I wondered too about the weather. I don’t know the area at all, but it doesn’t seem like a good time of year to be hiking in a northern forest. The pool equipment sounded very suspicious, but a p2p rental makes a little more sense.
The pool equipment could possibly makes sense if she was with a maintenance worker employed by Aramark (the company who runs Sol Duc Resort) or depending on the equipment if she thought perhaps Sol Duc Hot Springs would be open during her visit. It is still odd though because sounds as if she didn't know anyone in the area, ie: not someone local who came hiking and met up with an employee of the lodge that they already had a pre-existing relationship with.
My kids and I try to camp/hike this area on an annual basis and there is a resort with hot springs that is open on a seasonal basis, you can easily look up their operational calendar online. Typically the resort opens mid March and closes end of October, the road usually gets shut down soon after the resort ceases seasonal operations, surprised it was still open this late into November. However W. WA has had unseasonably warm temperatures this fall. Anyhow with that said it's my understanding Aramark works with the Park Service to winterize and close down the resort/roads.
Cell phone service is basically non-existent in this area unless you have Starlink however with Verizon I've noticed one spot in the campground last year we were able to shockingly send a text to a friend. Cell phone service used to be completely dead almost immediately after leaving 101 but we noticed on our last visit we picked up a signal good enough to text about halfway out.
It all does feel very strange and reminiscent of the gal who went missing hiking in the Enchanted Valley a few years back, Laura Macke. Although one main key difference is the trail to Sol Duc falls is VERY easy, nearly no elevation gain, like a trail my kids have been able to accomplish since toddler age. So unless she pressed on further it should have been an easy in/out day trip from Port Angeles to the area. I believe both camping loops close with the gates down simultaneously to Sol Duc Resort closing but she could have car camped in the large parking lot before the trailhead or at the RV camping spots, these are very close to the resort and rental cabins operated by Aramark, but again all would have been closed upon her arrival.
One more note for anyone not from the area, with the road open I can't imagine nobody else would have visited during the time period she was unaccounted for, this is a completely paved road all the way until the end of it, where the trailhead starts, it's about 15 miles one way. If her rental vehicle was actually there for two weeks someone absolutely would have noticed it. The first thing I take note of when heading out for winter recreational activities is the other vehicles around me.
It's all fairly bizarre and doesn't add up because there are definitely campgrounds open year round that would make way more sense to visit than trying to camp somewhere essentially closed for the season. Also most tourists do a loop of the 101 heading west from Port Angeles, so Sol Duc logically would be a day destination and then onward to somewhere like Mora campground (open year round), Ruby Beach, Hoh Rainforest, Quinault area, etc.
