I believe but can not prove the last camp was made because the group did not want to be thought of as failures beaten back by weather. The diaries give me the sense the the group was individually and collectively strong willed. Nobody was going to whine about rough weather because there was no reason to whine. It was a winter excursion.. Forester Rempel warned Igor about the inadvisability of taking the route to Ortoten. The group had a timetable to keep, so they went. It was just some rough weather. The group diary says as much. They pushed against the weather because it was their choice, a challenge, reward and there was a deadline. Zolo perhaps was not interested in a challenge as much as the reward of certification. Photos showed him being pleasant. I believe he needed work Opportunity and timing got him on the hike. He apparently did not pay anyone off to get a spot in the group. They thought they could overcome bad weather as evidenced by their last camp site. .After all they did get up the Auspya valley by trail blazing deep snow. It would make for a good drinking story later on at home, or with cigarettes and coffee if you prefer. Some smoked.
Yes, they took time to pitch the tent and by all indications were ready to settle in for the night. Nobody helped them in or out. Footprints, or lack thereof suggest they did not have outside help or interference two or four legged with their tent. Having taken off heavy ski pants leads me to believe they were getting ready for bed. Perhaps Russians sleep in their ski pants, I don't know. The unknown compelling force or snow slide, as I prefer to call it.collapsed the tent and broke some supports. That is what the rescuer photos reveal. I suppose in the dark, the damage and concern about an actual avalanche motivated them to leave. They did leave the tent. Nine sets of footprints going downhill. Was that better than staying? I don't know but It is exactly what they did. I can only guess that their hike to the woods, equipped as they were, was enacted from a combination of things. One thing is they may have misjudged the distance, or maybe they were just better at estimating distances than I am.. Another thing is that bad weather eventually improves. Was the weather bad? The buildup in the ravine and the scouring around the raised footprints suggest it. The storm that is Jupiter's red spot is 300 years old, according to records.It had a beginning and someday it will end. Waiting for the weather improvement at the tent did not happen for the DP9. Yet another motivation is that there was no alternative place to go or practical way to make the camp repairs until conditions improved. How can I say this? I say it because they were experienced but they did not do go to Boot Rock, their cache nor did they stitch up the tent. Were they scared off? By what? These were adults, one much more experienced. Can you be afraid of the weather? Making a fire and getting out of the wind is sensible. Doing that just outside the collapsed tent would be hard, I think.They had what they needed for a short hop to the woods and back by breakfast the next day. They had non slip valenkis, matches, big knives, a light and body coveriings. They could scrounge up firewood, dry off any wet clothes and wait it out. That is exactly what they did. They could shelter in a ravine. They did that too. They could try to return to the tent. So they did. Nature wasn't so obliging. A fatalist would claim it was their pre ordained destiny. Humans are imaginative. One form of it is called hope or wishful thinking. Calculative reasoning is another. I've tried both. I would,say that anyone who stays calm in a crisis just does not know all the facts. I've done that too. Some people will want to relive the experience to prove a point. That happens on occasion at Dyatlov Pass. I trust they act responsibly and report truthfully.
Topic: What would histology tell us? (Read 370 times)