In the wild, what happened at david gulch?

Davis Gulch exists as a deep, twisting gash in the slickrock, narrow enough in places to spit across, lined by overhanging sandstone walls that bar access to the canyon floor. Like McCandless, Ruess was very romantic, heedless of his personal safety, and undeterred by physical discomfort. He also changed his name, repeatedly, while journeying, finally etching “NEMO” into the sandstone at Davis Gulch twice, before disappearing forever at the age of twenty. His burros and their gear were found, but nothing else, and it is widely believed that he fell to his death while climbing on some canyon wall. Some, however, believe he just chose to disappear, and lived the rest of his life under a pseudonym. Ken Sleight, an expert on him, believes he drowned trying to swim across the San Juan River.