The search for a 21-year-old hiker and YouTuber stretched to a full month yesterday, after the influencer vanished atop a mountain in California.
Joseph Brambila was last seen on the towering Mount Whitney on November 11, just two days after his 21st birthday.
A fellow hiker named Luis Buenrostro told The Los Angeles Times about meeting Brambila on the day of his disappearance. The now-missing 21-year-old told his friend he was planning to take a "shortcut.”
Buenrostro assumed that this meant Brambila was preparing to slide down the mountain in a practice known as glissading.
Days later, Brambila was reported missing by his family after he failed to return home on time.
The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office told the LA Times that a desperate search followed, but that harsh weather conditions have disrupted rescue efforts.
“Heavy snow from the last two storms has made conditions extremely hazardous,” Lindsey Stine, an ICSO spokesperson, said. “The terrain is icy and unstable, and attempting a summit or any search in these conditions is very dangerous.”
She also claimed that another search could be imminent, but warned that “recovery may not be feasible until the snow and ice begin to melt.”
There has been no sign of Brambila since he vanished, although a rescue charity, the Fowler-O’Sullivan Foundation, has joined the search. In a post on Facebook, the charity claimed that other hikers had reported seeing a body on the mountain.
However, that body has also yet to be found.
Cathy Tarr, the charity’s founder, claims that she believes the body was Brambila.
“When we help search for missing hikers, it’s normal for any family to not believe the situation they’re in,” she told SFGATE.
“Every family wants the answer, but doesn’t want the answer at the same time. In my opinion, there’s a 99.9% chance that that’s Joseph. That’s tough to hear — but if that’s not him, we may never get answers.”
In a video posted to his YouTube account, Brambila said that he had attempted to climb Mount Whitney four times. During one attempt, his mother insisted on climbing with him.
During the video, he tapped each item on his checklist and said “nope, nope, nope, nope,” to each. Those items included a first aid kit, a map, a compass, a headlamp, and an emergency blanket.
“So I think we’re pretty qualified for the hike,” he joked as he headed up the mountain.
Buenrostro told the LA Times that he understood why the hiker kept trying to reach the summit, even though he was often unprepared.
“I understand, sometimes we go out there without all the right gear,” he said. “But a lot of the time, we’re saving up for the proper gear.”
He added that the pair bonded over being Latino and over being judged by wealthier climbers.
However, Darlene Molina, Brambila’s girlfriend, told SFGATE that her boyfriend was better prepared when he began his climb on November 11.
Molina claimed that he took an ice axe, military rations, and a heavy-duty tent on his journey. However, she said her partner often turned his phone off while climbing.
“He loves disconnecting from the world and spending time with himself in nature,” Molina said. “He has told his friends that he’ll turn his phone off during hikes but is always recording and talking to himself for vlogs.”
The Independent has contacted the ICSO for further comment.
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