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

[PommyMommy]

NOV 30, 2020
Esther Dingley search: Specialist teams search the Pyrenees for the missing British hiker (inews.co.uk)
[...]

The French authorities said there had been no sightings of Ms Dingley since two Sundays ago, when she was spotted on the Pic de Sauvegarde, a 2,700-metre peak between the French town of Bagneres-de-Luchon and Benasque in Spain, where she had parked the couple’s camper van.

The mountain gendarmerie in Bagneres-de-Luchon said that because France has been on a Covid-19 lockdown there were very few walkers who could have seen the British woman, who is an experienced hiker.

[...]

 

[StillDiggin]

Searches are being scaled back. Im very fearful that this will be a body recovery, which might be spring next year because of the weather. .Gendarmes to scale down search for British hiker Esther Dingley in Pyrenees

 

[PommyMommy]

Searches are being scaled back. Im very fearful that this will be a body recovery, which might be spring next year because of the weather. .Gendarmes to scale down search for British hiker Esther Dingley in Pyrenees

Noting:

[...]

“We have looked all over our side and our colleagues in Spain have been doing the same,” Pierre Gaillard, the deputy commander of the high-mountain gendarmerie platoon told the Guardian.

“Today, we sent a helicopter up over the high ranges, but this is an area we have already searched. It’s complicated to find someone up there because part of the area is under snow. The Spanish are doing the same on their side.

“The weather is good today and it’s not possible that she went missing because she was caught up in bad weather, because the only time it was bad was the night of Thursday to Friday when there was snowfall and ice, but we were already looking for her by then.”

[...]

Gaillard said the gendarmes had not been able to ascertain where Dingley had gone missing. Her last contact with Colegate was via a WhatsApp call on Sunday 22 November, when she indicated she was on the Pic de Sauvegarde.

“After that she put her phone on airplane mode to save the battery and there is no data use or GPS trace since then. Theoretically her itinerary meant she should have done the loop and crossed into France before returning, but we cannot say for sure. We have no indication of whether she crossed the border or not,” Gaillard said.

[...]

“If she stayed on the paths she shouldn’t have had a problem, but sometimes with the snow and ice at altitude it’s difficult to follow the paths,” Gaillard said, adding that Dingley was wearing dark clothes and carrying a grey rucksack, which added to the difficulties in finding her. He said there was no sign of her yellow tent to suggest she had been camping out.

He said that Colegate, also from Durham, was also searching the mountain and had retraced Dingley’s route but was not with the rescue teams.

“He prefers to walk on his own,” the gendarme said.

[...]

“We are not just mountain rescuers, we also investigate so we are keeping all lines of inquiry open.” He said the chances of finding her were now “extremely slim”.

He added: “We will be sending a smaller team out to search tomorrow but after that, bad weather is forecast including heavy snowfall.”

[...]

 

[Vaccine]

Noting:

[...]

“We have looked all over our side and our colleagues in Spain have been doing the same,” Pierre Gaillard, the deputy commander of the high-mountain gendarmerie platoon told the Guardian.

“Today, we sent a helicopter up over the high ranges, but this is an area we have already searched. It’s complicated to find someone up there because part of the area is under snow. The Spanish are doing the same on their side.

“The weather is good today and it’s not possible that she went missing because she was caught up in bad weather, because the only time it was bad was the night of Thursday to Friday when there was snowfall and ice, but we were already looking for her by then.”

[...]

Gaillard said the gendarmes had not been able to ascertain where Dingley had gone missing. Her last contact with Colegate was via a WhatsApp call on Sunday 22 November, when she indicated she was on the Pic de Sauvegarde.

“After that she put her phone on airplane mode to save the battery and there is no data use or GPS trace since then. Theoretically her itinerary meant she should have done the loop and crossed into France before returning, but we cannot say for sure. We have no indication of whether she crossed the border or not,” Gaillard said.

[...]

“If she stayed on the paths she shouldn’t have had a problem, but sometimes with the snow and ice at altitude it’s difficult to follow the paths,” Gaillard said, adding that Dingley was wearing dark clothes and carrying a grey rucksack, which added to the difficulties in finding her. He said there was no sign of her yellow tent to suggest she had been camping out.

He said that Colegate, also from Durham, was also searching the mountain and had retraced Dingley’s route but was not with the rescue teams.

“He prefers to walk on his own,” the gendarme said.

[...]

“We are not just mountain rescuers, we also investigate so we are keeping all lines of inquiry open.” He said the chances of finding her were now “extremely slim”.

He added: “We will be sending a smaller team out to search tomorrow but after that, bad weather is forecast including heavy snowfall.”

[...]

I have a concern that although she was an experienced walker she may have under estimated the risks and not necessarily followed all the safest protocols - given that she was dressed in grey and black rather than something bright and spottable. So I also fear that apart from her phone she also might not have been equipped with any other GPS or tracking devices. Plus, she and her partner were travelling for several years on a shoestring so maybe she wouldn't have spent the money on the best equipment and tracking.

Its very sad but I think this doesn't have a happy ending.

Just my opinion - and certainly not intended as victim blaming. Please delete if its judged to be so.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

This is awful, what a shame Esther was wearing dark/grey clothes. Was she not carrying a flare or GPS? No safety system in place for a solo walker seems unlikely, especially as she's so experienced.

Looking at the Pic de Sauvegarde on google earth, it is relatively sparse up there, no thick forest or anything. I assume she didn't have chance to use the yellow tent to attract attention.

Do we know if she was using the walking route mapped out by google (approx 9 miles), or going straight from A to B along the ridge which forms the country border, which would place her at Sauvegarde? (approx 2 miles)

Google Maps

 

[TimesEight]

I was just wondering if there a general feeling re carrying or having satellite phones/GPS/other tracking electronic devices among serious and experienced hikers like Esther. If their intention is to disconnect from the world for a few days and “ be one with nature” would carrying any of these be contrary to that goal?
Also, I wonder how often Esther and her partner would each hike on their own?

I hope she is safe and found soon!

Well, I'm only a moderately experienced Alpine hiker, but as far as I know most people, especially when traveling solo, will have some ways of reaching out in case of emergency. Be it digital or good old emergency flares.
But ofcourse, I cant say this is the case for everyone.

Still hoping she will be found alive!

 

[10ofRods]

This is awful, what a shame Esther was wearing dark/grey clothes. Was she not carrying a flare or GPS? No safety system in place for a solo walker seems unlikely, especially as she's so experienced.

Looking at the Pic de Sauvegarde on google earth, it is relatively sparse up there, no thick forest or anything. I assume she didn't have chance to use the yellow tent to attract attention.

Do we know if she was using the walking route mapped out by google (approx 9 miles), or going straight from A to B along the ridge which forms the country border, which would place her at Sauvegarde? (approx 2 miles)

Google Maps

Sad to say, many people hike for years without changing their basic methods (we just recently switched to wearing brighter colors...DH only got his first GPS thingie this year - he's almost 60). We're both experienced, but we learned from various places (including WS) that we had a way to go in changing how we do things. I now wear a very loud whistler - but just started recently.

I am pretty good with a compass, for example, but...youtube has taught me there's more I need to know if I decide to go solo hiking. My solo hikes are day hikes, but a person can get into real trouble in just one day.

IOW, experience is something that often lags behind reality out in the wilderness. It is odd that there's no thick forest or any other cover - ravines seem to be the only place someone could fall and not be seen.

This is a very sad case and I sure hope they have good reason to rule out foul play.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Sad to say, many people hike for years without changing their basic methods (we just recently switched to wearing brighter colors...DH only got his first GPS thingie this year - he's almost 60). We're both experienced, but we learned from various places (including WS) that we had a way to go in changing how we do things. I now wear a very loud whistler - but just started recently.

I am pretty good with a compass, for example, but...youtube has taught me there's more I need to know if I decide to go solo hiking. My solo hikes are day hikes, but a person can get into real trouble in just one day.

IOW, experience is something that often lags behind reality out in the wilderness. It is odd that there's no thick forest or any other cover - ravines seem to be the only place someone could fall and not be seen.

This is a very sad case and I sure hope they have good reason to rule out foul play.

Interesting post @10ofRods , thank you. I guess there is a degree of complacency in any routine activity (and I don't mean that in a negative way). Out of interest, have you looked at the terrain in the map I linked? The 3D Google Earth version shows all the mountain angles and is surprisingly clear - eg individual trees can be seen. It would seem a fall is the most likely explanation, but it's still strange she's not been found. I must admit, I am definitely not a cold weather person (I need my flip flops!) and while the views are beautiful I am satisfied with seeing someone elses photos of the area; Esther's pics are stunning.

Reading Esther's FB page, it does appear there she needed to spend some time alone:
Esther Dingley

And here is their joint adventure page:
Esther & Dan

 

[Auntie_Seagull]

It would seem a fall is the most likely explanation, but it's still strange she's not been found.

It's not strange. The mountains give the people back, alive or dead, when they want to. There were many cases of dead bodies laying nearby busy trails, unspotted for decades.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

It's not strange. The mountains give the people back, alive or dead, when they want to. There were many cases of dead bodies laying nearby busy trails, unspotted for decades.

In the Pyrenees?

 

[Auntie_Seagull]

In the Pyrenees?

In the Pyrenees, Alps, Carpathians, Smokies and Rockies, in any mountains. In my homecountry, in Tatra mountains, slightly lower than the part of Pyrenees Esther went missing in, there was a couple of cases where the bodies were found after almost a century. And not in the middle of wilderness, but near the trails, like one skeletonised dude with pre-World War II currency in what remained of his pockets, that was found a few years ago some meters from a trail on Giewont mountain, where the hordes of tourists trek daily to the peak.

Take also in consideration that Esther is wearing dull colours, greys etc., so she is basically blending with her surroundings. Spotting her will be really difficult.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Unfortunately I'm thinking that it must have been a catastrophic event of some kind. Otherwise, Esther had the option to switch her phone back from airplane mode to be tracked. Presuming she had battery left.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Unfortunately I'm thinking that it must have been a catastrophic event of some kind. Otherwise, Esther had the option to switch her phone back from airplane mode to be tracked. Presuming she had battery left.

Yep. She’d also have laid out her yellow tent if she could have.

 

[Curious-A]

A thought just occurred to me... I noticed a lot of photos of her jumping on mountaintops on their blog. Maybe that’s something Esther did regularly after reaching a summit regardless if there is someone with her to document it. Could it be possible she jumped, lost her footing and fell right after that last selfie was taken? Moo

 

[dotr]

A thought just occurred to me... I noticed a lot of photos of her jumping on mountaintops on their blog. Maybe that’s something Esther did regularly after reaching a summit regardless if there is someone with her to document it. Could it be possible she jumped, lost her footing and fell right after that last selfie was taken? Moo

That is something i could imagine happening, or the phone dropped from her hand and she slipped trying to retrieve it. speculation, imo.

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 1, 2020
British Hiker Esther Dingley Goes Missing in the Pyrenees - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
[...]

The authorities in France said on Tuesday that they were increasingly pessimistic about the chances of finding Ms. Dingley on the French side of the border.

“We’ve already patrolled the zone so much that I don’t really know where else we could search,” said Pierre Gaillard, the deputy commandant of the French mountain platoon leading the search. He said the possibility of snow on Tuesday could force them to stop the search.

“We now have doubts that she even got into France,” Mr. Gaillard said. “There’s the same confusion on the Spanish side.”

[...]

Ms. Dingley was last seen on Pic de Sauvegarde on Nov. 22, according to the BBC. She had been walking from the town of Benasque in Spain the day before had planned to stay Sunday night at a cabin in France, Mr. Colegate said.

[...]

 

[moonriverfarm]

Bright colors
GPS
Both may have helped.

 

[RickshawFan]

NOV 30, 2020
Esther Dingley search: Specialist teams search the Pyrenees for the missing British hiker (inews.co.uk)
[...]

The French authorities said there had been no sightings of Ms Dingley since two Sundays ago, when she was spotted on the Pic de Sauvegarde, a 2,700-metre peak between the French town of Bagneres-de-Luchon and Benasque in Spain, where she had parked the couple’s camper van.

The mountain gendarmerie in Bagneres-de-Luchon said that because France has been on a Covid-19 lockdown there were very few walkers who could have seen the British woman, who is an experienced hiker.

[...]

Why was ED out there if the country was on lockdown? The gendarmerie sounds really ticked.

 

[Tortoise]

Ms Dingley started walking from Benasque, Spain, on November 21. French police said all trace of her was lost at 4pm on Sunday, November 22. No more phone messages were received after then.

Spanish authorities were alerted on November 25 of her disappearance and alerted their French counterparts the following morning. They found her vehicle on the Spanish side of the border.

Police race to find missing 'van life' travel blogger before snow storm that will bury the Pyrenees | Daily Mail Online

 

[RickshawFan]

This is awful, what a shame Esther was wearing dark/grey clothes. Was she not carrying a flare or GPS? No safety system in place for a solo walker seems unlikely, especially as she's so experienced.

Looking at the Pic de Sauvegarde on google earth, it is relatively sparse up there, no thick forest or anything. I assume she didn't have chance to use the yellow tent to attract attention.

Do we know if she was using the walking route mapped out by google (approx 9 miles), or going straight from A to B along the ridge which forms the country border, which would place her at Sauvegarde? (approx 2 miles)

Google Maps

I have some of the same questions...

I'm not familiar with the Pyrenees at all. Does anyone have an idea how this hike was to be executed? Clockwise? Anti-clockwise? Is it an entire loop, or was ED going to hitch back to the car?