Found Deceased Spain - Esther Dingley, from UK, missing in the Pyrenees, November 2020 #2

[Puzzles]

There is such silence regarding Esther at the moment .. a deafening silence. I think there is a possibility that the police are on to something which is preventing them from giving anything away.

IMO, this is the most plausible reason for media silence.

MSM reported the hiker ED met who drove her to her camper had come forward. To my knowledge, nothing has been divulged about information potentially provided from an interview with him.

Also, we've heard nothing about the meeting between French and Spanish authorities, presumably now held.
(Source - The Chronicle. Dec. 16: French police captain Jean Marc Bordinaro confirmed: “French officers probing Esther disappearance will meet with detectives from Huesca in Spain later this week."
The above statement was published two weeks ago, yet nothing about the proposed meeting has been reported, to my knowledge.)

IMO, withholding information from the media can be imperative to ensure the integrity of a developing police investigation.

 

[RickshawFan]

Yoga pants? I would only Fell Run in those, but can’t stop for long as I would get to cold, she should have had thermal lined walking trousers shouldn’t she?

Yup. Yoga pants. One fall and they'll rip out. One little sit on a rock to eat some munchies, and your butt is all wet. If she had rain pants and another form of pant in her pack, that would be safe, but....

There are hiking leggings, but they are appropriately reinforced at knees and butt. The knit fabric is a tight weave, and sometimes wind-resistant.

One way experienced hikers have organized "bottoms" since as far as I can remember (70's) too keep legs warm is to wear long underwear bottoms with shorts (now skirts, even) on top. For cold hikes, too, but you'd use mid or heavy-weight bottoms (i.e. not thin like yoga pants). You carry rain gear (always) in your pack. Take shorts off for sleeping. A risk-minimizer would also have a dry pair of long johns in the pack (even for day trips).

 

[sundaaaay]

I wish they forensically analysed the refuge, for a hair or any trace of her. Personally I don’t think on she would have slept outside in those temperatures if the refuge was an option. If you look at their blog they are always staying in refuges and she knows the drill. If it could be confirmed that she stayed in the refuge that would completely alter/rule out some potential scenarios.

 

[RickshawFan]

RSBM.

Yes some good points, especially about the rucksack size and the possibility she may have gone for cold food.

I think she must have had the tent with her though - the SAR team (accompanied by Dan) wouldn't have been specifically looking for it if it was still in the campervan.

As you say we can only surmise about her exact kit list.

If she had the tent, she might also not have used it as a tent. A recent bivouac photo shows her under the stars with the tent draped on top of her sleeping bag. It'll blow away.

 

[RickshawFan]

I wish they forensically analysed the refuge, for a hair or any trace of her. Personally I don’t think on she would have slept outside in those temperatures if the refuge was an option. If you look at their blog they are always staying in refuges and she knows the drill. If it could be confirmed that she stayed in the refuge that would completely alter/rule out some potential scenarios.

The gendarmerie ruled out the Refuge. Also, ED had been priding herself on her ability to go "beyond her comfort zone" and bivouac under the stars, not even putting up a tent. She had done this a few days before.

 

[sundaaaay]

It was my understanding that a few days before she used a tent.

 

[Hexe]

It was my understanding that a few days before she used a tent.

She did use it, but not as a tent. She didn't put it up, just used the tent fabric as a cover.

 

[Ruthbullock]

The D125 is absolutely a normal road. It winds through the forest and takes you up to a ski resort. See the photos I have posted from google maps - the timings are for a car, not walking. The first is zoomed in so you can see the car park at the hospice and the second is zoomed out to put it in context of the woodlands and where the footpath up to the refuge was. If you google D125 Pyrenees this route is popular with road cyclists passing by the hospice and on to the ski resort.

 

[Ruthbullock]

HC climbs: Superbagneres
I think there is some distortion in this photo, but this is the road through the wooded area.

 

[otto]

I think slightly differently ... I think Esther did push boundaries relating to herself.. ie she liked to conquer fears and emotional anxieties but I don’t think this impacted her ability to be aware of the need to remain safe. I say this because I was reading her posts yesterday and I got the impression that she recognised what would pose a physical risk in terms of climbing etc but would push herself to overcome a fear about something such as sleeping alone.
So I really think that Esther was not happy to put herself at risk through attempting daring feats .... but more than happy to conquer her own mental restrictions. Esther is an Oxford graduate, was a personal physical trainer. Maybe mentally fragile at times but physically strong and with a good brain.

“Intelligent people have a reputation for making dumb mistakes, especially in situations that require common sense.”​

Why clever people make more stupid mistakes than most

 

[Grouse]

I wish they forensically analysed the refuge, for a hair or any trace of her. ...If it could be confirmed that she stayed in the refuge that would completely alter/rule out some potential scenarios.

RSBM

I think I may have posted something similar a while ago about forensic analysis, and someone pointed out that sniffer dogs would/should have found something if she used the refuge, which seems reasonable to me.

 

[RickshawFan]

The D125 is absolutely a normal road. It winds through the forest and takes you up to a ski resort. See the photos I have posted from google maps - the timings are for a car, not walking. The first is zoomed in so you can see the car park at the hospice and the second is zoomed out to put it in context of the woodlands and where the footpath up to the refuge was. If you google D125 Pyrenees this route is popular with road cyclists passing by the hospice and on to the ski resort.

Now I'm confused. The trail ED planned to go on is in the valley to the right of that marked road.

 

[RickshawFan]

She did use it, but not as a tent. She didn't put it up, just used the tent fabric as a cover.

Yep, that's the problem.
Not only was there a risk of it blowing away (which might explain why it hasn't been spotted), but it would be at least 10 degrees F warmer if she had actually been in the tent, poles us, fly on, and she would have been dry.

 

[RickshawFan]

“Intelligent people have a reputation for making dumb mistakes, especially in situations that require common sense.”​

Why clever people make more stupid mistakes than most

I'm concurring from self-knowledge.

 

[RickshawFan]

RSBM

I think I may have posted something similar a while ago about forensic analysis, and someone pointed out that sniffer dogs would/should have found something if she used the refuge, which seems reasonable to me.

The likeliest thing for a dog to find would be a pee patch. And that would have been a giveaway. If there's not one at the Refuge, she almost certainly wasn't there.

 

[RickshawFan]

HC climbs: Superbagneres
I think there is some distortion in this photo, but this is the road through the wooded area.

IMO that road is not associated with the trail. For photos of the trail down into the valley and onto the Hospice, check HERE

 

[RedHaus]

IMO that road is not associated with the trail. For photos of the trail down into the valley and onto the Hospice, check HERE

But I think what @Ruthbullock is getting at ties to the possibility ED may have decided to abort her loop hike at the Hospice de France and get to a paved road to safety / warmth / food, etc. Confirming D125 is a road may help us further consider whether she encountered a hitch hiking or abduction risk. Just one possibility to flush out.

 

[Ruthbullock]

IMO that road is not associated with the trail. For photos of the trail down into the valley and onto the Hospice, check HERE

No it’s not part of the trail, but at points run parallel- it’s the D125 which is straight through the woods but then continues further past where the hiking trail turns. I’m not suggesting they are the same thing, or even overlap, but there is a road that winds through that wooded area and it is two lanes and well maintained.

 

[Ruthbullock]

IMO, I don’t see how she could have physically made it to that area (but that’s not to say she didn’t), but I’m also aware this is the area that was potentially being searched by her partner.

 

[otto]

But I think what @Ruthbullock is getting at ties to the possibility ED may have decided to abort her loop hike at the Hospice de France and get to a paved road to safety / warmth / food, etc. Confirming D125 is a road may help us further consider whether she encountered a hitch hiking or abduction risk. Just one possibility to flush out.

If she was alive and well at the Hospice de France, surely she would have sent a whatsapp message to someone. Furthermore, she's a hiker and could easily hike 6 km (3.7 miles) to the nearest neighbour without hitchhiking.

2010

“... the first neighbor, as well as the couple's letterbox, are located 6 km away.

We contacted France Telecom, which referred us to the General Council, which subsidizes people living in white areas and helps them set up a satellite dish, says Ingrid. ... The connection was established on May 22, and the lives of our two young managers have become considerably easier."
​

Bagnères-de-Luchon. Luchon. L'Hospice de France connecté