by sparrowhawk

In the morning of October 21, 1996, Death Valley National Park (DVNP) Ranger Dave Brenner was aboard a military helicopter somewhere in the skies over the southerly part of Death Valley. He was part of a routine aerial surveillance looking for clandestine drug manufacturing labs in the backcountry. Around 11 AM, he saw something unexpected: A vehicle in the wash of Anvil Canyon, approximately 2.4 miles downstream from Willow Spring, the head of Anvil Canyon. This was extremely odd for several reasons.

In 1996, a family of German tourists disappeared while traveling through Death Valley, California. This first-hand account describes one man's search to discover what happened to them.

I've seen this one discussed several times on Reddit, so I thought I'd share it here as well. It contains a fascinating description of the search-and-rescue process in remote areas, some excellent amateur detective work, and a very real sense of how easy it is to find yourself in a survival situation.