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Found Joshua Tree hiker fell 20 ft, buried self in sand while missing

Published March 16, 2018 4:50 PM

KESQ and CBS Local 2 are learning new details about Paul Hanks, the missing hiker found Thursday afternoon at Joshua Tree National Park.

Hanks had been missing for four days at the park after going hiking at the Maze Loop Trail Sunday afternoon.

READ: Missing hiker found conscious in Joshua Tree National Park

According to Hanks’s son-in-law, he suffered a fractured skull and broken ankle after falling 20 feet. He said Hanks talked about burying himself in the sand to keep him warm, and using rainwater to keep himself hydrated. He is expected to make a full recovery.

“His family told us he’s in very good physical condition, and he’s a frequent visitor to the park. So that’s one thing in his favor. and comes up here quite regularly,” said George Land, the Public Information Officer of Joshua Tree National Park.

In October the Maze Loop served as the center for another missing hiker investigation. Rachel Nguyen and Joseph Orbeso initially went missing in Joshua Tree National Park in late July of 2017. Nearly 3 months later, their bodies were found north of the Maze Loop Trail.

Hanks’s son-in-law also said he was found exactly six months after the remains of Orbeso and Nguyen were found.

However, Land pointed out some key differences between the two similarly-situated cases.

“The scenario’s very different than the Orbeso and Nguyen case. Both in the knowledge of the park, in age, and the conditions. There, we were dealing with extreme heat. Now, we’re dealing with not extreme cold, but cold that combined with the rain can be just as dangerous.”