RickshawFan
Verified Outdoor Recreation Specialist
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- Jun 9, 2013
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I’d never leave a pack overnight at somewhere like the Cabane. My stove or something could get ripped off, and I’d need the extra layers for the Pic.That's true.
Still, I wouldn't hike to a peak with a heavy pack late in the day if I were planning to return to my starting point. That doesn't rule out an unplanned descent, of course, but it still seems more likely to me that Esther was planning to sleep above the treeline on the night of the 22nd, and the obvious place would be the Refuge de Venasque.
However, I would certainly take it off on the top of the Pic, just because it’s comfier that way. But I would also be throwing on at least one extra layer (likely ascending in just a baselayer) depending on temp, so I’d have to get it out of the pack. All that entails is slithering out of it. I’m actually very surprised ED has it on on pic Photo #2.
I will mention, too, that without food, and little water (there was nowhere to re-supply since the trailhead IIRC, and she had only a 2 or 3 liter bladder), ED’s pack wasn’t very heavy. The pack design makes it look big.