Fears for hiker missing for over a week after traveling along difficult Grand Canyon trail
Thomas Daniel Gibbs, 35, of Freehold, NJ, was last heard from on July 22 at around noon after he was believed to have been hiking in the Grandview Trail and Horseshoe Mesa that day.
Concerned family and friends raised the alarm on his silence six days later and reported him missing, the National Park Service said.
Officials found his Tesla Cybertruck the same day in the Grandview Point parking lot on the South Rim.
He is described as a white male of 6ft 1 inches in height, with brown hair and eyes.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Bravo megafire has been raging across the Grand Canyon for over a month, singeing 123,434 acres, and has only been contained to 13 percent.
At least 80 structures have been destroyed, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge inside the park at the North Rim, after it was first reported on July 9. The Kaibab Lodge is also in jeopardy, reports 13 News.
It swelled in size at the end of July, burning over 105,000 acres and subsequently becoming a megafire.
Lightning strikes are believed to have ignited the fires, while a combination of strong winds, low humidity, and high daily temperatures spiralled their rapid expansion, officials said.
The Grandview Trail is described as 'a rocky, exposed, strenuous trail' that requires hiking experience and caution, say park officials. Only experienced desert hikers are advised to take on the trail, and should come readily prepared with a detailed plan as there is no drinking water on the path. The most treacherous parts of the hike include the Bright Angel, South Kaibab, and Hermit Trails.
In a statement to Fox News Sunday, the Grand Canyon National Park said that search efforts were still ongoing.
'Ground searchers extensively searched the Grandview Trail and its side drainages over the last two days. In addition, drones and search dogs from Coconino County Search and Rescue were utilized, along with high-angle technical rescue efforts near Grandview Point," the park said.
'The ongoing Dragon Bravo Fire did not hinder search efforts. Responders from Grand Canyon National Park, along with Coconino County Search and Rescue, worked collaboratively to ensure a thorough search of the area despite challenging conditions."
Grand Canyon officials said that no evidence of Gibbs had been found to date and that search efforts had been scaled back in recent days because of a lack of clues and evidence to suggest he was in the greater Grandview Trail area.
'Investigations remain ongoing, and if additional clues or evidence are discovered, our search and rescue team will promptly follow up with search efforts in the field," they added.
Park rangers are urging anyone who was also in the Grandview Trail area around July 22 and may have seen Gibbs or has information on his whereabouts to contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch Tip Line at 888-653-0009.
Tips can also be submitted online at www.nps.gov/ISB or via email at nps_isb@nps.gov.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Hurricane Erin explodes into Cat 5 storm and is expected to double - even triple
Hurricane Erin, the first major hurricane of the North American hurricane season, has intensified into a Category 5 storm, with sustained winds of 160 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. Thankfully for the coastal U.S., forecasters do not believe the hurricane will make landfall, though severe weather on the periphery of the storm could cause adverse offshore conditions along the East Coast. Erin is expected to take a turn north after this weekend, skirting the eastern edge of the U.S. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is expected to travel north between Bermuda and North Carolina's Outer Banks before it continues onward into the Atlantic Ocean. "We still expect this to eventually make a more northward turn and stay offshore of the East Coast of the United States. So that certainly is good news when dealing with a storm this powerful," AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Pydynowski told USA TODAY. The National Hurricane Center predicts that by the middle of next week the storm will double or triple in size. That expansion could cause rough oceans for parts of the western Atlantic. The Caribbean will be the first to feel the storm's power; heavy rainfall is predicted in the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico this weekend. Two to four inches of rain are expected and flash flooding is possible in some areas, according to the NHC. In the continental U.S., Erin is expected to generate dangerous surf conditions along essentially the entire East Coast. High waves and dangerously strong rip currents are likely. Anyone visiting the beach on Florida's east coast between August 18 and 21 should be mindful as the storm will likely create dangerous offshore conditions during that period, according to the National Weather Service. Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins on June 1 and continued through the end of November. Major hurricanes — those that reach at least a Category 3 — tend to form in late August through mid-October, but Erin was an outlier. It began as a cluster of rainstorms off the western coast of Africa before it formed into a tropical storm system and intensified into a hurricane.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Hurricane Erin rapidly intensifies into catastrophic Category-5 monster storm: Warning for East Coast
Hurricane Erin has quickly whipped into a catastrophic Category-5 monster storm travelling west across the Atlantic as the East Coast is warned of deadly water conditions. The storm, sustaining winds of 160mph, is not expected to hit the United States, but heavy rainfall and dangerous water conditions are due to strike. Swells from the hurricane are expected to cause 'life-threatening surf and rip currents' on the East Coast, as well as the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas and Bermuda. Depending on Erin's size and strength, waves could reach 30 feet or more, meteorologists warned. 'Families heading to U.S. Atlantic beaches for a late-summer vacation next week need to be extremely cautious when venturing into the surf,' AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva warned. 'More than 50 people have lost their lives to rip currents and rough surf at beaches across the country so far this year, without any major hurricane nearby.' Erin was upgraded to a Category-5 from a Category-3 storm on Friday evening. A Category-5 storm consists of winds above 157mph. 'By the middle of next week, Erin is forecast to at least double or triple in size, which will result in rough ocean conditions over the Western Atlantic,' the National Hurricane Center said. The hurricane formed on August 15, becoming the first of the Atlantic season after four tropical storms 'On the forecast track, the center of Erin is expected to move j ust north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the weekend,' the hurricane center said. Outer bands of the storm are expected to produce heavy rainfall until Sunday, with around two to four inches of rainfall. In some areas, around six inches is expected. 'Locally considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides, are possible,' according to the NHC. Hurricane Erin is expected to continue to strengthen, curving toward the East Coast and Bermuda. 'Fluctuations in intensity are expected for the rest of the weekend,' the hurricane center said. AccuWeather warned that the worst-case scenario would see Erin guided directly onshore, 'packing high winds, flooding rain and storm surge flooding.' Meteorologist Max Schuster shared on X that while the odds of a US landfall are low, 'it cannot be ruled out still.' The hurricane formed on August 15, becoming the first of the Atlantic season after four tropical storms. Erin was named a tropical storm on Monday when heavy rain brought on major flooding in the Cabo Verde islands and resulted in multiple deaths. The season runs from June to November, with the peak of the Atlantic season hitting in September. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in May that they were predicting an 'above average' season that would likely result in more named storms than there were in 2024, when 18 such storms were tracked. The National Hurricane Center noted that approximately 400 people died during 2024's hurricane season, the deadliest season since 2005. Ken Graham, the director of NOAA's National Weather Service, said: 'We've got to convince people of the danger.' 'Every Category 5 [hurricane] that has ever hit this country was a tropical storm or less three days prior,' Graham warned. Graham urged people to begin stocking up on emergency supplies, including gas and other essentials, before long lines form during an actual emergency.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Searing heat draws visitors to California's Death Valley, where it's tough to communicate the risks
Ray Estrada's 11-year-old grandson is used to Las Vegas ' scorching summers, but he'd always wanted to experience the heat in one of the Earth's hottest places. So Estrada recently drove him to Death Valley National Park, with an umbrella, extra water and electrolytes in tow. That day, the thermometer soared to 118 F (47.78 C). 'We have to be very careful when we go out there,' Estrada told him. 'If you start feeling dizzy or whatever... we're just gonna turn back and be safe so we can do this again another time.' The extreme temperatures in this stretch of California desert attract visitors every year, some determined to finish a grueling, multiday race, others just curious about the sizzling heat and the landscape's vast beauty. Yet despite the warnings, the heat kills one to three people annually, and park rangers respond to overheated visitors multiple times per week, making communication about heat safety a priority for the National Park Service. But that's easier said than done. 'It's very easy to underestimate how dangerous heat is," said Abby Wines, the park's acting deputy superintendent. ' People are usually used to thinking of heat as something that makes them uncomfortable," and that they can tough it out. 'This type of heat will kill,' she said. Death Valley holds the record for the hottest temperature ever officially recorded — 134 F (56.67 C) in July 1913 — although some experts have disputed it and say the real record was 130 F (54.4 C) there in July 2021. In the U.S., heat kills more people than other weather events combined, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. If planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, which come from burning fuels like oil and coal, continue at their current pace, more places could experience broiling temperatures. That makes it crucial to communicate the dangers of extreme heat and safety precautions, as both can influence who lives and dies. Risks and a sense of control Throughout this desert are stark warnings of the deadly heat: 'Stop. Extreme heat danger. Walking after 10 a.m. not recommended,' one sign says. 'HEAT KILLS!' warns another. On bathroom walls there are reminders to hydrate in the form of charts displaying the color of pee — the darker the urine, the more you need to drink water. Another sign warns visitors that helicopters for medical emergencies can't safely fly amid extreme temperatures. Ambulances can often deploy in extreme heat but are not a guarantee. The safety of emergency responders is always considered. Baruch Fischhoff, professor at Carnegie Mellon University who studies decision-making, said evidence shows that people generally underestimate risk when they have a sense of control. Information that explicitly says rescue might not be an option if it's too hot 'takes away that sense of the control that can lead to underestimating risk.' Failing to recognize those risks can be deadly. Last summer, a helicopter was unable to fly to a rescue because of 128 F (53.33 C) temperatures. A group of visitors were traveling on motorcycles when one died from the heat, and another was treated for severe heat illness and transported to a hospital. Rescue options are even more limited for hikers lost on a trail. Unless it's a short distance and rescuers know where the person is, they'll likely wait until sunset if it's above 115 F (46.11 C). 'Depending on their situation,' Wines said, that's 'probably too late.' The challenges of communication Two of the park's busiest months are in the summer, and it sees a small bump in visitors when temperatures are expected to hit the high 120s or 130s F (48.89s to 54.44s C). But it's the moderate temperatures that tend to get people into more trouble. 'We actually have a harder time communicating our concerns about heat to the public when they visit and it's only 100 to 115," Wines said. The dryness evaporates sweat almost instantly, so many people don't realize how much they're actually sweating. Then there's the vastness. Death Valley has more than 50 entrances, so many visitors aren't seeing rangers who can relay important information. Instead, they place heat warning signs in the hottest and most popular spots. But they discovered that people responded less to heat warning signs that looked permanent compared to those that seemed temporary. For Marc Green, an expert in experimental psychology, that finding is '100% predictable.' 'People judge what to do based on specific information,' he said. If a warning sign is up all the time, even when conditions are good, it contains no useful information. 'That's why people disregard it.' Jennifer Marlon, senior research scientist at the Yale School of the Environment, has studied public perceptions of the health risks of extreme heat across the U.S. How people perceive heat and other climate risks varies by factors like age, race, gender, income level and where they live. Older white men, for instance, tend to have lower risk perceptions across the board, whereas women have higher risk perceptions than men. 'The challenge, though, is that the level of worry or risk perception doesn't necessarily translate into action,' Marlon said. Optimism bias could also falsely make a person believe the heat won't personally affect them. While studies show that experience with heat increases people's concern, it is short-lived. 'You get a bump for like a year or so after a really big event and then it just goes right back to the baseline,' she said. What type of communication is effective Marlon said to be specific. Don't just tell people that heat can be lethal, tell them what could happen to their bodies and what to do to stay safe. Death Valley park does this. On site and online, park officials tell visitors to avoid hiking at low elevations after 10 a.m., to stay on paved roads and near their cars. They say to drink and carry plenty of water, and to seek shade and hydrate if you feel dizzy, nauseous or have a headache. And while this isn't something the park would initiate, if scientists gave names to heat waves, similar to how hurricanes are named, that could better grab people's attention because human brains are attuned to novelty, Marlon said. The messenger is also important. If friends, family and neighbors are worried and nudging you to do something, that can be more powerful than reading information online. Community leaders modeling appropriate behavior — like saying they're evacuating their family ahead of a hurricane or that they carry extra water in their trunk — can also go a long way. Marlon also suggested communicating how extreme heat can impair the ability to think clearly. When communicating with images, show people drinking water, putting on cold wet towels or resting in shade. 'Whatever the recommended behavior is, show them pictures of that behavior because we're incredibly and fundamentally social animals, and body language is so much of how we communicate,' Marlon said. Death Valley National Park. ———
