George Penca Missing on the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail
George Penca, age 30, from Hawthorne, California, vanished on June 17th, 2011 while hiking with a group from his church in Yosemite National Park.
The group of twenty hiked the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, one of the oldest and steepest routes in the park, built between 1873 and 1877. The trail climbs 2,425 feet above the valley floor, beginning near Camp 4 and rising quickly above the treeline with sweeping views of Yosemite Valley.
When the group reached the top, they dispersed with the plan to descend at their own pace.
George never made it down.
He was described as:
- 5'11", 230 lbs
- white male
- blue eyes, brown hair
- carrying a blue cloth bag with food and water
No one realised he was missing until 9 PM. His friends assumed he had already returned to the valley.
Search for George Penca
The initial search on the night of June 17th found no trace of George.
On June 18th, the search expanded dramatically, involving:
- 105 search and rescue personnel
- A helicopter
- Six dog teams
Teams came from:
- Yosemite National Park
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon
- Mono County
- Marin County
- Inyo County
- Fresno County
- Tuolumne County
- China Lake
- Los Angeles County
- Nevada County
- Sierra Madre
- Mariposa County
- California Explorer Search & Rescue
Despite the scale of the operation, no clues were found.
On June 23rd, the search transitioned to a limited‑continuous status. George Penca remains missing.
Vanished.us Says
This case isn’t just strange—it’s empty. No sightings. No gear. No clothing. No remains. Nothing.
A few things stand out:
1. Point of separation
Like so many disappearances, George was last seen when the group split up. Once he was alone, whatever happened occurred quickly and silently.
2. Weather
Temperatures around 40°F are survivable for days, especially with food and water. Exposure alone doesn’t explain the complete lack of evidence.
3. No witnesses
No one saw George on the descent. No one saw him above the falls. No one saw him on the trail. That’s unusual on such a heavily trafficked route.
4. Accident is the most plausible explanation
The terrain around Upper Yosemite Falls is steep, rocky, and unforgiving. A slip in the wrong place could send someone into a chute, crevice, or drainage where remains are extremely difficult to locate.
If George fell into one of the deep, inaccessible ravines or was swept into the watercourse, his body and bag could be hidden indefinitely.
5. The “portal” idea
People bring this up because the case is so clean—no evidence, no noise, no trace. But there’s no need to invoke anything supernatural when Yosemite’s terrain already hides people frighteningly well. George was described as 5'11, 230 Ibs, a white male with blue eyes and brown hair and carrying a blue cloth bag with some food and water. Nobody noticed that George was missing until 9 PM on the 17th of June 2011. His friends assumed he'd already walked back down the trail. When it was noticed that George was missing, an initial search was launched.
Search For George Penca
The initial search on the evening of June 17th 2011, turned up no clues as to where George Penca was. On Saturday, June 18t,h a larger search was arranged involving 105 search and rescue personnel, a helicopter and six dog teams. Teams from Yosemite National Park Search and Rescue, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Mono County, Marin County, Inyo County, Fresno County, Tuolumne County, China Lake, Los Angeles County, Nevada County, Sierra Madre, Yosemite Search and Rescue Dog Teams, Mariposa County, and California Explorer Search and Rescue joined the search. On June 23rd 2011, the search for George was transitioned to a limited continuous search. Nothing was ever found of Georg,e and he remains missing today.
Thoughts
This is one of those cases which isn't just strange. It's weird. People do Vanish. We have documented this many times. In George's case, it's unlikely to be Murder. He was with a group from a Church. There is a point of separation, a common theme in missing person cases and they just vanished. The weather at the time of George's disappearance was 40F. Not cold, and you could survive in that temperature for days. He had some limited water and food. The fact he's never been found and no one has come forward to say they saw George on the trail or above the falls suggests an accident. Wherever his body is, his bag will be nearby. The only other possible reason could be some type of porta,l but that is quite far out there. What do you think happened to George Penca? Do you have any weird experiences in Yosemite?