Hope remains strong that two friends from Westminster who went missing nearly four weeks ago in the Joshua Tree National Park Area will be found as the search continues.

“We will just keep searching; keep hoping there is a miracle,” said Gilbert Orbeso, father of Joseph Orbeso who disappeared last month along with his friend, Rachel Nguyen.

The pair entered Joshua Tree National Park at 6:45 a.m. on July 27, park officials said, and were reported missing the next day when they missed their checkout time at the place they had been staying nearby.

Their belongings were still in their room when the property owner checked, park spokesman George Land said.

CATCH UP: Dad joins search for missing son, friend

Their car was found parked near the Maze Loop trailhead on July 28, where a large poster with their photos and information about them now greets hikers.

Since they were reported missing, Gilbert Orbeso has been joining Joshua Tree National Park Search and Rescue – JOSAR – and other agencies in scouring the area, hiking in extreme heat and humidity, for any clues of the couple’s whereabouts.

On Saturday, he, family and friends spent five hours hiking with a JOSAR member, starting in the Covington Flats area to go through Smith Water Canyon – some of which had not been searched before. The area is mountain lion territory and has steep, slippery rock climbs, narrow paths and a mix of vegetation, he said.

“It was good for me … to look at this place and search,” he said, leaving no stone unturned in his hunt for his 21-year-old son and Nguyen, 20.

MORE: Search continues for another couple missing for three months

Other JOSAR members, with canines, focused on Smith Water Canyon. Officials say the last ping from Joseph Orbeso’s phone was recorded, at 4 p.m. July 27 in a triangulated area around the canyon, Orbeso said.

Hike after hike in the days since have turned up no trace of the missing pair. Saturday was no different.

“It’s very frustrating, disappointing,” Orbeso said, adding he will be back in the park on Saturday with the search and rescue teams.

“I want to keep searching. I want to keep looking,” he said.

While scaled back from the initial multi-agency air and ground searches, Joshua Tree search and rescue officials have vowed that they would continue to scour the area for the two.

Anyone with information about the missing friends should call the San Bernardino dispatch center at (909) 383-5652.