The latest twist in the story is that there was a “locked” gate on the road. Trouble is, somebody cut the lock.
Ultimately, the fault was his own, though. Just bad judgement. How many of you would have continued driving up a remote mountain road like that? According to the story, they were 15 miles off of Bear Camp Road. I drive a capable 4WD vehicle, and I’ve turned around several times when it became obvious that the road ahead was venturing into terra incognito. To be so unaware and so unprepared is a recipe for disaster.