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

[Satchie]

So a repeat of my earlier timeline with updates - it may or may not be precisely accurate depending on news sources' accuracy:

Nov 19th - Met male hiker (plus another in foreground?) - no place mentioned in the post

Nov 21st - posted on instagram

Nov 22nd - spoke to Dan via Whats App and sent picture at Pico de Sauvegarde
Seen by witnesses in the afternoon going up the mountain (with no snow on the peak) as they came down and requesting fruit - Marti Vigo del Arco and friend

Nov 23rd - due to walk to Refuge Venasque?

Nov 25th - due to return home

Nov 28th - Dan reported on social media that she was missing and not heard from for 6 days

May not be accurate - please let me know of updates

IMO she embarked on a new trip on the 21st, from Benasque, Spain. I haven't invested the time to try to figure out where she was when she returned to her van on the 19th, likely elsewhere.

Her partner reports her plan was to walk to the Venasque refuge from the summit of Sauveguard ie an addition 3 hour hike after climbing up. But as we saw in her post on the 19th, her plans could change depending on how much time she had and how she felt. She wasn't actually due anywhere, she could just camp, instead.

So, given the lateness of the day, perhaps she had changed her plan and was going to find a place to camp on or at the bottom of Sauveguard.

There's a variety of trails and directions she could have gone after that, depending on what peaks she wanted to summit and what scenery she wanted to see.

I believe that she was supposed to end her hike on the 25th, but unfortunately the published info is confused, perhaps someone else can clarify. She was reported missing by the French Sar on their FB on the 25th, I linked this earlier.

 

[Grouse]

The foul play scenerio seams to be getting more focus.
Missing Durham hiker Esther Dingley 'could have been attacked', police say

Maybe but there's not much substance in that article really. This latest witness info is potentially making misadventure look the more likely scenario agian.

 

[dormouse]

I think this may have been discussed but I wanted to bring the video here for anyone who hasn't seen it. (Posting with a mod's permission as it is not MSM.)

NOV 11, 2020
Wadham couple Esther Dingley and Dan Colegate describe why they are #WadhamProud this Wadham GivingDay2020

Very interesting. I went to Oxbridge several years later and I can categorically say that the mental health support was virtually non-existent. I fought for my life to finish my degree, as did several of my friends at other colleges. I’m skeptical of these sorts of portrayals, though good for Wadham if it’s true.

 

[Seni]

By the way I'd just like to mention that I don't think it odd at all that a couple who have spent 24/7 together for the last 6 years travelling round Europe might take time out to hike or explore without each other. I'd not last more than 3 weeks in the company of just one person. I'd think them odd if they didn't want time apart. I'd personally struggle without time spent with other friends and family. So I'd not read anything into them enjoying time apart.

Absolutely agree. They have been together for 18 years. Have made may joint decisions during that time.This was not the first time Esther ventured on a solo trip.

 

[Seni]

There are many hiking routes from Benasque, doing a circular plan which we know was the plan to come back to the vehicle. Much of these paths are concrete or asphalted. They are not tough to follow, unless you go off grid.

On the other hand we know that ED was brought back to base by her hero hitchhiker.

What happened was not in the mountains,

IMO

 

[Seni]

Very interesting. I went to Oxbridge several years later and I can categorically say that the mental health support was virtually non-existent. I fought for my life to finish my degree, as did several of my friends at other colleges. I’m skeptical of these sorts of portrayals, though good for Wadham if it’s true.

Oxbridge does not exist.

 

[Satchie]

There are many hiking routes from Benasque, doing a circular plan which we know was the plan to come back to the vehicle. Much of these paths are concrete or asphalted. They are not tough to follow, unless you go off grid.

On the other hand we know that ED was brought back to base by her hero hitchhiker.

What happened was not in the mountains,

IMO

Concrete or asphalted? No, she was definitely "off grid" as you call it.

Wikiloc | Picture of Photo (1/1)
Wikiloc | Picture of Photo (1/1)
Wikiloc | Picture of Photo (1/1)
In this one you have to hang on to a cable to negotiate a tricky bit.
Wikiloc | Picture of Cable area..be careful (1/1)

 

[Satchie]

Oxbridge does not exist.

It is a word people use to mean "Oxford or Cambridge".

 

[Andreee]

I would think it was Esther who took the photo, I doubt she took a tripod up there, and she mentioned in one post it was phone pictures only, that she didn't take another camera.

OIC, if so then it would be an unknown person in the forefront of the photo and herself who is taking the photo.

 

[Seni]

It is a word people use to mean "Oxford or Cambridge".

Thats why, you say I went to Oxford or Cambridge. But as I said before this is a poster on here describing experience. It doesnt matter, no importa ni un carrajo.

 

[PommyMommy]

Yes, it is not good practice to be heading uphill on a 1.5 hour hike to the top...at 3 pm. Sunset was at around 5:35 with civil twilight at around 4:50. Going down is often just as slow as going up. It's interesting the skier didn't mention the dogs.

She would have summited just 20-30 minutes before light began to fade and gotten back to the point where she was seen (still pretty far up) well after dark.

I totally agree - however, I don't think it's a sign of mental difficulty, much less "depression" or anything like it.

However, many people around the world do live for long periods of time with just 1 other person (or alone) and they are fine. We are all different.

This particular couple had taken time apart prior to this (she had gone off solo hiking, I think his health problems made it harder for him).

My point is that we should not assume she was depressed or in a diagnosable state of mind merely because she went hiking alone. Or that they were having difficulties as a couple. This seemed to be their pattern long before COVID.

I do have questions. Where was Dan during all of this? Since some have assumed 2 people and 5 dogs were living in the camper van, that would mean that Dan and the 5 dogs were at the camper van - and yet it seems he called rescue from somewhere else and isn't present on scene. Is that correct? Do we know?

The one article says "they are currently in separate countries." What does that mean? Is he in UK? If so, he's staying somewhere other than the van, obviously. So they weren't in fact 24/7/365 together and somehow, he has another place to live.

Specialist teams search the Pyrenees for missing British hiker
Ms Dingley was travelling by herself on a month-long trip, leaving Mr Colegate in Gascony, where he had been working on a farm.

Van life: Durham couple's six years on the road (and counting) - BBC News
The couple are currently several hundred miles apart, Dan opting to stay still for a time while Esther prefers to keep mobile.

"We've got the best of both worlds, really," Esther says. "We get a home bug and a travel bug. Travelling takes you to some beautiful places but it feels a bit unsettled at times, so then we house-sit somewhere to get a bit of stability.

"We realised that during the coronavirus we had not been apart from each other for a year so decided to each just do our own thing for a bit. This whole thing has been really good for us individually and our relationship; we are genuinely happy now."

 

[dormouse]

Thats why, you say I went to Oxford or Cambridge. But as I said before this is a poster on here describing experience. It doesnt matter, no importa ni un carrajo.

I was being deliberately vague. I went to one or the other.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

According to The Sun, five days before she vanished Esther posted a photo on Facebook of what looked like a large paw print left behind in the snow on the mountains.

She asked: “Can anyone let me know if this might have been bear prints?”

Brown bears attacks on livestock and humans have been reported in the Pyrenees since the species was introduced in the late ’90s in an EU biodiversity plan.
Missing Brit hiker Esther Dingley shared snap of 'bear prints' before vanishing

 

[Auntie_Seagull]

I do have questions. Where was Dan during all of this? Since some have assumed 2 people and 5 dogs were living in the camper van, that would mean that Dan and the 5 dogs were at the camper van - and yet it seems he called rescue from somewhere else and isn't present on scene. Is that correct? Do we know?

Dan is in Gascogne, France, housesitting. It was stated in this very thread multiple times.

 

[Auntie_Seagull]

There are many hiking routes from Benasque, doing a circular plan which we know was the plan to come back to the vehicle. Much of these paths are concrete or asphalted. They are not tough to follow, unless you go off grid.

On the other hand we know that ED was brought back to base by her hero hitchhiker.

What happened was not in the mountains,

IMO

We don't even know if she managed to get down from Pico de Salvaguardia and she summited pretty late.

 

[Auntie_Seagull]

According to The Sun, five days before she vanished Esther posted a photo on Facebook of what looked like a large paw print left behind in the snow on the mountains.

She asked: “Can anyone let me know if this might have been bear prints?”

I don't know what this print is, but I can tell you what it isn't. It isn't a bear print.

 

[ZaZara]

The rescue teams have so far found no trace of the woman, all the hypotheses are open and this morning the Commander of the Guardia Civil of Huesca confirmed that the search had been suspended due to the intense snow storm in the Pyrenees.

BBM

Intensa búsqueda de la excursionista britanica desaparecida en el Pirineo

 

[Gottlieb]

The more I see of her photos and descriptions, the less optimistic I am. She may be an experienced hiker (as in "hiked a lot and has always been lucky") but she seems very daring and I don't mean it as a compliment. Others have been mentioned a few crucial mistakes - you don't set out for an uphike at 14.30 in winter, you just don't walk into big untouched fields of snow (you never know how deep the snow is even if it seems shallow, there may be deep cracks which you have really no way of noticing), you don"t follow footprints of wild animals into the unknown. Honestly, she seems to be very unaware of or careless about the dangers that are out there.

I really don't mean this as victim blaming, but I completely agree with the poster who mentioned the dangers of this mentality of obsessively stepping out of your comfort zone. We should respect the power of nature and should not ignore our own limits.

I lean towards foul play scenario myself though, mostly because that's about the only chance she could still be alive, and I really hope she is.

 

[Grouse]

The more I see of her photos and descriptions, the less optimistic I am. She may be an experienced hiker (as in "hiked a lot and has always been lucky") but she seems very daring and I don't mean it as a compliment. Others have been mentioned a few crucial mistakes - you don't set out for an uphike at 14.30 in winter, you just don't walk into big untouched fields of snow (you never know how deep the snow is even if it seems shallow, there may be deep cracks which you have really no way of noticing), you don"t follow footprints of wild animals into the unknown. Honestly, she seems to be very unaware of or careless about the dangers that are out there.

I really don't mean this as victim blaming, but I completely agree with the poster who mentioned the dangers of this mentality of obsessively stepping out of your comfort zone. We should respect the power of nature and should not ignore our own limits.

I lean towards foul play scenario myself though, mostly because that's about the only chance she could still be alive, and I really hope she is.

From her posts on previous treks I get the impression she was actually very capable and very prepared. The reason her pack was large was because she carried what she needed to camp overnight on these hills if necessary due to unexpected bad weather, or if she simply wanted to do that. The fact that she climbed that mountain , which is about twice the height of Ben Nevis - the highest in the UK and the highest I have ever done (and that was with a light pack) , carrying full gear indicates to me that she must have been incredibly fit.

I haven't seen anything about following footprints of wild animals, only that she was asking if a paw print she saw could be a bear.

Also there wasn't much snow up there and the weather was good the witness said.

I would question the wisdom of going up there at that time, but if she was planning to camp up there, or somewhere lower down on the descent route, then she is more likely to have set off later I think.

 

[Inverloch]

The police have asked the man who gave her a lift to come forward: surely he should have seen reports of her disappearance in the media & come forward by now anyway?
Perhaps he befriended her on Facebook, started following on Instagram after they met on the 19th?