He said crews have been searching around where the family was found to make sure they arent missing some mines or other hazards. The bodies of Jonathan Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju and their dog were discovered with no obvious signs of trauma by searchers on Tuesday on the Hite Cove Trail near an area known as Devil Gulch. While investigators arent ruling out the possibility of the family inhaling a toxic gas from mines in the area, experts say such a scenario is highly unlikely, if not unheard of. That remote trailhead along a dirt road is north of Highway 49 and east of Highway 140. Ellen Chung, left, and her husband, Jonathan Gerrish. Check out their new restaurant in Fresno, This Fresno brewery and restaurant is opening its fourth location. Check out this 5.0-mile out-and-back trail near Dunsmuir, California. 1028.39 m Down, 11.0 mi 3,840' Up This data analysis was not released to the media. The area where they were found, known best for a spectacular springtime display of wildflower blooms, does not have cellphone reception. I hear that when that road is wet, it becomes very slick. Her stories have been recognized with Best of the West and McClatchy Presidents awards, and many top awards from the California News Publishers Association. Residents in the area said the sign was only recently posted after the family was found dead. One firefighter rolled his bulldozer down a ravine along the steep Hite Cove Trail and died. Everyone agreed so Rita and I turned back and headed up the hill. 10013.9 m Down. The farther into the canyon we dropped, the more often she brought up turning back and heading out. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Did algae bloom kill family hiking in Mariposa County? They are known as fire-type pines due to the prolific reproduction that follows the fires which occur in the foothills they inhabit. 5.3 km The Savage-Lundy trail runs through an area of the Sierra National Forest known as Devil's Gulch, ending at the South Fork Merced River. In the warmer weather I would think this area is VERY snakey. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 79' Up He lives with his wife and three kids in the East Bay. Ecology of South Fork Merced River. Sheriff Jeremy Briese said, There are those different options that are out there, mineshafts and off-gassing potential and were learning more with our partners in the Forest Service and public health on the toxicity of the algae blooms that theyre posting about. But Briese said they could not find any disused shafts in the vicinity, We have not found any old mine shafts near the area. Your FREE account works with all Adventure Projects sites. While the couple took a trip abroad a few years ago, they let Jeffe stay in their San Francisco loft. Following toxicology testing, on September 30, 2021, the Mariposa County Sherriffs office confirmed that further investigations had meant that the following had been ruled out as a cause of death: Gun or any other type of weapon, Lightning Strike, Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, Cyanide Exposure, Illegal Drugs / Alcohol, and Suicide. The area is northeast of Mariposa and southwest of Yosemite National Park. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The hazmat declaration was lifted the next day. A deer walks in front of the Mariposa County home of John Gerrish and Ellen Chung on Thursday. you have two healthy adults, you have a healthy child and what appeared to be a healthy canine all within a general same area, deceased. Samples from the dog were sent to multiple labs for testing. Jonathan Gerrish, 45, and Ellen Chung, 31, the couple's 1-year-old daughter, Aurelia "Miju" Chung-Gerrish, and their 8-year-old Australian shepherd-akita mix, Oski, all were found dead Aug . Thisouting was peppered with firsts, but itwas the last time I willquit a hike for the first time. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. (20E040) intersects the South Fork Trail at Mariposa Station P.O. The sheriffs office mounted a search on August 17 and found the couples truck the next day at the Sierra National Forest gate. 1:12. Plastic Bank and Ocean Bound Social Plastic, Really? The trail follows up above the Merced River. Rita guided me in turning it around on the narrow roada three point turn or maybe four or five pointsand then we slowly made our way back to civilization. The California Department of Public Health said it did not know of any human deaths from recreational or drinking water exposure to cyanobacterial toxin, although some animals have been killed by algae. I have also heard of it being rutted and needing 4WD. Green is good, Daniel. The recent spate of storms lifted the statewide snowpack to 190% of average for the start of the month, and more snow is on the way. Below is a list of common species of Plants, Animals, and Fungi found on the South Fork Merced River. While Chung was still pregnant, the couple relocated to Mariposa, hoping to integrate their daughter to a life in the outdoors. Sheriff Jeremy Briese said," For Mariposa County, this is rare. There are no toxic gases in any of these mines up there, Wildt said. The family had relocated to Mariposa County during the pandemic in 2020, when Gerrish's job became remote, according to the Merced Sun-Star. Jonathan Gerrish, his wife Ellen Chung and their one-year-old daughter Muji were found by search teams in an area of the Sierra National . The sky was becoming overcast and we could finally feel a cooling breeze. Previously, Cassidy worked for the Arizona Republic covering Phoenix police, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and desert-area crime and mayhem. There were quite a few mines in the area that were worked back in the day in this area which is located in the Hite Cove Mining District. A photo of Ellen Chung, left, and John Gerrish, holding their 1-year old daughter, Muji. They had been reported missing Monday night. Officials with the U.S. Forest Services Sierra National Forest announced last month that testing along the Merced River near Hites Cove showed a high concentration of algae bloom and warned visitors against swimming, wading or allowing their pets to swim in the water. 2 min read Several areas in the Sierra National Forest have. Beautiful pictures! Saturday, Aug. 14: Jonathan Gerrish researches Hites Cove hike via a phone app. Savage-Lundy Trail Hiking Trail, Midpines, California Savage-Lundy Trail Difficult 5.0 (1) Areas CA High Sierra Sierra National Forest Plan with onX Backcountry " This is a challenging hike with awesome views of the South Fork of the Merced River gorge in a remote area. It is 3.0 miles long and the most difficult of these trails. Investigations continued into late October 2021 as to what happened to the Gerrish family that day near Devils Gulch. The couple, avid hikers from Mariposa, were reported missing by a family friend a day before authorities found them. Chronicle staff writer Lauren Hernandez contributed to this report. There really wasnt much trail to follow after the forest road. Autopsies for the family and dog were completed two days later. Rita had ridden to the trailhead with another couple. 8.5 miles - 5 miles of the trail consists of a steep southern exposure path with little to no trees or shade. 319.56 m Down, 8.0 mi Rita, another hikerhappened to have a similar groove as mine so we stayed together. The trail was named for Major James Savage, "discoverer" of Yosemite Valley; and Otto Lundy, a miner and owner of May Lundy Mine. At 3.20 am, the sheriffs office reserved a search helicopter for daybreak. The mysterious deaths of theyoung California familyand their dog while out hiking along the remote Savage Lundy Trail in Devils Gulch in Sierra National Forest in Mariposa, California on August 15, 2021, should have us all on high alert as we enter this new high heat era that scientists know very little about. In 2017, Gafni won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for his work on the Ghost Ship fire. After the autopsies, the deaths of the Gerrish family remained unexplained. 6,795 which turned into Hites Cove Rd., following it to the end of the good part of the road where there is a wide open area that looks like it has been used for camping and who knows what in the past. She has a passion for sharing peoples stories to highlight issues and promote greater understanding. Multiple water samples were taken in the area for testing. The ore contains native gold and often abundant sulfides. John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their daughter Miju, 1, and the family's dog Oski were all discovered on the 3-mile long Savage-Lundy Trail in the forest, in an area known as Devil's Gulch near the community of Hites Cove. No conditions reported in the past 7 days. The sheriffs office said the entire Savage-Lundy Trail loop, where the family was found dead, is approximately 8.5 miles, with 5 miles of that being a steep southern exposure path with little-to-no trees or shade in the 2018 Ferguson Fire burn scar. Something else? Poison oak is also present along the trail, a plant that, when burnt, produces toxins capable of causing respiratory distress, although there were no fires known to be burning in the area at the time of the deaths. 32,854' Down 254.3 m Down, 13.1 mi Briese said that his deputies were working to support the victims devastated families. We're not focusing on one specific cause at this point. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. We caught uptotwo Scout Masters and stopped to talk with them while taking a moment to catch our breath. near Hites Cove, a remote location in Sierra National Forest, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, No smoking gun. Algae blooms considered in mysterious death of family near Yosemite, Toxic algae warning rises to danger level at Fresno-area lake. Where: Sierra National ForestDistance: 7.90 MilesDifficulty: Moderate to StrenuousElevation Range: 1,769 2,220Date: March 4, 2015Maps: Buckingham Mountain Topographic Quad. They look a little like a Digger Pine, but are very different and pretty scarce. The bodies were found on the Savage Lundy Trail near Hites Cove, an unincorporated community in Mariposa County, California. Matthias Gafni and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. If you're riding up the road, make sure to turn right after about 2.5 miles and continue up Mission Creek and not left up Peavine Canyon. Friends and family were making their way from around the globe to Mariposa, where Gerrish and Chung had recently resettled after leaving the rush of San Francisco during the pandemic. There are no restrooms or services. However, temperatures reached a high of 109 degrees Fahrenheit on the day of the hike.

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