Here is a similar, but map-based story. In June of 2009 we were in Death Valley at the Thorndike CG (located between the "bee hive" kilns and Mahogany Flats CG) in Wild Rose Cyn. An aging couple from Great Britain in a rented Hyundai sedan were on their way from Las Vegas to San Francisco and decided to detour through DV. When leaving the Valley on Hwy. 190 they misread their map, made a wrong turn, and ended up in Wild Rose Cyn. Confident that they were heading in the right direction, they ignored the first sign that says "High Clearance Vehicles Recommended." Still certain that they were on a road that would ultimately lead them to San Francisco, they continued on past the second sign that reads "High Clearance Vehicles Required." When you get to the kilns the road begins a steep ascent up to the Mahogany Flat CG (situated at approx. 8,000 foot elevation) and there is a sign stating "Four Wheel Drive Required Beyond This Point," but on they went. Here, the road deteriorates greatly and it is a loose, rocky climb to the top. Undaunted by the challenge, and still believing that the highway to SF must be coming up pretty soon, they moved a few hundred yards forward before they ran out of gas! Some campers from Mahogany, who were descending picked them up and drove the husband to the visitor's center in search of a ranger. Sometime after dark an NPS Ranger brought them back, put five gallons of gas in the Hyundai, and helped them navigate it off of the mountain. He then followed the couple to the Panamint Springs Resort where they got a room for the night. While this was not a life threatening situation, as there were people at both of the campgrounds to help them, it did speak to the stubbornness of some humans. The entire time that the ranger was "rescuing" them, the wife was loudly complained that the map was faulty and the Park Service had "ruined their holiday!" Sorry for such a long post.
