When a tree falls in the forest...

[Jacques-Emile]

Siberia is a heavily forested region.  One of the peculiarities of forests across the planet is the preponderance, the ubiquitous presence of trees. 

When left to their own devices, before humans developed a fascination for trees, the life-cycle of a tree is known in three parts:  begin from a seed, grow tall, fall down.  Although this part of the topic may seem boring to many, the presence of trees in a forest should draw our attention.

[Jacques-Emile]

At the risk of boring our non-arborealists, I offer an illustration of the process here.
One critical factor has been left out of the process, which is gravity.  Gravity is the principal factor in turning vertical dead trees (snags) into horizontal dead trees (logs.)  Although this process is rather infrequent, and represents an eyeblink in the existence of the tree, it is extremely unwise to stand under a snag, especially one which has broken from its degraded roots and leans rather ominously, supported only by the chance presence of limbs of a neighboring tree which supports its weight.  Humans who do not perceive the danger of standing under a snag, especially when there is a clear path to the ground upon which they stand, might avoid the forest and stick to regions more amenable to recreation.

So what else can cause a tree to fall?  Certainly, a tree which has been infested such as with borer beetles is at risk of suddenly failing, even in a gentle wind, and plunging onto the ground without warning.  Even purely healthy trees can be blown down by a hurricane, although their fall is surprisingly gentle - much of the energy taken up is in the tearing of the vast root system out of the ground, which modulates the energy of the fall.

Finally, there is felling trees, which is a notoriously dangerous and lethal enterprise.  When one fells a tree, there is a danger at the TOP of the tree, which whips down at great velocity and can smash an unwary comrade forester.  But the greatest danger lies at the base, for when a tree fall, it falls upon the branches, which act as massive springs to store the energy of its fall.  Also too, the base of the tree often lifts off the ground to 1-2 meters, which is important in the matter.  Upon the tree coming to rest, it suddenly recoils from the vast energy in the branch-springs, and thrusts rapidly axially, making the sawn base a battering ram which suddenly travels at 40-60 m/s.  A poor forester smashed by such a battering ram of a sawn tree will appear to have been smashed by an automobile at 60 m/s, truly an unnatural death - but one caused by natural causes.

[Teddy]

I started collecting data about incidents with fallen trees over tents, which includes visits to the morgue. I now understand much better the autopsy reports.
https://dyatlovpass.com/1079#morgue

[Jacques-Emile]

I am chasing the answer as well, and I believe that it is very close to that of Pavlov and Hadjiyska.   I offer two clues, and reaffirm another: 

• In 1079 by Pavlov and Hadjiyska, pages 263 and 277 offer critical clues.
• It is well that the area near 1079 is called Dyatlov Pass.  There are not one, but four, Dyatlovs who are relevant to this case.
• Indeed, six died twice.

[Jacques-Emile]

I have found my answer to me, only for me.  I in my soul have been blaspheming.  I came to this place for the eagerness of truth, the mystery of these children.  I have left because I felt an unnameable disquiet.  I came back to read after this wonderful book is been published.

I realize that I speak ad mortuis in lingua mortua.  I disrespect them by doing so.  святой дух rests within them.  "Why do you call to us, who are you?" I imagine the wisps asking me.  I have no answer but selfish curiousity.  I am not kin, I am not tribe or countryman nor comrad, nor student of their Institute.  I am a nothing to them, so Why do I bother them?

As I meant to say before but failed as my English fails, Truth alone bears no value without Meaning, which comes from within.  I have no reason to bother Her children, who am I?  someone who thinks about helicopters, who am I?

I commit sacrilege to enter their tombs, for they have no meaning to me of the such that my audacity in disturbing them is worthy.  I commend them then to the earth of Russia and the soul of God, and walk away out of respect.

I mean these things for me, not for you, do not say that you still have meaning in this quest, I am sure you do.  For me it is meaningless, if balanced on the measure of my own insignificance to them that sleep in Mikhailovskoe and Ivanovskoe awaiting.  I shall give them my gift of peace. Прощай

[Teddy]

This is exactly how I felt on the pass - insignificant. I spec into the nothingness.
I crave the day I could just leave all this behind, but you can't. It will stay with you. It has become part of you. To be in control of anything is an illusion.
We are running all our life. From something, or toward something. The end is in the same hole. If you stay in one place the world goes around you and you still participate and encounter. Only you do not move, the world does. There is no escape from life and its natural or violent end.
Farewell.

[Jacques-Emile]

Yes, I am done, no more about people, places and things in the past.  If the authors permit, I post the following from the book regarding antimagnetic antitank mines:

The works were conducted in the most primitive way-by manual short-hole drilling. Next, blasting out, collectin& and sifting chlo­pinite (aka hlopinite)- a pitch-black mineral containing uranium. Antimagnetic anti-tank mines weighing up to 5 kg were used as explosives.
Air blasts could be used should there be any need for seis­mic surveying. Vladimir Ustyuzhaninov, who in the 1950s worked as a geophysicist in the Western Siberia, recalled: "To avoid a great waste of time and material assets in well-drilling, in the 1950s theKolpashevskiy expedition came to utilizing a method of earthquake ground excitation by air blasts. The charges that were selected by trial were placed in the trees at a certain height." Blasting operations could be employed as well in case of a need for ditching and prospect holes drilling.

In a brief history of antitank mines, since the track was the most vulnerable portion of the tank, the mine detonated by heavy pressure.  As explosives became more sophisticated, and tank armour became better, a new method was introduced, antimagnetic antitank mines.  One might think they have a big magnet inside that leaps up when a piece of metal drives over it, and detonates the mine.  Actually not so.

The mine contains a radio oscillator which sits humming away quietly.  It has a loop of metal, which acts as a "variable inductor."  When metal passes over or near the variable inductor, the metal causes the circuit to "detune" or drop its frequency rapidly.  This is the signal to go BOOM!

These are the same mysterious loops at traffic control devices which one passes over or stops one's car on at a red light.  The car shifts the oscillator built into the traffic control device, which kindly sends a signal for the light to change, rather than detonating 4kg of RDX.

Of those who are gone, I only say this - if the students from Ural Polytechnic had all been students of the biology of birds, wouldn't there be birdwatching books and notebooks?  Of course.  Or if they were foresters - wouldn't they have reams and reams of notes on the forests of the western Urals?  Naturally.

But they were mostly radio engineers.  What might a radio engineer bring on a field trip?

I will not develop the thought more, for I wish to leave the dead in peace.  Peace to all who post on this platform.

[RidgeWatcher]

Teddy, You state:

This is exactly how I felt on the pass - insignificant. I spec into the nothingness.
I crave the day I could just leave all this behind, but you can't. It will stay with you. It has become part of you. To be in control of anything is an illusion.
We are running all our life. From something, or toward something. The end is in the same hole. If you stay in one place the world goes around you and you still participate and encounter. Only you do not move, the world does. There is no escape from life and its natural or violent end.
Farewell.

I remember when you first posted your feelings when you found yourself on Dyatlov Pass and being there on the present was overwhelming for you. My question is will you ever return to Dyatlov Pass and if yes, then why?

[Teddy]

I remember when you first posted your feelings when you found yourself on Dyatlov Pass and being there on the present was overwhelming for you. My question is will you ever return to Dyatlov Pass and if yes, then why?

I love this feeling, the closeness to something much bigger than you. Losing yourself, not being in control of your destiny, this is in way very relaxing. I obviously have control issues because I am afraid of flying. This whole project is the biggest thing, and mystery I have been part of. And the pass is where the obelisk lies of this space odyssey. I am drawn to it beyond imagination. It is like many other things - you either like it or you don't. You can't be persuaded to the contrary.