foolproof!" So, I asked her if we could go there to see what we did wrong. The NEXT WEEKEND, I was there AGAIN with my best friend. Everything was fine until the trail started to become less clear. "I think this is not the trail; it might be a waterway." She told me that they often look similar. Long story short, we got lost again, even with someone who does this as part of her life, on a simple tourist trail in a fairly accessible National Park. Thankfully, we managed to get out before dusk again.
What I have learned from these and other outdoor trips in rainforests:
* Even if a trail seems easy to follow or remember, everything changes the moment you turn around to return. It reveals a COMPLETELY NEW trail, totally different from the one you came on, EVEN IF IT'S THE SAME ONE. New and unfamiliar landscapes, new forks in the path that you were unaware of, etc. Additionally, when you walk for hours and hours, everything starts to look like you're passing the same mountains repeatedly.
* Trails in rainforests can change in a matter of days. People who "know the way" can get lost if they return to the same place they visited just one month before, even if they are well trained in outdoor navigation.
* Sound can be misleading in rainforest mountains: you may hear vehicles nearby, indicating that you are close to a main road "on the other side of this hill", only to climb the hill and find more mountains stretching endlessly.
I remember when I was a young infantry soldier,I was sent up,pretty much a mountain,to hang a red flag,stating that there would be live firing that day,on my way back down that mountain,an incredible flog hit the mountain,and I was literally blind, I could just about make out my own boots and that's about it, after what felt like hours,I heard a car horn and flashing lights away in the distance and kept stumbling towards them,my Corporal had the level headeness to do pretty much what you said,he sat in the land rover, sounding the horn and flashing the lights to give me something to work with. I'll never forget that day. Always kept it in ind for similar situations.
I'm German. In 1996 I travelled the US with my family. We drove through death valley and in the visitor center they told us that there was a German family with two kids missing. We were warned to be cautious.
The fate of this family touched me a lot, although nobody knew what happened back then.
We brought our first son on our journey. He's a 28 year old man now.
Max and Georg would be around the same age if their parents wouldn't have made some wrong choices.
So sad. 😢
:(
A tragedy indeed. I can’t imagine their last hour and while mistakes were made, all seemed very understandable (or as far as we can guess). I have nothing but sympathy and condolences for their ordeal.
I can't imagine the torture of seeing your children suffer so much and die due to a mistake made. Heartbreaking story. I'll be giving my kids an extra hug today. 💔
at least they died doing what they loved
you mean kids loved dying or parents loved to see their kids dead... ? @@stellviahohenheim
@@stellviahohenheimmore like doing what dad loved
Feel for the mother who lost her kid due to dads actions.
@@reaux3921 I don’t recall the whole video sorry but I’m not entirely sure it was one parent alone to blame. It’s heartbreaking regardless
While off roading in my toyota at Table Mesa, north of Phoenix back in 2003, I came across a guy in dirtbike gear hobbling down the road. We stopped and checked on him. He and his buddy had ridden their bikes down into a canyon that they could not ride out of THE DAY BEFORE, and had to start hiking out. We gave him some water and he hopped in to lead us to his buddy. We found his buddy under a Palo Verde tree with blood gushing from his mouth and hands as he had tried to eat a cactus pear not knowing how to prepare it. We ended up getting them out to the local hospital and even went back to get their bikes out for 'em.
Crazy day I'll never forget. They were so lucky we decided to just go wheeling that day.
Too add some color: this happened in July at around 3pm and it was nearly 120 out. The riders had been in the elements nearly 24 hrs with empty camelbacks
Whoa! Definitely an unforgettable day!
Well done. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Thanks for sharing
Wow. Kudos for saving them
As a German who was recently alone on a round trip in the USA, also in Death Valley:
You underestimate the distances and the dimensions of the challenges. It is not at all comparable to the continent of Europe.
That together with time pressure, lack of money, psychological challenges in a distant continent in a foreign environment, family challenges and inexperience leads to this.
Wenn du nochmal fliegst, nimm mich mit 😊
It’s a dog shit place to go see anyways. I’ve lived I grew up in Arizona and never once wanted to go see some stupid hot ass canyon. I did real shit like hunt fish, dirt bike, and city night life. If I wanted to go visit something I’d go to somewhere way cooler to look at. Like wtf a hot ass canyon going to do. That’s not even a cool picture that shit is lame. Never understood why people got excited for hot ass canyons with no good features
Darum würde ich niemals in eine Wüste fahren ohne mindestens 20l Wasser im Kofferraum.
@@Chillerll Well, having basic gear is one thing, but it's all about overconfidence.
With such a rental car to even consider driving gravel roads ...
I wrote here 2 times and both answers have disappeared, how can that be.
@@Chillerll 20 gallons!
Tom Mahood is an absolute stud; there used to be a website which broke down how he found the Germans in great detail but i'm not sure it's available anymore. Needless to say, finding them was not an easy or simple task, like finding a needle in a sea of haystacks. Also, these weren't the only missing people he found.
If you look in the description box, a link to his blog is there. For the sake of not making a long video, I left off many little details. I highly suggest going to his blog and reading the details of his search. It's fascinating.
Came here to say that. Once a year i go to his website to read the entire thing.
As someone that grew up close to Germany and lives in America now I know they were not expecting the nature of this country to be this raw. It's very hard to get lost or eaten by animals in Germany and there's maybe 2 weeks a year a heatwave. Nothing compared to the desert. Their car choice for the desert was the first mistake. At least they didn't suffer for long. Heat stroke kills pretty quickly. But seeing your kids like that and knowing you can't do anything ...😢
Just sad😢
He kept going back like a man possessed to look for the childrens skeletons. Tom is an absolute hero.
He only found two of the Germans the children if I remember were never found
I live in the desert of the southwest, and my family goes back generations here. The heat in Phoenix, my native city, reaches the 120’s in the summer. It is so incredibly hot, no one ventures out in the heat of the day. The streets are deserted. Every year, visitors from around the world pour in and there are always deaths due to people not being familiar with the terrain and the heat. It’s tragic. Please, have a local as your guide when in unfamiliar places. I cannot fathom the terror and despair of this family.
Well said.
In 2008 I drove cross country from Indiana to California and my car died in bullhead city, Arizona. It was September and the Temps were about 105-110 degrees F. Never again
I grew up in Hawaii and have no idea why anyone would choose to live in a desert.
@@unropednope4644 I went to Las Vegas in July. Its unbearable to go outside during daylight hours. The wind blows dry hot heat. Never again.
I'm moving from Birmingham AL to Phoenix AZ this coming August, and I'm already dreading it.
As the commentator said , panic is your worst enemy. I was once lost in the woods in Florida , it was very hot and and I became panicky. I found I was walking in circles. So after sitting against a huge oak tree I took deep breaths and became calm. After about a half hour of peace and rest, I found my way out of there. A short time of disorientation but a valuable lesson learned.
Good call. Even just losing the trail ahead of you can start sowing seeds of fear in your mind. Calming down, taking your time and logically returning to the familiar first, usually allows you to pick up the trail pretty easy or at least allow you to reevaluate your next moves.
next time don't bother
This is one of the most haunting tragedies I've ever seen. I can't even begin to comprehend what that poor family went through. 😢
It really is.
So sad 😢
at least they died doing what they loved
I visited Death Valley with my child and some Italian friends, in August several years ago. We went to the vistors' center, and drove the loop road from there, before heading south towards Yosemite. My friends were in awe of the vastness of the desert - truly there is nothing like this in Europe, no vistas so long and no space so uninhabited. I watched them take it in and they were truly mesmerised by it. I can easily see the attraction for this poor family. For me, though, the heat was intolerable and felt dangerous. We spent a couple of hours in Barstow and I felt like I would die. Every cell in me said "You do not belong here. Humans do not belong here". I couldn't wait to leave.
It's kind of mind boggling how large it is even as an American. It's just 1 valley in the Mojave desert, a desert that's larger than Ireland. There are stories like these of people dying just because they chose not to stop at a gas station and ran out of gas, eventually dying of heat stroke or dehydration attempting to walk to a nearby settlement. The temperatures are often over 100F/38C and sometimes even at night it will stay over 90F/32C. One thing many people also dont know about dehydration is that it incapacitates you long before it kills you: like that famous saying that you can go 3 days without water (which can be longer or shorter based off a lot of factors of course) neglects the fact that by the end of the 24 hour mark you're going to be confused, weak, and kind of sick and barely able to do much and for pretty much all of day 3 you'll just be lying on the ground. The same is true in the desert, only accelerated, so you'll start getting weak and delirious pretty quick and after that starts if you dont get rescued chances are you'll just die. Starvation works much the same way in that for the last days you'll barely even move, but people who've never experienced it or know the science behind it will assume they'll mostly be fine until just before they die when in reality they've got a lot less time then they think to get food/water. It's also worth noting that the Natives lived in and traveled through large parts of the Mojave, and in some nearby arid places there were even successful cities like the Pueblo and their famous cities built into cliff sides, but Death Valley was virtually inhabited even when the US took California. "Death Valley" really is a fitting name rather than hyperbole.
Lol I’ve felt that way driving from LA to Vegas. It was 110 when we passed the Baker thermometer.
I drove the highway through DV around sunset, in April 2000. Car overheated. Just as we started up the hills.
We stepped out to let it cool off. And immediately got swarmed by something like giant horse flies.
They were brutal.
They smelled us the minute we got out of the car.
I will never go near that god forsaken place ever again.
These places is no place for children
I think you meant NORTH towards Yosemite.
If it's true that they went for the military base because they were worried for their flight, then it's unfortunate that they were unaware of the great danger they were in the moment their van broke down. People who don't spend much time in the wilderness don't know how dangerous and desolate the wilderness is, and that things that are small inconveniences in the city - bad weather, diarrhea, colds - can kill you very easily. It's ironic that humans have come to rely on other humans so much that many of us don't even notice it.
Never take a domesticated human out into the wild
Humans have always relied on each other. All wilderness training comes from collective information shared by people helping each other out.
Germany is also much more densely populated than the US, you're never really far from a settlement even if it's just a small village. At most you're a couple of km away from other humans they might not even have realized how different the US is. Nowadays we can looks at google maps and see how vast the place really is but they only had a paper map (also the miles to km conversion might have thrown them off, thinking stuff is a lot closer than it really is)
@Operngeist1 the conversion rates and just general foreigness of it all probably overwhelmed them. You're in a foreign land, with a foreign language, in a foreign part of that land probably overwhelmed them.
Sometimes it is easy to survive alone in this condition for so long than having a weaker person to worry about leave alone 2 kids. There's no pain greater than a parent found himself or herself in the same situation with kids and there's nothing you could do to help them
I almost blacked out on a scuba dive and another time almost stepped off a cliff during a hike. Anyone who chastises these people need to remember we all do dangerous and questionable things in our lives. We're just lucky enough to live.
I'm from Costa Rica. We don't have deserts, but we have rainforests.
I was a leader in a children's group. One day, some leaders decided to take the children to Braulio Carrillo National Park, taking advantage of the experience of one of the children and his teenage brother, who used to go there weekly with their father, a Scout leader. The park consists of a mountainous rainforest, located close to San José, the capital of the country, with less than an hour of travel. The plan was to stay on the tourist trails, which are mostly marked and take about an hour or two to walk. We arrived around 10 am. What could go wrong?
The trail was clear at the beginning. But at some point, it started to narrow and fade somewhat. Our guide was the teenage Scout, who used to go there weekly. However, time passed, and the landscape remained the same. Hours went by, and at 3 pm, one of the leaders asked the teenager, "Hey, how much longer until we get out?" The teen replied, "I know we'll get out on this trail, but I don't know how much time it will take."
There we were: 12 children between 8-15 years old and 3 leaders, lost in the jungle. They began to show signs of tiredness, asking when we would get out, and people started having opinions about the "right" direction. In those moments, the brain enters a mode that I could call "death management", where it starts calculating the time left, energy remaining, food supplies, possible outcomes, consequences, and obsessively weighs all those contradicting parameters.
Thankfully, we made it out of the park at around 5:20 pm, perhaps half an hour before it started to get dark.
But the story doesn't end there. My best friend was part of the National Parks Group, and she knew most of the parks in the country. I told her the story, and she was shocked: "How did you get lost on the tourist trails of Braulio Carrillo Park? Those trails are foolproof!" So, I asked her if we could go there to see what we did wrong. The NEXT WEEKEND, I was there AGAIN with my best friend. Everything was fine until the trail started to become less clear. "I think this is not the trail; it might be a waterway." She told me that they often look similar. Long story short, we got lost again, even with someone who does this as part of her life, on a simple tourist trail in a fairly accessible National Park. Thankfully, we managed to get out before dusk again.
What I have learned from these and other outdoor trips in rainforests:
* Even if a trail seems easy to follow or remember, everything changes the moment you turn around to return. It reveals a COMPLETELY NEW trail, totally different from the one you came on, EVEN IF IT'S THE SAME ONE. New and unfamiliar landscapes, new forks in the path that you were unaware of, etc. Additionally, when you walk for hours and hours, everything starts to look like you're passing the same mountains repeatedly.
* Trails in rainforests can change in a matter of days. People who "know the way" can get lost if they return to the same place they visited just one month before, even if they are well trained in outdoor navigation.
* Sound can be misleading in rainforest mountains: you may hear vehicles nearby, indicating that you are close to a main road "on the other side of this hill", only to climb the hill and find more mountains stretching endlessly.
Glad you all are fine!
I love going off track in the small bushlands near my house in Australia, and it is SOOO hard to navigate without a proper track. You can’t see the sun, sounds echo off trees and hills, waterways all seem unique but all look so similar, often what is downhill where you are is leading to a cliff or soon turns uphill, its hard to see very far without climbing a tree. But at least in the bush, I’ll die a lot later from injury, disease, or starvation before dying of heat exposure.
Anyone used to hiking will.not have these issues. The problem is that most people sit inside all day and forget how nature works.
Hopefully someone marked the trails clearly, so that would not happen again.
Nobody cares about your taco land tales
I am from Las Vegas and have spent decades camping, hiking and exploring the back country areas of the deserts all over the Southwest. I have spent lots of time in and around Death Valley and in every season. I know the area well where this took place. I have stayed at the prospectors cabin many times. Not somewhere I would want to find myself stranded in summertime without supplies, but I would know to stay at the cabin waiting for rescue.
About 25 years ago, maybe a year or two after this family was lost, I was at the other end of Death Valley spending a couple days at Saline Warms Springs. These hot springs are very remote but can be accessed fairly easily down a very long but well maintained dirt road. My second day there I decided to take a drive up the road leading to the N/NW of there. That road eventually leads to the Eureka sand dunes but only with some extreme 4x4 areas along the way. I was just planning on driving up the road a ways and returning to the warm springs for another night. Several miles up the road I came upon a group of European tourists in a 2WD rented suv. They had a flat and discovered the rental car had a spare tire but no jack. They had been camped there for 2 days before I showed up. I changed the tire and explained that they definitely needed to turn back toward Saline valley. They thanked me for my help and gave me a bottle of wine as a gift for helping them. This was in late November so the weather was nice, but it still amazed me that people do such foolish things. Had they been there in summer it may have been a very bad situation. Not only does survival become an extreme challenge, but there would be little chance of anyone like me wandering around the area to rescue them.
Wow, you may have saved these people lives!
Why do they always bring wine? Wth?
@@vondamn9943 In Europe the water is shitty. After you get off the baby bottle you go to wine or beer...
@@peatmoss4415Drinking water is mostly fine in central/northern Europe
Bottled water in Europe has an ingredients list that lists all the minerals in it and percentage.
Funny that a rental company waits two months to report an overdue car stolen, rather than contacting the police, airline and family of the renters as missing persons. They have their passport, driving licence and credit card details!
Some companies choose not to chase you but let the bills acumulate for when you come back. I believe is illegal to do this.
As a former employee, they don't care. They would rather get money from insurance for the full value of the car.
wow the american mentality, blame someone else
@stellviahohenheim it's not about blame, it's about giving a crap about other people.
What would that have done? They were dead the secons they decided to enter the desert anyway. I say, let the rental company pump those dead tourists for all they can, its an obvious suiç1d3 anyway
Considering it's called "Death Valley," that's more than enough of a deterrent for me to EVER visit there or anywhere near there. The fate of that poor family is such a tragedy. I can only imagine, but really don't want to, how terribly they suffered. RIP 🙏
We visited during in the winter months in December. We visited the visitor center, got the trail info that we wanted to check out. We stayed on the roads, follow directions and never venture anywhere that didn’t hv a sign or isolated. It was fine.
There’s a really nice date farm there that makes great date shakes and bread.
I’m going there, but I’m sticking by the visitors center!
LOL you don't have to be THAT scared of it. It's a beautiful place. Im the cooler months I take a road trips into the area.
Ironically it was first called “The Valley of Death” by a group of 1840s pioneers who got stranded there for several months but didn’t actually lose anyone.
So tragic watching your kids pass, I think that's one of the hardest to go through, also knowing it's a matter of time for your own fate. 😢
If i had to watch my kids pass i would pray that i die soon
I mean they put them through it. Play stupid games win stupid prizes
I’ll never understand people who willingly do these extremely dangerous things willingly
@@freyafoxmusic Wouldn't say they "played a stupid game". Of course they neglected due diligence and misjudged the hazards. But back then there was no internet and they failed to seek information at the camp. Most illegal dirt roads in Germany you can navigate with two wheel drive and as a central European it's easy to underestimate the distance and loneliness of this area. This might be the first time in their live not to bee in walking distance of water. (In Germany nature kills you with water ;-)
My child dies in front of me. I no longer want to live 😢
@freyafoxmusic The entire branch of two family trees died out there in unimaginable suffering. Please be kind to their memory. If Americans take risks in the hottest place in the U.S., how do you expect Germans to know better?
I don’t understand why people venture in hostile areas like this without proper planning. If you don’t see other people out there then that should tell you to turn around. But the most important thing everyone should always do is carry drinking water. Put a couple gallons of drinking water in your trunk or in the back. Carry drinking water all the time. For instance if you’re driving from Barstow, California to Las Vegas, Nevada bring drinking water because if you break down or get a flat most people won’t stop for you. You need water. You can live awhile without food but you can’t live long without water. Years ago I was driving a truck from Salt Lake City to Southern California when another trucker was broke down on interstate 15. He was asking drivers on the radio if anyone had anything to drink as he had sat there in the sweltering heat without anything to drink. Nobody would stop. I stopped and gave him 4 bottles of ice tea. I never drive anywhere without water.
That's a horrible end but at least they were eventually found. The poor mother must have suffered a lot wondering what happened to her son.
It's so great they were found and their families to have closure. Well said.
Taking and consuming alcohol in the heat like that was crazy. It dehydrates you even more than actually not drinking at all! Looks like German dad was planning to survive this trip on beer and wine more than on water. I have some doubts about his state of mind.
On the other side: giving few sips of alcohol to the kids actually lessened their agony.
So true. Alcohol dehydrates you more and should only drink as a last resort.
beer is very popular in german culture
Yes also- he had some losses at the casino it seems? And/or really wanted to gamble more but couldn’t cuz he was out of money.
@@SirDeanYawl He drove into the desert, that was a gamble. It actually makes me mad that he gambled (and lost) with the lives of his children by doing that. I feel most sorry for those kids who had no choice where they were taken.
Yea, it seems very much like a celebration mood, not a critically planned trip.
I hope that the family is now together at peace. Nobody should ever have to suffer like that, mistake or no. Mahood's deductions of the family's last days are are so detailed. He is truly a hero for his efforts.
The biological mother isn’t at peace
Mistake? It was his Foolish Vanity that wouldn't allow him to turn back!
I visited earth valley from Scotland. Lasted all of one minute outside our rental. Have never felt such heat and was instantly burning my skin . This family did well to last as long as they did . Hindsight is a great thing but they should have headed the ever narrowing roads and headed back . Having driven extensively in the states there doesn’t appear to be clear warnings when roads are impassable and we have been caught out ourselves . Glad the family were able to get closure and put all the conspiracy theories to rest .May they all rest in peace now
I imagine that neither Georg's mother nor Max's father have had a moment of rest since their children failed to return on that flight. It's all very well for dispassionate observers talk about "closure" But imagine yourself being told the details of your child's unendurable suffering before death half a world away from you. The rage they must feel towards both ex-partners for their irresponsible series of decisions is something I cannot believe will ever dissipate.
My wife and I took a road trip stopping the night in Ridgecrest, Ca. In the morning after breakfast, we headed out to Stovepipe Wells, then onward to Furnance Creek. It was beautiful, yet it was plain to see how vast and desolate the desert is. Traveling down highway 127 was very isolated. My plan was to head to Pahrump and then to Las Vegas. My fuel was getting low so I checked my cell phone for distance to Pahrump. I didn't have cell phone service and therefore no GPS. Well I thought, I do have GPS on my onboard truck navigation system. That oddly enough didn't work either. It said it was a greater distance than I had fuel for. Something was wrong. So I reverted back to my experience, didn't panic and knew I did have the fuel to get to Pahrump, or I wouldn't have made plans to do this, especially knowing I am responsible for my wife. I was correct. We made it safely. Looking back, I thought it was really strange that neither phone or truck navigators worked. It goes to show tha sometime we rely too heavy on technology. Always have a plan C and D.
I remember stumbling upon this story on Tom's blog. Such a sad fate and so preventable too. They could have made it to the geologist cabin where there was food and water and probably survived until someone found them.
they could have survive longer in the cabin even without food than in the bushery. this is a sad story.
@@boymarzph1012 And I bet that the cabin is the first place they check when someone loses there.
Honestly since they were foreign, it's very likely it _wasn't_ actually preventable. If they'd never been to Death Valley before it's possible they didn't realize they were lost/how far away from the paved roads they were. Truly tragic all around.
@@katelynbrown98It was 120° and there wasn't a paved road or person to be seen.
That’s exactly what I thought would’ve been the best option.
Food, shelter and unlimited water was only 3 miles away from the van.
Such an insanely tragic story.
It is this story that prompted me to plan an off-road trip to the geologist cabin a couple of weeks ago.
May their precious souls rest in peace.
I'm from Costa Rica. Years ago I visited friends in New Mexico in the winter
They took me for a stroll in the desert. It was cool weather, but I had no idea how dry it is and how disorienting the vastness and the echoes can be to someone who is not used to such places. If I had been alone, I would have got lost really quickly.
Hey, the echoes affect us too. Have you gone to Braulio Carrillo National Park?
Tom Mahoud’s article was one of the best pieces of long-form online content I’ve ever read. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys this genre.
Man, my car broke down in Bellevue downtown (posh city east of Seattle) with my 2 young kids on a cold, snowy day, I thought we were going to die and kept blaming myself for putting my kids in harm's way, can't even imagine what this guy went through.
I always carry a small candle with me if I’m in the car where it’s cold and snowy. That one little candle can keep you warm until you can get help. What happened wasn’t your fault. You shouldn’t feel guilty or blame yourself. But the fact that you do, just means you’re a super great mom. 😉🥰🙏🏻💕
@@Sandi-ke9mi A candle? A small little candle? It can perhaps warm an inch of your skin if you stay very close. I suggest you either invest in cold weather hiking clothes, or even just a second hand fur coat.
@@Killjoy_Mel I am just sharing what I read in an article about survival if you get stuck somewhere. It never snows where I live. It doesn’t even freeze here. It was actually someone’s testimonial about having a candle in the car, if you’re stuck somewhere in a snow area. I suggest if you have an issue with that, you take it up with them. ☺️
@@Sandi-ke9midon't share lies 😡
Although it’s easy for everyone to call these people stupid with perfect 20/20 hindsight, people forget how lucky we are to have videos like this nowadays to learn from. That wasn’t the case back in the 90s, nor did they have as good of tech as we do now. They were also in a foreign country. I respect the man for trying his best to save his family as well as giving them most of the rations toward the end.. he did the best he could in the shitty circumstances he got himself into
It IS stupid and irresponsible of them to go out into a wild, hot wilderness, for the exact reasons you gave. Only a fool would do that. They should have had common sense to know that a lot of things can happen, including overheated radiator, flat tires or many other breakdowns a car can have, when they are many miles from civilization. I would never take a back country road in 125 degree heat because it's too risky, especially in a foreign country. You don't need to have internet to realize that.
The father put them there , incredibly stupid , he gets the Darwin award .
Egbert definitely made some horrible decisions. Just the fact it was a rental, why would you go onto a dirt road where you could damage the thing? I'm sure he had insurance, but why pay the deductible if you total the car? That's my only big "wtf". Like Mahood, I could see why he wouldn't want to traverse down the same road. He knew it was rough. After getting stuck, they should've headed down to the geologist canyon where you had food, water, and shelter. Yes, they would've most likely missed their flight, but they'd been alive. I think being short on cash, the prospect of having to reschedule the flight and pay more money to do so factor in to the push to get rescued asap.
Taking their kids into that searing heat in remote areas was very stupid, sorry, but true. ⚘️
Good grief. People in the nineties weren’t ignorant. As someone born in ‘73, I wouldn’t have taken any of their actions because none of them were very sensible. People do irrational and irresponsible things all the time (eVen TodAY iN 2023) regardless how much available information and latest technology exists. It’s more about common sense, critical thinking, emotional and mental stability, and ego.
This story is so haunting to me and very tragic. I've seen a few videos of The Death Valley Germans lately and it would be very frightening to be from another country and stranded in Death Valley. So scary. Rest in peace Cornelia Max Egbert and Georg.🙏
Did they not realize that water in the desert was rare? I feel so bad they didn't go to the cabin. We keep an extra gallon of water for us and an extra gallon for the car when we go in the desert. The West is so vast, you really can't comprehend until you've seen it.
His thought of trying the military base was a well thought out strategy albeit, after making some other horrible decisions. The defeat of finding no one at the base must have been unfathomable.
It seems as if they had one shot at finding help b/c of the heat. The main road was east maybe 18 miles, requiring leaving in the dark b/c at about 10 or 11 am w/o any shade you are doomed.
That base is bigger than the state of Rhode Island. It really is that big, I worked there until retirement.
I love Death Valley and have visited multiple times....but it's always been in the winter months. It is just one of those places that tells you not to mess with its extremes. I've been half tempted to visit in the summer and stick to paved roads, but even so, I don't know if I want to risk my life in case my car decides to have problems.
I would not love it
That’s why everyone should have a little Garmin satellite device to get help if they ever need it. The new Apple watches are satellite equipped so that could help.
Yeah, trust your instincts on that.
@@ThatGirlLib You're right. I do enough solo road trips in the southwest that I really should get something like that. Hopefully I'll never need it but I shouldn't risk not having it.
Yeah I've only gone in the cooler months. I live in Las Vegas and people here already respect the heat because it's hot AF in the summer. I remember people who worked at Furnace Creek Hotel talking about how Europeans visit DV in the summer on purpose. Seems like a crazy idea to me.
I was watching this while suffering from a heat sensitivity due chronic illness. Advice in the end was very relevant even in the middle civilization! My workmate got a heat stroke at work, trimming some hedges in Ireland!!! You would not believe it possible in here, but it can happen very quickly and it is best to be aware of what actions and situations can lead to it. You do not need to be in The Death Valley for a heat stroke!
People typically hear the word desert, and they automatically think hot, dry and sandy. They don’t understand how the sun beats down on the ground for hours each day. That ground absorbs the heat and reflects it back, seemingly increasing the temperature.
People guzzle down what little water they may have brought with them, not realizing that the ground indeed, is increasing the temperature.
With the water, people feel an energy surge and forge ahead, getting themselves in deeper trouble. Their water gets low, but they still have a return trip to make.
They strip off their clothing, in an effort to cool down, but the unbearable heat quickly eats at their reserves, as the sun burns their skin.
They consume more water, get another energy surge and try to rush back, not realizing how far they’ve come. They finally begin to cool off, but soon realize the sun is setting. They have no food, no water reserves, no flashlight, and made no markers to guide themselves back.
When the sun sets, it takes most of the heat, and all of the light with it. Winds pick up and blow the sand around, disorienting all. Then, the temperature drops - far and fast.
People will soon find themselves hungry, thirsty, weak, disoriented, and cold. Very, very cold.
That, my friends, is just a quick summary of what can happen to you in a typical American desert, based on personal experience of living for 26+ years in the high deserts of the southern Rocky Mountains.
Deserts are no joke. They are not just “cool places” to check out. And you - unless you were born and raised in the Sahara - likely do not have the basic skills and knowledge required to unknowingly explore these vast, arid, brown expanses on God’s otherwise green Earth.
If you want to explore our deserts, make a detailed plan of time and location. Write it down in detail and give it to a trusted person.
Take much more water than you think you’ll need, and be careful. We only have one life. Don’t lose yours from delusions of self-confidence. One stumble could break a bone. One moment resting against a rock could startle a scorpion. One tumble could wake a hungry rattler. A medical emergency in the desert could literally kill you.
Other than all that (and more), enjoy your time carefully exploring our deserts. Live to tell about it another day. 🙂
👏👏👏👏
I'm an offroader here in Southern California and have spent a lot of time in the Desert but most of us know to stay out of the Desert during the summer months , only get off the beaten path during the winter months and always be prepared.
this is a classic example of sunk cost fallacy - each time they had a chance to do the sensible thing and admit failure they took another risk
Who drinks a beer and wine in order to fight dehydration? A bunch of ridiculous decisions from this family leading to their demise
Imagine being German and buying that absolute sheite Bud Ice Beer ..
It’s likely all they had I’m not a survivalist, but I’d say drinking that beer for the carbs calories and sugar provided energy and was better than nothing
Thank you for this interesting but tragic story. I often tell my kids they have to respect the places they visit. With a name like Death Valley you know it’s a place that will be unforgiving. Maybe I’m too cautious but I wouldn’t venture into the wilderness without a guide that’s experienced and knows how to survive in that environment.
No, caution is good. Im a truck driver, I deal with dangerous weather. Caution is always best
@@xkcd5676 Maybe you mean: no caution is bad, or every caution is good?
@@Sr.DeathKnight He just forgot the comma after "no"
I wouldn't even trust the guide,in case of places like death valley,I wouldn't trust anybody.
That poor family… hurt my heart to listen to this story. Praying that death came quickly and the family is together some where among the stars ✨
The great majority of people in the World live in urban environments and move from one urban environment to another.
Even when you travel 'all around' the World most people are always close to civilization.
The rules to live by in human settlements are quite different from areas far from civilization.
Planning ahead and thinking about worst case scenarios is a must to prepare accordingly.
This video is a good warning tale.
Well said.
I want to stress that the scenario on how the Germans died is purely hypothetical. No one knows what exactly happened leading up to their deaths. But almost everyone agrees they died because of the heat. I don't know in the order the Germans died. But one commenter mentioned that some people spotted little stone mounds close to the bluff which many believe that's where the parents buried the children. I was made aware of this after I produced the video and that makes sense since there was no way they could bury the children with no tools and the heat. If you understand how heat related illness works, then likely, the children would go first. This is universally known by experts.
My guess would be Egbert would go after the children, just because if he's a man of honor, he would've let everyone else have more rations than him. IMO he went to the military installations and used more energy then any of them. That combined with limited rations he was receiving, plus being dehydrated with alcohol intake, he'd be the first adult to go.
Would love to here your theories or if you'd like to debate this theory! I really appreciate everyone for coming and watching these videos. The channel is growing and it'all because of you all and I'm really grateful!
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I really like the stories you choose to cover, but there are some problems with your content that make me not want to support the channel. First of all, your narration sounds really "scoldy" in tone. Second, you should be more careful about the ethics of your content--those who've passed deserve to have their deaths treated with respect. In some of your videos, your narration is graphic to the point of being disrespectful (for example, your vid about the hikers being electrocuted at Yosemite). In this video, you've completely made up the circumstances surrounding the death of this family, including the children, even going as far to make up who died first and what feelings the others had about it. It's really ethically gross. Finally, you misrepresent this family with footage of people in another disaster. There are other youtubers who make content like this but do it much more ethically/tasetefully, and you should learn more from them. You can tell a good story without making stuff. People deserve to have their memory treated with respect.
@@jennifermarie3158 you shouldnt of watched it if your so easily offended ,i dont think he came across as disrespectful, nature is brutal..also he didnt make up the ending , he clearly stated it was a hypothesis.
@@jennifermarie3158 Get a life. Making a mountain out of a mole hill. Sounds like a drama queen. There was nothing disrespectful in the video. We all have a right to voice our opinions and theories. Good grief.
@@jennifermarie3158 I appreciate your feedback. Thanks for watching!
@@jennifermarie3158 Not so, this was handled well, though I have seen other versions with more detail.
I love Death Valley, been there many times. I hiked in summer, short distance, to an arch and back, no more than a mile one way. I was done before 10 AM and then got out of there. When I passed the visitor center around 11 it was already 105 degrees. I’m used to those temps, having lived in California’s Central Valley for decades. But somehow it seemed to be so much hotter in DV. There’s no relief…No trees, bushes, no shade, no shelter. Your car is sitting in the hot sun and takes quite a while to cool down after you continue your journey. Be that as it may, I saw the most incredible sunsets and sunrises in DV. It’s sad such a beautiful place can turn out to be so deadly to some!
Well done! You found some of the best images of Death Valley! You also managed to convey the utter desolation those unfortunate people found themselves in! Once their van got stuck their situation was hopeless!
This was such a sad story and it was one of the ones who’s stuck with me. Death Valley is beautiful and I’m amaze at its formation . It has so much history as to how it came to be.
I live near Death Valley, I never find it to be beautiful. In fact, I hate desert. No trees and so boring!
I’ve done this exact route in Death Valley in a lifted vehicle in the winter. I just can’t imagine how a mini van with 4 occupants in the dead of summer made it that far. This trail is pretty gnarly
Don't such trails usually have signs warning that you can't drive them without lifted vehicles?
@@r7calvin you have to see the area in person,,,get off the paved roads, very few people ,no nothing, huge, and less than that in the summer.
@@r7calvin Yes! Normally that is the case but conditions on these trails are constantly changing due to weather and continuous use. It’s my belief that the driver of said minivan was probably drinking and felt at ease when navigating this trail. He made several devastating mistakes before getting stranded
Several times, I have run into seemingly bright, educated Europeans who thought the US can be driven across in a day or so, as with many European countries.
For example, family friends from England visited our house near Washington DC, and asked about seeing California “over the weekend,” or a professional at a conference in Texas who announced their flight home was leaving out of NYC, late the next day, because they wanted to drive through and see NYC briefly.
I think this under-estimation of how vast the US is compared to European countries may have played a part in this case, at a minimum in leaving too little time to reach their departing airport while waiting for help or backtracking.
Absolutely. A commenter was just telling me about a situation about a family in NYC who wanted to go to LA in a day!
Absolutely, I think I only have a clearer understanding of these problems because a relative of mine was a diplomat who lived in the US for a decade, the average European though can't even imagine the vastness. Europe is extremely densly populated, the scenario they found themselves in is impossible in Europe.
I’m Scottish. I’m astounded that’s someone doesn’t have a grasp of the size of the US. What I have found speaking to Americans is that we Brits think 500 miles is a long journey,while to Americans it is seen as trifling. So it doesn’t seem logical that anyone would think the US could be crossed in a day. But then, whoever said humans were logical. Awful story
@@india1422 I always liked the saying...Americans think 200 years is a long time, Europeans think 200 miles is a long distance.
@@jamesruddy9264 😹
I love ur voice and the way u tell stories :)
A former working colleague of mine (german/bavarian), did a road trip with his brother from Florida to California arround 25 years ago. They did this on a whim because they didn't wanted to stay with their mom in Florida who was looking for a house or time-share there. So they did this trip in an used car they bought and everything was going relativ smooth until they hit the Sierras. He really tought they would die up there, the cars engine was on it's last cylinder and there was snow and they had only t-shirts and short (imagine two 90s metalheads) and no futher gear. They had no clue that there's a mountain range with snow between Nevada and California. In their minds California and Nevada were a flat desert with some small hills.
I grew up about an hour outside of Death Valley, as kids we knew this story. I’m very glad they were found.
So may I ask you something if Death Valley is so dangerous why do they let people to drive in there?
@@esra_oziskender it’s a national park. And a lot of history there. And it’s a way to get to Vegas.
@@esra_oziskender It’s much safer than traveling in any major city, for sure. Not even close.
Damn... I'm German and my family (and other families) went to the death valley in 1994, when I was 5. This somehow hits home differently...
Tom Mahood's blog is one of the most well written and fascinating rescue stories source. I strongly recommend it, kept me up at night reading late for a while as I could not stop!
Tell me about it! I couldn't stop reading it. So fascinating. I felt bad I left some details out for the sake of brevity. But that's more incentive to go to his blog because it's amazing.
This is a story that often haunts me. Thank you for covering it in such detail! I agree with someone here who said it was a series of small mistakes and wrong decisions that ultimately led to their death (like plane crashes which are almost always also a series of things that go wrong). Also, being Germans, they probably had no real understanding exactly how vast the area of death valley and surrounds actually is. Germany has plenty of nature but the areas are just nowhere near comparable to the US West. They probably just could not even comprehend the distance and the hostility of the terrain when they set out. Such a very sad event.
Yea, but the mechanics are distinct. Planes need a lot of mistakes to happen because the safeguards in place save the day even if 9 fail and 1 works; that's why the 10 must fail simultaneously. With this guy, it was the opposite: every mistake snowballed into the next one, like a... snowball effect.
I'm German, and have no real understanding of exactly how vast and hostile the area is, but the name "death valley" gives me enough information to know I would never take two kids there (and probably never go there myself).
I have never been to the US but I remember reading "The Grapes of Wrath" and the small mention of the family passing Death Valley with their unreliable old car and they knew should anything go wrong they would probably die stuck with me. Horrifying. They were travelling a main road (I think it was Route 66), and had no other choice, and still it was so dangerous.
The US is deceptively large. California is around 5x the size of France and Death Valley is part of the Mojave Desert, and that desert is larger than Ireland. Not sure if its still the case but there used to be stretches of road in the area where you'd go around 100 miles/160 kilometers between gas stations with nothing in between them.
😲@@arthas640
@@arthas640 "California is around 5x the size of France" France is larger in size than California ..
This guys voice is amazing. I'm so glad I subscribed and always look forward to these sad but fascinating stories.
🙏🙏🙏
Very clear even to non-English speakers.
Yuck! He's so monotone and sounds robotic...it's very distracting.
@cynlovespugs You must have an amazing speaking voice to criticise someone like that.
@@welshwarrior5263 Actually, I do. I worked in broadcasting and radio in the 80's and was hired for my voice and diction.
Tragically, they visited the “Geologist’s Cabin” not long before their van broke down, which is there with food, fresh water and shelter for visitors or those in need. Had they stayed there or walked back there, they almost certainly would have survived…but would miss their flight.
I can see how the desire to make the flight, when low on funds, could have led to thinking the military base was the “best” option. However, the adults should have known they were literally gambling their lives that they would find base personnel (if that’s what they thought…we don’t know) and taken the option that didn’t include “we all die” should things not go their way.
The problem is that they didn't understand how this works in the US, their way of thinking was European, military bases are considerably smaller and usually guarded there because Europe is so densly populated. At a German base they would have certainly been found and given help. Their issue was that they didn't do nearly enough research on how things work in the US, the immense distances and empty space is just not something we know in Europe, they didn't consider the geographical differences.
@@c.w.8200 Just think about that, the Death Valley is half the size of Switzerland. Which is nuts.
@@c.w.8200then why the heck would they even go there with no research and with their kids, that's so stupid.
@@c.w.8200I also think Germany has a history of more densly patrolled military bases due to the Berlin Wall and tons of american and soviet soldiers on respective sides being stationed there during the cold war, which likely colored their perception of things.
I moved to Phoenix, AZ in 1996. I can't tell you how many people die or have to be rescued because they are not prepared for the heat. It happens in the Grand Canyon ad well. I live in the mountains now. I feel for the family and their loss. How horrible!
It seems that Death Valley, and the Grand Canyon attract a lot of foreigners. Of all of the wilderness places you could visit as a foreigner, idk why you'd want to visit a desert.
And the superstitions are like a roach motel, check in and never check out. Some of the most rugged land I have ever hiked, fell there and was lucky and also covered in every kind of cactus needles imaginable.
No matter how you twist and turn it, fact is they knew that the cabin they stopped at had food, shelter and water. Common sense is, I have no idea where I am at, car broke down, we barely have any water. I have two young kids. Scenario 1) Stumble around in 110 heat. Having to carry kids with no idea how far the next human contact might be. Scenario 2) walk the 2 miles back to the Cabin, knowing the distance, direction, having a continuous water source, food, shelter. This is not a hindsight, I know it better keyboard warrior theory either. Common sense. With kids you always chose the safe route not the unknown.
They probably thought they could beat it in time for their flight. It’s crazy but those plane tickets they had were probably expensive probably close to $6,000-$8,000. My ticket to south east Asia was about $2,000 round trip.
I agree the cabin was the very best option to help their children be comfortable.
Maybe they got so completely lost that just wandered around
@@deltamkbperhaps they lost their orientation and couldn't find the cabin
They weren't in survival mode yet! They panicked since their plane was heading off in a few days, they lacked of financial means and couldn't afford new tickets. As they realised saving their own lives was crucial it was too late!
Great story and video. I have been to Death Valley several times, but not in summer. It is ridiculously hot. Almost ten years ago, I took my wife and a 7 years old son to Needles in Capital Reef National Park. We started with two regular size Gatorades and three regular size bottle waters at 7 am when it was about 70 F. It started with easy flat trail and then it became rocky terrain. By noon, we reached an area with shade but not where we wanted to go. We decided to turn around as we used more than half of our water. The afternoon sun is really strong that it reached 100 F.
By the time we were one mile away from where we parked. We only have half a regular size water bottle left. My son wanted to drink more. I kept telling him to only zip every now and then. My wife and I were exhausted and didn't drink to save for my son. When we were only 1/2 mile out, my son finished all the water left. I started to be very worried. Luckily we made it and drank almost all the water left in the car without eating lunch. Since then, I make sure we bring lots of water for any hike in the desert around summer.
Not that either man will read this, I just wanted to thank Mr.Tom Mahood and Mr.Les Walker for taking the extensive time and effort to solve this mystery. Your efforts have given some families some sense of closure. I do hope that Egbert Rimkus ' ex-wife doesn't suffer any guilt on not sending Egbert money when he requested it. It's not her fault that Egbert overspent in Law Vegas and staying at the pricey Treasure Island casino was a serious drain on money.
Well said
at least they died doing what they loved
@@stellviahohenheim Slowly and painfully dying of dehydration in a foreign country with two small children? Or am I misunderstanding your meaning?
@@stellviahohenheim "at least they died doing what they loved"
Are you fucking kidding me?
And it was all easily avoidable. Like not going offroad in a rental car not made for wasted dirt roads like that. But we can't be inconvenienced. The guy was calling his EX Wife in Germany for money because they didn't know how they were going to get back home. They couldn't just call the consulate and tell them he ducked up and needed help figuring out what to do. Admitting you're unprepared is much worse than dying a slow horrible death after watchin your children die.
This was really meant for the idiot that commented on how much a cell phone costs. What? Really?
i went camping once and my little sister almost died of dehydration but mom brought us lemonade and a gummie snack and she pulled through.
yeah, those back country expeditions into your backyard can be perilous. stay safe....
Video is well done with no inaccuracies or significant omissions as far as I remember. My SAR dog Tioga and I were one of three search dog teams deployed on the final effort by Inyo County,(that ran a very good operation, IMO, while dealing with several other agencies that needlessly complicated and hampered efforts nearly to the point of compromising searcher safety). While tragically sad there was no chance of rescue on this search and so it was much easier to remain "clinical" and I have many fond memories of this operation and even the hardships. Good job on the telling.
I am a East Coast hiker but I love the desert but I will admit I am somewhat afraid of it all at the same time. I do a lot of long distance backpacking but in the desert I keep my trips short. My wife always bust me because of how much water I carry. I also love my sun umbrella. I don’t hike in the mid day but in the early morning hours or when the temps are lower. No summer hiking for me. I know my limitations. I have given others on the trail water before. It’s no issue because I carry a lot and don’t hike big miles. I will do the PCT is a couple of years so I will get my fill of desert travel then.
There's a lot of hikers (in arizona) who carry the minimum amount of water (and pass me) while I'm here lugging extra and planning on having a couple liters left at the end of my hike - I just tell myself it's weight training for carrying a full thru-hike load out. I hope to do the PCT one day too :)
This story is just really SAD. Nothing worse. I really don't understand the LACK of common sense by a FATHER that would drive his family on DIRT ROADS in a mini-van in the middle of DEATH VALLEY. Did he not think of the "WHAT IF's"??? What IF we break down out there miles away in 120 degree + Heat??!?!?!? that's the part that gets me. With your kids?!?! WTF??! All i can say... Just SAD.
Certainly not what I would have expected from a German. Those people tend to be very methodical.
Exactly!!!!! They didn’t research and then put their kids to m in danger is unthinkable 😮
Hell, I was overly concerned with my baby and my cat breaking down somewhere in the city, let alone in the wilderness that’s one of the hottest on earth😮….l don’t get this
@@Sr.DeathKnight there are also stupid Germans
Considering this was 1996 - simply lack of knowledge. In Germany you are rarely ever further away from the next town or village, let alone road, than a few hours on foot. Dirt roads that require 4-wheel-drive are extremely rare. Any road shown on a map can be expected to be at least gravel, if not better. The adults simply applied European experiences to a landscape they had no idea about, such as a desert. They might not even have bothered to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius to know what they were getting into.
I went to Death Valley in May once and it was ONLY 105°. Just opening the door felt like you ere stepping into an oven. Can’t imagine what 120° must have been like.
I was recently there and it had only 100F. I thought that I’m going to do die in the sun. I wore a head and an umbrella. I couldn’t endure more than 20 minutes in the sun. Other people walked without everything in the sun.
i live in the southern california desert, man... i was naive when we first get here. learn my lesson; the desert is always going to win from my experience.
It is so easy to make such mistake... specially the first time, after that you learn and you are prepared. For some people there is no second time.
As someone that grew up in the desert I appreciate you telling these storys. Many that I've never heard of. Bringing awareness of how deadly it can be. I also love the survival tips you give.
It never fails to stun me - the second the van was stuck, fuck the plane tickets. It’s survival time. I don’t understand how people can get so deep into that area while not having an iota of understanding of the risks. Go back the way you came.
If you go searching for signs of life, a beer will hurt you more than it will help.
I got lost with a buddy on the peak of a mountain in the cascades of WA state, we were lost, and could’ve died. Took stock of absolute necessities, picked a road way off in the distance, and made for it. I’m guessing the 12pack of Miller highlife, and my buddies shitty sleeping bag and back pack are still up there.
Point being, when you realize “uh oh. I’m in the wilderness. And my life is on the line.” That’s when you go into chess mode. It’s all about risk assessment at that point.
Thanks, Genius.
@@DyreStraits just common sense man.
Death Valley is beautiful! It is a safe place to visit for anyone that is prepared and has common sense. Going there unprepared would be as dangerous as trying to boogie board at Diamond Head in Hawaii when you don't know how to surf or swim, or climbing up half dome in Yosemite during a thunderstorm. I love off roading and have a Jeep that is lifted, with winch, lockers, air compressor, etc and I have been thinking of a trip to saline warm springs in DV, but common sense tells me to wait until cooler weather in the fall. When I pack to go places like this my Roto Pak gas cans and Roto Pak Water cans are filled, tires and spare are checked, enough food for several extra days and double the water carried inside the jeep in jugs that I think I will use. Then I make sure to leave my route and day I am expecting to return with someone to make sure I get home safe. If I was going to another country I would research the place I was going and then proceed with caution. Not only did the father not use common sense or any caution, he was warned by people that the vehicle he rented would not be able to travel through the dirt roads. He had limited funds yet wasted what he had gambling in Vegas. So don't blame Death Valley for the families deaths, it was a father who was stubborn and didn't put his family first. Also most rental contracts state vehicle is to not be driven off road, I rented a jeep in Hawaii with my son and planned on taking him to some cool beaches I found in a book I found showing out of the way beaches you could drive on, but the rental contract clearly stated that you could not drive the jeep off road or be subject to very stiff fines.
The vastness is hard to imagine until you are there.
The kids tagging along is the worst...
I was at Death Valley for just an hour and only drank one bottle of water. That was even enough for me and I couldn’t go on. My head was burning so much. Thankfully I bought the day before way too much water and could drink some more. After drinking some more bottles I felt better. It’s crazy.
Remarkable commitment and determination to finding them. Beautiful family. Very sad story
What a sad ending for the family.
But I still can't understand why parents take their kids so deeply into a place which is named after Death.
This was the best post about this disaster that I have found. Thanks
I appreciate it! I know there's many great videos about The Death Valley Germans on YT. I just wanted to do a different style. So your comment means a lot!
Outrageous to put your kids in such peril without adequate preparation.
Whenever I go somewhere new I try to observe the locals , it has helped me.
Your narration and compelling storytelling is a listening joy.
Desert heat is a killer. I have backpacked in DV and it was brutal despite being very prepared. Hiking at night and negotiating shade and sleep during the hottest part of the day was the only way to pull off my DV trek.🌵Note: I alway carry a UV umbrella that provides shade in my vehicle.☂️
UV umbrella is an excellent suggestion.. people don't realize how brutal the heat in the desert can be. Did you carry a satellite phone also?
@@ralphalvarez5465 I haven’t carried a satellite device in the past; when I was in DV, PLBs or sat phones were uncommon and very expensive.
I do ALWAYS carry back-up nav in the form of a topo map and compass. Next big trip, I have decided to upgrade iPhone 14.
@@Swimdeep What do iPhone 14 has?
@@Sr.DeathKnight iPhone 14 (and up) has satellite capabilities-like the Garmin InReach. The first two years of emergency 🆘 SOS service is free.
@@Swimdeep You mean SOS capability, like a PLB? Because plain GPS is a satellite capability.
😢 so very sorry they died while visiting our country, my heart breaks for them. RIP 🕊️
Truly a tragic story! The way that the narrator tells it is part of the mystery. Excellent job and this was a story you just couldn’t click away from. Can’t imagine the hopelessness these parents felt as the unrelenting desert started draining the life out of their children. My heart aches for this family. Great job by the man who figured it out! He is truly an inspiration to us all!
It really is tragic. RIP to these four people.
Live in vegas near here. It’s called Death Valley for a reason, I don’t understand why anyone would willingly go there unless they wanted to die
It definitely has 0 interest from me
The music and voice over hits no lie.. Rest in peace to this family 😔
My sister almost didn’t make it out of the Grand Canyon when she hiked it with a guide, he was overzealous and hiked her 2 miles into the canyon early in the morning. She entirely ran out of water and thought they were going to have to airlift her out. Luckily, my mom wisely only did about half of the hike and purposely saved her water knowing my sister was going to need it. If I ever go to the desert I am bringing waaay more water than I think I need.
Great idea, problem is water is heavy and carry as much as you can but you can’t carry as much as you will need if you go into the backcountry, just fyi
So sad those poor little kids 😢😢
Your tips at the end are so helpful. I am taking notes! I had no idea sipping doesn’t help and that digestion consumes water.
It's conflicting. Some survivalist say gulps as well. I think enough to satisfy while rationing is the best course of action. Thank you for watching!
Remember when we made the 400 yard hike to see the Horseshoe Bend. It was scorching hot that day and on our way beck to the car both me and my wife started to shiver, though we brought water enough and had our heads covered. The situation wasn’t catastrophic, me and our daughter still had to help my wife back the short distance to the car. This is one example how heat rapidly can cause major distress.
The temperature that day was around 110F.
That trek back to the parking lot is a steady incline. Being 110, I'm sure it was brutal.
@@outdoordisasters Nah … not brutal, but I guess the heat was a bit too much. We also visited Death valley and felt very fine, but stayed on the paved roads, but I can say we were out of the car very short time.
But what we experienced at the Horseshoe Bend was a single and rather frightening experience.
I'm a brand new subscriber to your channel. Thanks for bringing us these stories!
Thank you!!
If you are not acclimated to the desert ,it’s harsh, unforgiving, I went on a hike in the desert, left later than planned, my friends left me to go after big horn sheep, big mistake, it was so hot! I started to feel cold, shivering, dizzy, and found some shade under a big bush, and huddled there, till my friends came back. It was scary
I have lived in the SW deserts of the US for my entire adult life. Any trip we take a 5 gallon plastic jug of water min. We usually have smaller insulated water bottles as well and various meal bars. Been to Death Valley a couple of times, love it and now only live 20 minutes away. She's a brutal mistress. You can rent those Satellite phones for about $100. Well worth the money in my opinion. Also any sort of reflective blanket, even one of those windshield things can offer some relief from the sun.
I moved to extreme southern Arizona 2 years ago and have already faced a couple of mishaps. I really appreciate your tips at the end of this video. While I am an avid and lifelong hiker, I don't profess to knowing everything and the reminder of our intellect being our greatest asset as well as learning to manage our sweat rather than our water is sound advice.
This poor family had no idea what they would be facing or they would have turned around.
Another really good one, this one is horrifyingly 😭. The torment these parents must have went thru. What I would like to have known is their intentions, was it really to try & traverse the desert as a short cut. I mean Ive been through death valley twice on the highway and I dont understand why they would consider this as a viable option, (the veiw from the highway seems pretty much the same as from these dirt roads)and if this was planned why were they so unprepared no water, sounds like they had more adult beverages then survivable liquids. (I literally take water w/ me on a trek to the grocery store). These stories are very interesting, i just wish ppl would document more incases like this. Im sorry this happened to them.
Any time you venture out into the nature be aware what and exactly where you are going. Know your limit and never underestimate the unforgiving Mother Nature can be. Always bring extra food , water, and clothes because that just might be the difference.
As a young kid i lived Arizona and often explored the desert alone but only after years of acclimating to the environment. It's almost unreal how quickly it gets both hot and cold going from frost on the ground at night to so hot during the day you can get burned by touching rocks with your bare hands.
Tourists will often leave in the early morning when it's cool with little to no water or emergency supplies and not reach their destination until mid afternoon stepping out of their air conditioned cars into an environment that can kill in hours. Over the years i'd found probably a dozen tourist with broken down rental cars on the gravel roads leading into the Mohave national preserve nearly hysterical from the experience. I always carried far more water then i expected to use so i'd leave my water with them then take my 3-wheeler to a nearby visitor center where they'd send a tow truck to pick them up. This was during the early 90's and nobody had cell phones or GPS back then so if you got stranded you were boned.
I remember one time a park ranger in specific who stopped me and scolded me for driving around alone and gave me a long speech about how unforgiving the desert was. A few weeks later i found him walking down a very long dirt road alone. He tried to drive over a washout and smashed his oil pan killing his truck. I gave him a lift on my ATV back to civilization. It was the dead of summer and he looked like he was completely over it when i'd found him.
After that when he saw me he would just wave.
I love your channel so much and hope to see it grow more. I love that you provide so much story detail and then give tips at the end what to do to help in a similar situation. Heat stroke is no joke. I used to work as a donation attendant at goodwill and the heat was so bad, i had a few people getting dizzy, so I would try to schedule water breaks and shade breaks because my managers wouldn't think of us. I worked with a few older gentlemen as well, so it was extra important for me to make sure they were okay.
Sad story. I always have a lighter in my car. I wondered if they could've burn the flat tires to signal for help. Tires usually make a lot of smoke. But I can see myself thinking that I would be exaggerating but now after seen this, is better to do it asap instead of waiting and running out of strength and options.
This is so tragic :(
Beautiful video. Thank you for the upload ❤
I worked at Furnace creek when this family disappeared this was very sad day for us at furnace creek unfortunately they went a route that was not recomended for their vehicle they were in only two bodies were found
I'm German, travelled a lot around the world, but NEVER would risk a hike in Death Valley with those temperatures 😢 Rest in Peace ❤
Best chance for their survival was to remain at Geologist Cabin where there's a natural spring due to faulting and forget about anything else except surviving.
What a sad awful way to go that too seeing your kids due slowly before dying themselves very slowly.
Outdoor Adventure hence requires sufficient training, understanding of safety and always have the required Tips to avoid all kinds of misfortunes. So many people die due to Overconfidence or Being Ignorant. Both are absolute killers in such situations.
I noticed you pulled some clips from the show I Shouldn't Be Alive. I like your narration.
Yes. I'm heavily inspired by that show. Definitely a top 5 all time show for me. Very familiar with all the episodes and when researching, often think back to a story from ISBA that's similar and would work for a scene.
They made mistakes, and the desert claimed them. They belong to her now.
Rest. little ones. You are not forgotten.