GPS Joe Vanished Whilst On a Hike
We’ve preserved GPS Joe’s domain name for posterity. We also combed through the internet to salvage as many of his photos as possible—images he uploaded for others to enjoy. The last pictures he ever posted were from Timpanogos Peak in Utah, taken on September 23rd, 2010.
Just weeks later, on November 15th, 2010, Joe was reported missing.
GPS Joe—real name Joe Domin—was a popular, active hiker. Retired, he spent much of his time exploring trails across the Southwest and uploading his photos to the now‑defunct Webshots website. His online presence made him well‑known in the Arizona hiking community.
Joe was last heard from on November 7th, 2010. It’s believed he set out to hike the Mount Peeley Trail. His vehicle was later found at the Mount Peeley trailhead.
GPS Joe Vanished
Joe had originally planned to hike with a group, but when they couldn’t make it, he went alone. He left no itinerary, no route plan, and no expected return time.
By the time anyone realised he was missing, he had already been gone eight days.
Eight days. That’s an extraordinary amount of time for someone to be unaccounted for in the wilderness.
On November 16th, the search began. Initial efforts included:
- 12 search and rescue members
- a helicopter
- two canine units
They searched the trail to Mount Peeley Summit and the surrounding terrain. Joe was known to hike off‑trail, which made the search area exponentially larger.
From November 19th to 21st, the hiking community mobilised. Joe was a familiar name on HikeArizona and ArizonaHikers forums, and dozens of volunteers wanted to help.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Mountain Rescue / Central Arizona Mountain Rescue Association issued a warning:
Untrained searchers could destroy evidence, get injured, or interfere with helicopter access. If you find him, do not touch him or his equipment. Mark the location with GPS and wait for deputies.
Despite the community effort, no clues were found.
After five days, the official search ended. Unofficial searches continued for months. Nothing surfaced.
12 Years & Nothing
As of today, more than 12 years have passed. Not a single trace of Joe has ever been found.
The last photos he uploaded were taken with an Olympus E‑PL1. The metadata shows:
- f/4.0
- 1/60 sec
- 9.0 mm focal length
- pattern metering
- 1800×1200 resolution
That camera is still out there somewhere. So are his shoes, his clothes, his pack, and his remains.
Joe was 68 years old. The most likely scenario is a medical emergency or an off‑trail accident. Once you leave the trail in that region, the brush becomes dense, tangled, and unforgiving. A fall or collapse could easily go unseen.
And yet—twelve years, countless searches, and nothing?
That’s the part that lingers.
Only a small number of GPSJoe's picutres are displayed. The rest are safe and we're working on a gallery for GPSJoe.