Keith Reinhard was working as a sports reporter at the Daily Herald in Chicago in 1988 when he announced he’d be taking a 90-day sabbatical.

Barnes was a resident of Cucamonga, California in 1988. He left Tenaya Lakes near Highway 120 east of Tioga Road in California at approximately 9:00 a.m. on July 5, 1988. Barnes planned to hike from the Murphy Creek Trailhead to Polly Dome Lakes in Yosemite National Park, which are located approximately three miles from Tenaya Lakes.