Now this is getting really eerie. When my hiking partner and I were resting @ Outpost on Friday 5/4, a group of 3 guys hiked by on their way to make camp higher up. One of them was carrying a blow-up doll as a stand-in for a 4th friend who had sprained an ankle and couldn't make it. They were laughing how they were going to use an IG tag #mikemadeit. We never saw/heard about them again - you'd think someone on the trail would see/remark about a life sized doll.

When we reached Trail camp late Friday afternoon, there was only one other couple camped there. Since we took the winter route following the Consultation drainage, we had considered staying by the (completely frozen) lake. We ended up declining because we didn't want to melt snow (we had sufficient fuel but still looking for an out) and were hoping the pond had some melt water (which it did). That being said, we didn't see any tents by Consultation until we walked out Sunday am, but the one tent was probably a late Saturday arrival.

We got a (purposely) late start around 8am Sat 5/5, since we were also going to be spending a 2nd night @ TC, and didn't feel like we needed to jam just to get back before 4-5pm.

We never saw this trio on the way up the Chute, and I don't recall passing anyone coming back from the summit except for one other person near the needles. Now I'm wondering if it was these we had spoken to @ OP. It would make sense if the two who turned around @ Crest came back before we began, leaving their friend to continue.

From what is being gathered here, I'm pretty sure the boot tracks the two MR climbers saw that I spoke to were the fallen hiker's.

Last edited by Hobbes; 05/14/18 09:46 AM.