Found Deceased Spain - Esther Dingley, from UK, missing in the Pyrenees, November 2020 #5

[capitola51]

Thanks @capitola51. What a beautiful day. And I loved the goats. All familiar images. We've studied this trek ad nauseam. And be careful interpreting the lake images. Two lakes are filmed.

The lake by the refuge is much more shallow and smaller than Boum de Vanesque under the backside of Pic de Sauvegarde. Boum de Vanesque is 46m or 151 feet deep. That is a mighty deep lake. If ED fell into the lake from the top of pic de sauvegarde or from the scree fields surrounding the lake, or committed suicide by walking or swimming into the lake and drowning, she could be lying in peace far below the visibility of a surface drone or from the edge of the lake.

Boums de Venasque - Bagnères de Luchon

146 feet! Wow. I found this french language web site ( Boums de Venasque - Bagnères de Luchon ) here is a partial translation:
“One of the high places of Pyrenean tourism since the beginning of the 19th century ... There were also many deaths during the long periods of snowfall, at the Trou des Chaudronniers of course (the "anecdote" is quite famous) but especially of falls in the Ravin du Culet. These dead were not tourists but people from the Spanish or French valleys who passed to trade through this port, one of the main places of passage between Aragon and France after Somport. The corpses were discovered when the snow melted, that is to say with the accumulations, in June or even July, at the height of the tourist season. ”
Anyway the site has some decent pics of the lakes.

 

[RedHaus]

146 feet! Wow. I found this french language web site ( Boums de Venasque - Bagnères de Luchon ) here is a partial translation:
“One of the high places of Pyrenean tourism since the beginning of the 19th century ... There were also many deaths during the long periods of snowfall, at the Trou des Chaudronniers of course (the "anecdote" is quite famous) but especially of falls in the Ravin du Culet. These dead were not tourists but people from the Spanish or French valleys who passed to trade through this port, one of the main places of passage between Aragon and France after Somport. The corpses were discovered when the snow melted, that is to say with the accumulations, in June or even July, at the height of the tourist season. ”
Anyway the site has some decent pics of the lakes.

Yup, that is the same link I cited above. But your quote took me back to our Thread #2, page 15. Check it out. There @otto cited the same link we did on this page. But our focus in that 24/12 discussion was the Ravin de Culet. Otto suggested a location of that cave with an open top - between the refuge and switchbacks up/down to the hospice de France. He and others here hypothesized that ED could have hiked past the refuge on 22/11 at dusk and possibly fell into the Ravin de Culet by accident and disappeared. I still contemplate that scenario, so thanks for inadvertently raising it again. But I'd think that DC and/or SAR would have searched the cave for ED in November or more recently, non?

 

[otto]

Yup, that is the same link I cited above. But your quote took me back to our Thread #2, page 15. Check it out. There @otto cited the same link we did on this page. But our focus in that 24/12 discussion was the Ravin de Culet. Otto suggested a location of that cave with an open top - between the refuge and switchbacks up/down to the hospice de France. He and others here hypothesized that ED could have hiked past the refuge on 22/11 at dusk and possibly fell into the Ravin de Culet by accident and disappeared. I still contemplate that scenario, so thanks for inadvertently raising it again. But I'd think that DC and/or SAR would have searched the cave for ED in November or more recently, non?

From reading recent news reports, it seems that the searches are thorough. I still think it's possible that after arriving at the refuge, perhaps with a little time to spare, she hiked past the refuge to enjoy the views. It sounds like it was her intention to hike the loop back to a different passageway on the border the following day, so hiking around the refuge to enjoy the views might have seemed like the perfect way to end the day. Perhaps she was looking for the perfect spot to set up camp - sleeping under the stars. Moisture on the ground = slippery, dusk = visual deception.

 

[Grouse]

Snipped for focus.
Yes, the dossier and many posters here have a much rosier sense of the terrain than reality. The view shots make it look easy. The trail shots, though.....
Then, look how the shadows work. Stretches of those valleys and the trail are dark.
Look at the narrow, rocky trails. So easy to roll a foot on just one stone.... To trip 'cos it's been a long day.
Consider the temperature (which will also be colder in the shadow); it was below freezing that night.
Consider what happens when you get moisture (e.g. fog) dampening those rocky trails and slabs. You get a thin layer of ice. Often you can't see it. Perhaps you're admiring the view or eager to make it off the mountain. So you step, and.....
Hoar frost blows through all of a sudden, and your world is covered in slippery white stuff....
Consider your balance when you're wearing a pack. You can get upside-down-turtled in a flash. You'd have to undo your sternum strap and try to get your arms out to right yourself. This is much more difficult than you'd imagine when you're at the edge of a cliff. And you let go your pack in the process? Keep tumbling, dragged down by the pack?
Consider you're using trekking poles with your hands through the straps. You're zooming along, and the end of the pole suddenly snags on a rock, a stone, a scraggly bush. Do you know what happens? You suddenly get wrenched around (hikers in the know don't use the straps while hiking for this very reason).
Consider what happens when you don't have lugged boots, and the ones you do have have been worn for a thousand miles or two....
Consider what happens when you're hungry and you don't even have a decent dinner to look forward to.
Consider what happens when you step near one of those little streamlets when darkness is pending. And if you linger because you're out of water and need to resupply?
Consider what happens if you got a bit chilled as shadows moved in, and you didn't want to spend the time to layer up because you felt you had to hustle down...
A thousand risks, a thousand ways to have an accident.

You obviously have an immense and impressive abyss of expertise in hiking, but your assessment of the risks of this particular European terrain does seem kind of at odds with what has been reported elsewhere. DC for example has said that school children walk this route.

 

[10ofRods]

You obviously have an immense abyss of expertise in hiking, but your assessment of the risks of this particular European terrain does seem kind of at odds with what has been reported elsewhere. DC for example has said that school children walk this route.

DC said that European children use a trail with a Via Ferrata?

I believe DC is wrong, if in fact he said that. And if by "school children" we mean kids under 14. Sure, there are places near the beginning where fourth graders could be safe - but the part with the Via Ferrata (shown in a video someone posted, I believe) is unsafe for all but the sure-footed. Some people even clip in.

Thing is - no one knows exactly where Esther was that evening, after her last message. But parts of the proposed route could have been above grade 4.0 (regular walking, walking that school children and old people do).

From reading recent news reports, it seems that the searches are thorough. I still think it's possible that after arriving at the refuge, perhaps with a little time to spare, she hiked past the refuge to enjoy the views. It sounds like it was her intention to hike the loop back to a different passageway on the border the following day, so hiking around the refuge to enjoy the views might have seemed like the perfect way to end the day. Perhaps she was looking for the perfect spot to set up camp - sleeping under the stars. Moisture on the ground = slippery, dusk = visual deception.

I think she would have arrived at the refuge well after dusk. It would have been dark and there are many reasons why she might have spent some time outside (stars are a great reason). But it was still quite dark, and apparently the headlamp she had wasn't among the brightest (and, well, who even turns their headlamp on if they are star-gazing? even those red lights diminish the experience, IMO).

 

[Grouse]

DC said that European children use a trail with a Via Ferrata?

I believe DC is wrong, if in fact he said that. And if by "school children" we mean kids under 14. Sure, there are places near the beginning where fourth graders could be safe - but the part with the Via Ferrata (shown in a video someone posted, I believe) is unsafe for all but the sure-footed. Some people even clip in.

Thing is - no one knows exactly where Esther was that evening, after her last message. But parts of the proposed route could have been above grade 4.0 (regular walking, walking that school children and old people do).



I think she would have arrived at the refuge well after dusk. It would have been dark and there are many reasons why she might have spent some time outside (stars are a great reason). But it was still quite dark, and apparently the headlamp she had wasn't among the brightest (and, well, who even turns their headlamp on if they are star-gazing? even those red lights diminish the experience, IMO).

OK my bad I misremembered (slightly) - just checked now he actually didn't say school children he said "She was simply following paths that children walk with their parents in summer" Esther Dingley: Partner vows to keep searching for missing hiker , though not sure that changes the risk assessment much - whether with parents or with teacher, still presumably less technical routes than being implied.

 

[fridaybaker]

Grouse, I don't think of this route as "technically difficult", as much as just a lot of opportunities for turned ankles, slip and falls, etc., especially if one is under time pressure, which she may have been. I say that only because it was late in the day, and she may have been up against waning light (as has been discussed up thread).

Now, though: Where is she? Unless in the bottom of a lake, it does seem like in the case of a slip and fall she'd be somewhere not too far from the route (assuming all the routes nearby have been searched.) If she crawled somewhere for shelter after such an accident, she can't be far, no? Strange that nothing has been found at all. Apparently, zero trace.

I have a hard time believing in foul play "in the mountains", but perhaps she did get back down to the van and something happened there. Even then, though, wouldn't there be some trace of her belongings? Her tent? Something?

This must be absolutely agonizing for her family.

 

[otto]

While Dan has certainly searched the area thoroughly, he leans towards believing that her disappearance is due to a criminal act. He bases this opinion on the fact that he cannot find her.

He states that during Summer, the trails that Esther hiked are suitable for children, however, he adds that when she was hiking, nearby trails were closed due to Winter conditions. We know that the Refuge was closed due to Winter conditions. My opinion is that he downplays the trail difficulty, and minimizes how much difficulty levels change in Winter conditions. It's as though he is saying that the hike is so easy, it's impossible that she had an accident.

Furthermore, many people, including experienced hikers, have disappeared in that area over the years. Sometimes it takes years for their bodies to be discovered.

It's as though he wants to recreate what might have happened to figure it out. I am reminded of a Dutch film The Vanishing. In the film, the main character does eventually understand what happened to his missing girlfriend, but only by suffering the same fate.

"The question on my mind with every step has been the same: "If she stood here and fell, where would she be?"
​

Esther Dingley: Partner vows to keep searching for missing hiker

 

[RedHaus]

Thing is - no one knows exactly where Esther was that evening, after her last message.

Snipped for focus

Well put @10ofRods.

I recall from our 8 months of WS discussions these 10 most common scenarios of where ED may have gone after her brief 22/11 ~4:10pm video call with DC, based on limited data. These are in no particular order, and they could reflect travel by ED into 23-25/11 as we don't know when she died or disappeared. In my mind these are all viable. And it appears from DC's search map he is exploring a similar set of possibilities. I am not addressing the variety of outcomes associated with these scenarios - just where ED went?

1. Pic de Sauvegarde - ED fell from the summit in a variety of directions

2. Refuge de Vanesque - Not beyond, meaning she lies deep in a lake.

3. Hospice de France after staying at Refuge de Vanesque OR bivouacing. And note there is a parking lot there.

4. Bagneres du Luchon or Toulouse via Hospice de France (her "alt route" as recalled by the elder hiker who gave her a ride 21/11)

5. Port de la Glere - either via Hospice de France ("planned loop") or a sketchy trail above Boum de Vanesque and past several other lakes (direct route).

6. Parking lot near Hospital de Banasque (hotel) where she was dropped off 21/11 by elder hiker.

7. Cabane de la Busertas - back to where DC reports ED stayed 21/11 (where there is also a parking lot)

8. Camper Van - either late 22/11 or perhaps 23/11 after staying at Cabane de la Busertas or Cabane du Cirque de la Glere.

9. Maledeta Glacier - perhaps after staying at the Cabane de la Busertas 22/11

10. Anywhere in Spain or France or UK or Denmark if ED got a ride from her van or from the parking lots near Hospital de Banasque, Cabane de la Busertas or Hospice de France.

That is a very wide net of possible routes and / or destinations. Hence the incredible challenge for LE, SAR, and DC. And why we may never know.

 

[capitola51]

While Dan has certainly searched the area thoroughly, he leans towards believing that her disappearance is due to a criminal act. He bases this opinion on the fact that he cannot find her.

He states that during Summer, the trails that Esther hiked are suitable for children, however, he adds that when she was hiking, nearby trails were closed due to Winter conditions. We know that the Refuge was closed due to Winter conditions. My opinion is that he downplays the trail difficulty, and minimizes how much difficulty levels change in Winter conditions. It's as though he is saying that the hike is so easy, it's impossible that she had an accident.

Furthermore, many people, including experienced hikers, have disappeared in that area over the years. Sometimes it takes years for their bodies to be discovered.

It's as though he wants to recreate what might have happened to figure it out. I am reminded of a Dutch film The Vanishing. In the film, the main character does eventually understand what happened to his missing girlfriend, but only by suffering the same fate.

"The question on my mind with every step has been the same: "If she stood here and fell, where would she be?"
​

Esther Dingley: Partner vows to keep searching for missing hiker

It was not easy to find weather data for Sunday November 22nd, 2020, I guess I just don’t have the search terms, but I turned this up:
Ossun, France Weather History | Weather Underground
Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees airport is a ways off and at an elevation of 1,259ft / 384m on the French side, but we can possibly build some kind of approximate picture about what was going on at ED’s last known location, altitude 7667ft / 2337m and 46 miles / 75 km to the South West.
At 4:30 pm local time the airport weather station was reading these numbers:
Temp 59 F
Precipitation: zero
Wind: 7 mph from WNW
But look what happens at 6pm:
Temp: 55 F
Wind: 3mph from W
The wind continues to swing until by 7pm it is 7mph from SSW
I note that according to the dossier, there was poor weather on the Friday, 20/11
Switching to Ventusky and plugging in the same date (11/22/2020) I see that the temperature at at Lourdes is 41 F while at Port Venasque it is 39 F at 5pm but I don't know how much of that is averaging.
Ventusky - Weather Forecast Maps
I changed the selector from temperature to wind speed at 3000m
Ventusky - Weather Forecast Maps
and you can see how the wind is going West to East.
Well that’s the data.
MOO is that we shouldn’t completely discount the weather on 22/11 WRT a potential fall or other accident - late in the day, wind changing, low sun and moon, temperature dropping - note the change between 6pm and 6:30 pm. At over 7000 feet that would have been brutal. I would concur with you that I think the characterizations of a safe sunny path and an easy hike might not accurately reflect the local conditions on 22/11/2020.

 

[otto]

It was not easy to find weather data for Sunday November 22nd, 2020, I guess I just don’t have the search terms, but I turned this up:
Ossun, France Weather History | Weather Underground
Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees airport is a ways off and at an elevation of 1,259ft / 384m on the French side, but we can possibly build some kind of approximate picture about what was going on at ED’s last known location, altitude 7667ft / 2337m and 46 miles / 75 km to the South West.
At 4:30 pm local time the airport weather station was reading these numbers:
Temp 59 F
Precipitation: zero
Wind: 7 mph from WNW
But look what happens at 6pm:
Temp: 55 F
Wind: 3mph from W
The wind continues to swing until by 7pm it is 7mph from SSW
I note that according to the dossier, there was poor weather on the Friday, 20/11
Switching to Ventusky and plugging in the same date (11/22/2020) I see that the temperature at at Lourdes is 41 F while at Port Venasque it is 39 F at 5pm but I don't know how much of that is averaging.
Ventusky - Weather Forecast Maps
I changed the selector from temperature to wind speed at 3000m
Ventusky - Weather Forecast Maps
and you can see how the wind is going West to East.
Well that’s the data.
MOO is that we shouldn’t completely discount the weather on 22/11 WRT a potential fall or other accident - late in the day, wind changing, low sun and moon, temperature dropping - note the change between 6pm and 6:30 pm. At over 7000 feet that would have been brutal. I would concur with you that I think the characterizations of a safe sunny path and an easy hike might not accurately reflect the local conditions on 22/11/2020.

Thank you for gathering that information! It provides a different perspective on the conditions on the mountain around the time that Dingley was solo hiking. Wind gusts, while wearing her heavy pack (comment from other hiker), could have made the trail more treacherous.

There is also the added concern that she may not have had enough provisions for her hike given that she asked another hiker for some sort of food while she was hiking to the summit. Even a minor dizzy spell could be disastrous at the wrong moment.

I think we have to take Esther at her word. After leaving the summit, she hiked towards the Refuge to Venasque. Although there is no wifi between the summit and the Refuge, there is wifi down the trail shortly after leaving the refuge. Since she did not connect with Dan after having wifi, it suggests that she vanished between the summit and the area around the refuge.

I know that she didn't always keep in touch with Dan, even when she seemed to have wifi, but it would have been a good time for her to let him know where she was, and that she was starting the loop to the Port de la Glare. I would hope that if she made it as far as the Port de la Glare, she would have contacted him.

Although Dan has hiked all over the mountains looking for her, sticking closer to the planned trail is probably where he will find the answers.

 

[RickshawFan]

You obviously have an immense and impressive abyss of expertise in hiking, but your assessment of the risks of this particular European terrain does seem kind of at odds with what has been reported elsewhere. DC for example has said that school children walk this route.

I was referring to the video from a previous poster whom I was referencing.

Of course, school children can hike that route! I'm sure there are plenty of even 5-year-old Pyreneeans who could practically scamper up it. You'd expect them to be supervised, but yes. Indeed, they might be able to hike it more safely than adults, since their center of gravity is lower, tend to be quicker on their feet, and don't fall as hard because they're lighter.

And naturally, they wouldn't be out there hiking in November, at night when the nights are frigid, with no food, during an isolation period, solo, etc. etc.

Pyreneean children notwithstanding, many of the accidents I referred to ^^^^ could happen in your county park.

The dossier is a lengthy piece that has a strong and particular point of view in most every sentence. IMO, like any document, it shouldn't be construed without accounting for bias. For instance, the reference to schoolchildren in the dossier, in context, appears to be an attempt to minimize the dangers of the trip, when the risks of ED's particular trip were, in fact, very high.

I learned to hike in Europe as a child, by the way. Very similar terrain to this area of the Pyrenees.

 

[otto]

Crowd Sourcing is an excellent resource in most situations. I'm curious - what if there was a map with numbered locations, and a voting option for first, second third most likely location ... whether that would help pinpoint where she is.

Not a random pin the tail on the donkey sort of location, but rather : knowing the terrain and news reports, where would be the most likely place where she vanished in the mountains?

I could do a map and a poll to select most likely locations one, two and three. Could crowd sourcing play a role in locating missing persons?

Perhaps we could test the theory here. If you had to choose locations where she had a mishap and vanished, what are choices 1, 2 and 3?

Me:

1. Summit; she went a bit too far to the left and slipped
2. Just past the Refuge de Venasque on the trail heading to the loop
3. climbing the switchbacks to the Port de la Glere

 

[otto]

146 feet! Wow. I found this french language web site ( Boums de Venasque - Bagnères de Luchon ) here is a partial translation:
“One of the high places of Pyrenean tourism since the beginning of the 19th century ... There were also many deaths during the long periods of snowfall, at the Trou des Chaudronniers of course (the "anecdote" is quite famous) but especially of falls in the Ravin du Culet. These dead were not tourists but people from the Spanish or French valleys who passed to trade through this port, one of the main places of passage between Aragon and France after Somport. The corpses were discovered when the snow melted, that is to say with the accumulations, in June or even July, at the height of the tourist season. ”
Anyway the site has some decent pics of the lakes.

News articles point out that Dingley has not surfaced in the lake beneath the summit, claiming that drones cannot see her on or below the surface. With a depth of 150 feet, and a heavy back pack, how long would it take her to surface? She vanished in November, so she would be perfectly preserved under the frozen lake. In the Summer melt, would she warm up enough for a bone to surface, or would she be frozen for a few years before there is evidence?

What did her pack weigh again? That info was available in the Dan missing person dosier? How much did she weigh? Just curious.

 

[Steve13]

Crowd Sourcing is an excellent resource in most situations. I'm curious - what if there was a map with numbered locations, and a voting option for first, second third most likely location ... whether that would help pinpoint where she is.

Not a random pin the tail on the donkey sort of location, but rather : knowing the terrain and news reports, where would be the most likely place where she vanished in the mountains?

I could do a map and a poll to select most likely locations one, two and three. Could crowd sourcing play a role in locating missing persons?

Perhaps we could test the theory here. If you had to choose locations where she had a mishap and vanished, what are choices 1, 2 and 3?

Me:

1. Summit; she went a bit too far to the left and slipped
2. Just past the Refuge de Venasque on the trail heading to the loop
3. climbing the switchbacks to the Port de la Glere

I'd choose 4. A 'mishap' in the van.

 

[Steve13]

First time commenting here! I think the explanation for her disappearance is more likely to be mundane rather than some of the far fetched suggestions I've read elsewhere but anything is possible... I think it's likely she fell and hasn't been found yet. From the conversation Esther had with the woman on the mountain, breaking up with DC was on her mind. He doesn't seem to be taking that conversation into account because she sent him loving messages. That's part of the process breaking up from a long term partner. It doesn't make him suspicious in my view.

Hmmm. That's absolutely wise and astute. If your partner hasn't disappeared without trace and the cops haven't asked you directly about the state of your relationship in view of the hiker's evidence (i.e. it is literally legal evidence).

 

[otto]

I'd choose 4. A 'mishap' in the van.

How did she get from the Summit to the van when the plan was to hike to Refuge de Venasque - but there's no evidence that she arrived?

 

[RedHaus]

How did she get from the Summit to the van when the plan was to hike to Refuge de Venasque - but there's no evidence that she arrived?

Hi @otto, nice to see you posting again.

You and I have been aligned on many sleuthing adventures with this case. But one area we diverge in our thinking is what I'd call, suspending the 'reality' ED and perhaps DC has painted for others. We largely know about ED's intended route on 21-24/11 from DC and perhaps her Father who she also spoke to before embarking on 21/11, IIRC. And there was at least one mention in MSM that ED recorded her trip with 'authorities'. But I don't think that has been repeated or confirmed. So ED's planned route was in essence what ED told others - what she wanted them to know. There is a good possibility that route was her true intent and perhaps even her actual path.

However, I posit that humans are unpredictable animals. Even if we set off for an intended route, we may be sidelined or simply change our mind and go a different way. Or we have the capacity to intentionally mislead others if we think it is in our best interest to do so. Just because ED told others of her intended 3-4 day trek, I believe it is reasonable for any searcher, law enforcement officer, sleuther or even family member, to question whether she followed through on her intent and how far she traveled.

To that point, on day one (21/11) of her last trek, ED appeared to diverge from her intended route by staying the night at Cabane de la Besurtas after summiting pic de Sauvegarde. She summited early on 21/11, at about 1pm, IIRC. So why she stayed at a trailhead, near a parking lot and not at Refuge de Vanesque, Cabane du Cirque de la Glere, or Hospice de France is a mystery. She certainly had plenty of time for a safe trek that afternoon to any of those three refuges on her intended route.

We also know ED may have been low on provisions, given her recent past hiking experience (as recalled by LA, the gal she stayed with at a refuge) and her request for fruit or something fresh from the Olympic skier she encountered on her way up Sauvegarde on 22/11. So perhaps she realized she was unprepared and opted to retreat down back to the Cabane she stayed 21/11 or perhaps even her van to stock up. Or perhaps she felt unwell while descending from the summit after 4:10pm (e.g. Covid symptoms, menstrual cramps, food poisoning, emotionally upset, etc.) and decided not to continue on her trek. Recall there was no cell service as she descended from the summit and there was no cell service at the Cabane de la Besurtas. So if she had changed her mind, ED could not have notified anyone until she got closer to Banasque (8-9 miles away) and her van. And what if, as many have postulated here, ED was orchestrating a voluntary disappearance - her stated itinerary could have been a ruse.

So given all that, and the full intent of sleuthing being the analysis of all available data from many different angles and permutations, I go back to my "10 common possible scenarios of ED's path" (#490). Many here believe ED never made it over the Port de Vanesque on 22/11. I think it is that suspension of 'reality' that might lead a fellow sleuther to reasonably consider the possibility ED ended up at her van either 22/11 or 23/11 and perhaps did so by hitching a ride with someone from a parking lot.

That said, I think we may never know where ED actually ended up given, IMO, the likelihood she diverted from her original itinerary and perhaps significantly.

 

[capitola51]

News articles point out that Dingley has not surfaced in the lake beneath the summit, claiming that drones cannot see her on or below the surface. With a depth of 150 feet, and a heavy back pack, how long would it take her to surface? She vanished in November, so she would be perfectly preserved under the frozen lake. In the Summer melt, would she warm up enough for a bone to surface, or would she be frozen for a few years before there is evidence?

What did her pack weigh again? That info was available in the Dan missing person dosier? How much did she weigh? Just curious.

From the dossier (https://42cc80b7-be3b-41e3-a85b-18b...d/4addd9_d8c55b489c6f445b96d6324dd882f5a1.pdf)
“Equipment base weight before food and water: approximately 8 kilograms”
The gory details of why corpses float: https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/why-do-corpses-float.html
Lake Tahoe is a large lake at 7000 feet altitude in the Sierras, known for its clarity. We can reference from it as a local university performs regular inspections so we have good data. How far down can you see in Lake Tahoe? How far down can you see in Lake Tahoe?

 

[Ruthbullock]

Whilst many still surmise she could be in the middle of a very deep lake, this is only believed possible if she fell from a height and momentum kept her going. It’s the one area I wish they would go and search well and discount. My gut feeling is though, if she fell from high enough to keep rolling deep enough- there would be some evidence of her torn clothing, torn rucksack, items from her rucksack that would be visible, or at least something that would have floated to the surface. To me it’s more plausible she fell between rocks, whilst the lake is deep, it’s not a dramatic drop into a deep lake, this can be seen in lots of the photographs, the edges are much shallower and would provide a force to reduce momentum quite quickly once you hit the water.