WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.200 you are now listening to cryptid cocktail party 00:00:42.350 --> 00:00:44.869 Welcome back to Cryptid Cocktail Party. This 00:00:44.869 --> 00:00:46.850 is a show where we have a few drinks, share a 00:00:46.850 --> 00:00:50.109 few laps, and take a dive into the unknown. My 00:00:50.109 --> 00:00:53.009 name is Sarge. Dave is still in Japan. Hopefully 00:00:53.009 --> 00:00:54.729 they will allow him back into the country at 00:00:54.729 --> 00:00:57.890 some point. But joining me as a co -host is Amanda. 00:00:58.969 --> 00:01:01.969 Hello! Hello, Amanda. It's been a while since 00:01:01.969 --> 00:01:05.430 you've been on. Happy to be back. And Cam is 00:01:05.430 --> 00:01:07.250 going to join us a little bit later on today. 00:01:07.329 --> 00:01:10.200 He's just running a little bit late, but... We're 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:12.599 under a time crunch. This is a big script. So 00:01:12.599 --> 00:01:14.379 we're going to get right into things. Amanda, 00:01:14.500 --> 00:01:16.980 how are you doing? I'm doing very well. Thank 00:01:16.980 --> 00:01:21.859 you. Hey, Cam. Hey. Hey. Let's get back to it. 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:25.200 Cam, how familiar are you with Dyatlov Pass? 00:01:27.260 --> 00:01:29.319 I've heard of it, but I'm not super familiar 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:31.840 with it. Okay. Well, that's okay because we're 00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:34.459 not covering that. Amanda, how familiar are you 00:01:34.459 --> 00:01:38.900 with Dyatlov Pass? Fairly familiar, but not. 00:01:40.090 --> 00:01:43.390 Super familiar. Okay. The reason I ask is that 00:01:43.390 --> 00:01:45.310 this story bears some adjacency, but it happened 00:01:45.310 --> 00:01:49.310 a little bit later in life. So I'm sure it kind 00:01:49.310 --> 00:01:51.450 of feels like millions of podcasts and YouTube 00:01:51.450 --> 00:01:53.989 channels have covered the enduring mystery of 00:01:53.989 --> 00:02:01.069 Dyatlov Pass. It occurred back in 1959. I'll 00:02:01.069 --> 00:02:02.750 give you a quick summary. The story goes that 00:02:02.750 --> 00:02:05.010 10 hikers went into the wilderness and only one 00:02:05.010 --> 00:02:06.870 survived because he quit the trip before it even 00:02:06.870 --> 00:02:09.689 started. He had gotten sick. While many theories 00:02:09.689 --> 00:02:11.889 hover around the events of February 1st and 2nd, 00:02:11.889 --> 00:02:16.669 1959, there was no definitive proof aside from 00:02:16.669 --> 00:02:20.289 some 3D models and the fact that nine bodies 00:02:20.289 --> 00:02:22.710 were found horribly mutilated in various states 00:02:22.710 --> 00:02:24.750 of undress like they were taking part in some 00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:27.030 kind of weird orgy in the middle of a train wreck. 00:02:27.349 --> 00:02:30.069 The most likely culprit is a collection of incidents 00:02:30.069 --> 00:02:34.610 such as avalanches and stormy weather. And all 00:02:34.610 --> 00:02:36.610 of that accumulated in a tragic loss of life 00:02:36.610 --> 00:02:38.789 and one of the most baffling mysteries of the 00:02:38.789 --> 00:02:41.569 20th century. If you're familiar with the story 00:02:41.569 --> 00:02:43.289 and you thought it was fucked up, hold on to 00:02:43.289 --> 00:02:45.330 your hats. There's a sequel and it's every bit 00:02:45.330 --> 00:02:47.689 as haunting as the original. Except this time 00:02:47.689 --> 00:02:49.729 there was a witness. We're going to start at 00:02:49.729 --> 00:02:53.270 the beginning. The year was 1993. Arkansas native 00:02:53.270 --> 00:02:55.569 and sentient Big Mac extra value meal Bill Clinton 00:02:55.569 --> 00:03:17.689 is inaugurated as America's 42nd president. And... 00:03:17.689 --> 00:03:24.990 And... Due to human error, Russian nuclear power 00:03:24.990 --> 00:03:28.490 plant Tomsk -7 in the secret city of Siversk 00:03:28.490 --> 00:03:31.050 in Siberia experiences an explosion that led 00:03:31.050 --> 00:03:34.330 to the surrounding towns being exposed to a hundred 00:03:34.330 --> 00:03:36.289 times the normal level of background radiation, 00:03:36.669 --> 00:03:39.449 continuing the grand tradition of Russia irradiating 00:03:39.449 --> 00:03:42.270 its people, and then subsequently doing everything 00:03:42.270 --> 00:03:45.150 possible to pretend it didn't happen. Victims 00:03:45.150 --> 00:03:48.449 were later rewarded a life -changing $860 each, 00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:51.050 which roughly works out to be one gallon of gasoline. 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:56.340 per cancerous tumor in today's money. Finally, 00:03:56.360 --> 00:04:00.879 roughly 150 miles, 241 kilometers southeast of 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:03.979 the Dyatlov Pass, according to Google Maps, six 00:04:03.979 --> 00:04:06.419 hikers would die suddenly and mysteriously while 00:04:06.419 --> 00:04:10.280 hiking back down from the incredibly impossibly 00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:13.840 hard to pronounce Reda Translator Peak in the 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:17.480 Kamar Daban mountain range. Now, this range is 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:19.800 not only popular. but extremely accessible to 00:04:19.800 --> 00:04:23.199 tourists given its location. The range is thought 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:25.680 to be one of, if not the first range to be mapped 00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:27.980 by humans, and was actually one of the first 00:04:27.980 --> 00:04:31.079 to be written about in literature. Located in 00:04:31.079 --> 00:04:33.279 the Pearl of Siberia, an area which is home to 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:35.819 roughly 20 % of the planet's fresh surface water, 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:38.060 according to an excellent YouTube video I found 00:04:38.060 --> 00:04:42.279 from MercDocs. The video they have is called 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:44.939 the Khmer Dban Incident, and you should check 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:46.259 it out if you want to learn a little bit more 00:04:46.259 --> 00:04:50.189 than what I'm going to cover today. So, there 00:04:50.189 --> 00:04:53.029 was a group that was led by a 41 -year -old badass 00:04:53.029 --> 00:04:59.009 named Ludmila Ivanova Korovina. She held the 00:04:59.009 --> 00:05:01.870 title of sports master on pedestrian tourism, 00:05:02.069 --> 00:05:07.389 which sounds completely made up. Ludmila was 00:05:07.389 --> 00:05:09.730 known for her experience in physical toughness. 00:05:09.769 --> 00:05:12.329 She specialized in wilderness survival and regularly 00:05:12.329 --> 00:05:15.629 trained hikers in those life skills. Her reputation 00:05:15.629 --> 00:05:18.660 was so prolific. that people would travel from 00:05:18.660 --> 00:05:21.319 across Russia and the surrounding area to a tourist 00:05:21.319 --> 00:05:25.379 club called Azamut, where Lyudmila was a guidance 00:05:25.379 --> 00:05:28.800 teacher. There was reportedly some criticism 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:30.959 of Lyudmila. Peers would say that she was too 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:33.959 focused on survivalism when the situation didn't 00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:36.860 call for it. She's probably the kind of person 00:05:36.860 --> 00:05:38.600 who, like, you're out for a walk in a park and 00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:40.339 you go to the bathroom and she insists you dig 00:05:40.339 --> 00:05:42.180 a hole even though there's, like, a porta potty 00:05:42.180 --> 00:05:45.829 with an eye shot. You know what I mean? She's 00:05:45.829 --> 00:05:47.769 out there like hunting squirrels in the middle 00:05:47.769 --> 00:05:51.029 of a street right next to a McDonald's. Anyway, 00:05:51.189 --> 00:05:55.410 as a hiker myself, I knew people like this. One 00:05:55.410 --> 00:05:57.149 hiker I knew would actually break the handle 00:05:57.149 --> 00:05:59.189 of his toothbrush to reduce the weight in their 00:05:59.189 --> 00:06:02.449 pack. However, this did not deter Ludmilla's 00:06:02.449 --> 00:06:04.850 students who would travel long distances to work 00:06:04.850 --> 00:06:07.970 with her again and again. The group would consist 00:06:07.970 --> 00:06:10.649 of six young hikers, all nearly half Ludmilla's 00:06:10.649 --> 00:06:12.850 age. The second oldest of the group was a man 00:06:12.850 --> 00:06:18.959 named Alexander Sasha. He was age 23. All sources 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:21.439 that I found label him as less of a tourist and 00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:24.779 more like Lyudmila's unofficial adopted son. 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:31.199 Then we have Tatiana Filippenko, age 24. Denis 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:34.300 Shvatskin, I think is the way to say that, at 00:06:34.300 --> 00:06:41.300 age 19. Valentina Valya Utychenko, age 17. Victoria 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:47.600 Vika Zalasova, age 16. and Timur Bapanov, age 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:51.420 15. Lyudmila's group was one of three hiking 00:06:51.420 --> 00:06:53.519 in the area at the time. One of the other groups 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:57.639 was led by Lyudmila's daughter Natalia, age 16. 00:06:57.660 --> 00:06:59.939 This is important to note as Lyudmila actually 00:06:59.939 --> 00:07:02.660 planned to hike for Natalia's group as well, 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:06.220 which was not uncommon for the club. Lyudmila 00:07:06.220 --> 00:07:08.040 and her daughter's groups intended to meet up 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:10.120 during the hike where their paths were estimated 00:07:10.120 --> 00:07:14.029 to cross on August 5th. I guess we could say 00:07:14.029 --> 00:07:15.810 the plus side of this group compared to Dyatlov 00:07:15.810 --> 00:07:17.550 Pass is at least these folks had the presence 00:07:17.550 --> 00:07:20.170 of mind not to hike in the mountains in the wintertime. 00:07:21.490 --> 00:07:24.769 The tentative plan was for both groups to join 00:07:24.769 --> 00:07:28.310 forces and finish together. The weather for the 00:07:28.310 --> 00:07:30.509 trip was supposed to be mild. They expected clear 00:07:30.509 --> 00:07:33.250 skies, mild temperatures, and just to give you 00:07:33.250 --> 00:07:35.170 an idea, the average temperature in the area 00:07:35.170 --> 00:07:39.089 for August, usually around 60 Fahrenheit, 16 00:07:39.089 --> 00:07:43.290 Celsius. However... anyone who has hiked in a 00:07:43.290 --> 00:07:45.310 mountain range can tell you that the weather 00:07:45.310 --> 00:07:47.610 can change quickly. While the average low in 00:07:47.610 --> 00:07:49.910 the area is roughly 44 degrees Fahrenheit, the 00:07:49.910 --> 00:07:53.069 record low for that time of year was 21 Fahrenheit 00:07:53.069 --> 00:07:56.290 or negative 6 Celsius. It's also worth noting 00:07:56.290 --> 00:07:58.050 the group is prepared for inclement weather as 00:07:58.050 --> 00:08:00.089 rain is very common in that region at that time 00:08:00.089 --> 00:08:04.370 of year. On average, there is 15 days of rain 00:08:04.370 --> 00:08:06.189 for the month of August. Ludmilla was reported 00:08:06.189 --> 00:08:09.230 to have meticulously followed the weather, but 00:08:09.230 --> 00:08:11.379 with the internet in its infancy, It would have 00:08:11.379 --> 00:08:13.480 been impossible for her to receive updates on 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:18.079 changing weather patterns along the way. The 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:20.720 hike started on August 1st or 2nd. The accounts 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:23.300 kind of differ. It was pretty uneventful for 00:08:23.300 --> 00:08:25.339 two days. Most accounts say the group made good 00:08:25.339 --> 00:08:27.319 time, summoning the highest peak in the range 00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:31.000 earlier than expected. The same documentary that 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:34.360 I mentioned earlier, MercDocs, reports that the 00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:37.629 group covered roughly 43 miles. which is really 00:08:37.629 --> 00:08:39.710 fast for the terrain, which is moderately difficult, 00:08:39.809 --> 00:08:41.610 sitting in the middle of like a one through five 00:08:41.610 --> 00:08:44.509 difficulty scale used to rate the area. However, 00:08:44.590 --> 00:08:48.350 everything would change on August 4th when the 00:08:48.350 --> 00:08:50.490 weather made a drastic change for the worse. 00:08:50.649 --> 00:08:53.970 A cyclone out of Mongolia descended on the group. 00:08:54.389 --> 00:08:57.649 Some sources say the rain began to fall while 00:08:57.649 --> 00:08:59.830 the group was still hiking, which soaked their 00:08:59.830 --> 00:09:01.870 gear, adding weight and burning them out. Others 00:09:01.870 --> 00:09:03.690 say the group was tired from the steady pace. 00:09:04.429 --> 00:09:06.610 and set up camp before the rain. Historic weather 00:09:06.610 --> 00:09:08.889 data for the region was not tracked until 1999, 00:09:09.149 --> 00:09:10.990 so there's really no way for us to check for 00:09:10.990 --> 00:09:13.710 sure. I mean, it could have been bad squirrel 00:09:13.710 --> 00:09:17.730 meat, too. Yeah, yeah. Or maybe when they shit 00:09:17.730 --> 00:09:21.970 in the hole, something crawled up. Yeah, it's 00:09:21.970 --> 00:09:25.429 a valid possibility. It is Russia, so... Anything 00:09:25.429 --> 00:09:27.690 can happen, especially when you're that close 00:09:27.690 --> 00:09:34.519 to Mongolia. And this is a commonly... Traversed 00:09:34.519 --> 00:09:38.120 trail? Yeah, very common. This whole area was 00:09:38.120 --> 00:09:40.679 very commonly hiked, like very well -worn trails. 00:09:41.179 --> 00:09:44.100 The pictures that I saw, there wasn't even a 00:09:44.100 --> 00:09:48.659 lot of tree cover. So anyway, regardless of the 00:09:48.659 --> 00:09:52.240 conditions, the location where they camped was 00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:55.379 very unusual, given Lamila's veteran status. 00:09:55.559 --> 00:09:58.620 They stopped in a relatively flat area. but it 00:09:58.620 --> 00:10:00.580 was between two peaks and a gradually sloping 00:10:00.580 --> 00:10:02.320 ridgeline. The elevation at this spot was about 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:06.019 7 ,500 feet by 2 ,300 meters above sea level. 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:09.159 So let me explain something. Traditionally, seasoned 00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:12.039 hikers do not camp above the alpine zone unless 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:15.519 you're on like a mountain where you're trying 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:18.340 to go further up. So like with Everest, of course, 00:10:18.340 --> 00:10:21.600 you would camp above that. Is that because of 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:25.549 the... Air? Like the density of the air and whatnot? 00:10:25.649 --> 00:10:27.389 That's part of it, but the other part of it is 00:10:27.389 --> 00:10:30.169 there's nothing to protect you from the weather. 00:10:31.029 --> 00:10:34.409 Oh, okay. That makes sense. Yeah. The Alpine 00:10:34.409 --> 00:10:36.269 Zone is an area on a mountain above the tree 00:10:36.269 --> 00:10:39.169 line but below the snow line. Within this buffer, 00:10:39.230 --> 00:10:41.330 vegetation is either non -existent or short. 00:10:41.950 --> 00:10:44.389 It's hardy fauna that can withstand limited growing 00:10:44.389 --> 00:10:46.730 season and a harsh, unforgiving climate. The 00:10:46.730 --> 00:10:49.309 Alpine Zone, it's not the same everywhere. It 00:10:49.309 --> 00:10:52.090 differs depending on where in the globe you are. 00:10:52.759 --> 00:10:54.299 For instance, in New Hampshire, in the White 00:10:54.299 --> 00:10:57.279 Mountain Range, the Alpine Zone starts at 4 ,400 00:10:57.279 --> 00:11:00.200 feet. There's not a lot of mountains in New Hampshire 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:03.840 that are above the Alpine Zone, honestly, because 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:06.259 as we've covered in previous episodes, the Appalachian 00:11:06.259 --> 00:11:10.220 Mountain Range is very short because it's so 00:11:10.220 --> 00:11:14.940 old. So we don't have a lot of mountains that 00:11:14.940 --> 00:11:19.340 are above 4 ,400 feet. But in the Himalayas... 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:24.799 It is about 12 ,100 feet, 3 ,700 meters. In Siberia, 00:11:24.820 --> 00:11:28.940 the alpine zone begins around 7 ,000 feet. Okay. 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:31.980 Any hikers looking to survive a night in a mountain 00:11:31.980 --> 00:11:33.759 will opt for below the tree line. This is done 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:35.679 to provide a bit of cover from the elements and 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:38.379 a buffer to minimize wind. Also, the biggest 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:41.740 threat in the summertime is thunderstorms. Think 00:11:41.740 --> 00:11:43.059 about it this way. If you're the tallest thing 00:11:43.059 --> 00:11:45.720 in the area, you're most likely to get struck 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:48.909 by lightning. So I can't understand her logic. 00:11:48.970 --> 00:11:52.690 I would never camp on a mountain out from undercover 00:11:52.690 --> 00:11:55.870 unless it was an emergency. Because if the wind 00:11:55.870 --> 00:11:58.870 doesn't get you, the bolts of superheated electricity 00:11:58.870 --> 00:12:02.370 sure as fuck will. Now some sources speculate 00:12:02.370 --> 00:12:05.210 that Lamila's over -the -top survivalism led 00:12:05.210 --> 00:12:07.210 her to set up in this area as a way to teach 00:12:07.210 --> 00:12:11.090 her students. Stupid. It was really fucking stupid 00:12:11.090 --> 00:12:13.860 if that was the plan. This theory makes sense 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:15.620 for two reasons. First, the tree line was only 00:12:15.620 --> 00:12:17.840 about two miles away. You could literally see 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:21.159 it. It was very easy to get to. That would have 00:12:21.159 --> 00:12:23.779 been like a 30 -minute hike with these guys, 00:12:23.899 --> 00:12:26.080 and you'd be relatively safe. Second, people 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:28.460 familiar with the area say that on a nearby peak, 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:31.480 there was a shelter complete with dry firewood 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:35.000 for just such a turn in winter, such a turn in 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:37.779 the weather. And this shelter was only 30 minutes 00:12:37.779 --> 00:12:40.990 away. A second theory suggests that Ludmilla 00:12:40.990 --> 00:12:43.250 intentionally set up camp on this ridgeline so 00:12:43.250 --> 00:12:45.230 she would not lose time as she was expected to 00:12:45.230 --> 00:12:47.210 meet her daughter the next day. I don't want 00:12:47.210 --> 00:12:50.070 to speculate on either theory too much, because 00:12:50.070 --> 00:12:52.330 I don't know what she was thinking, but if true, 00:12:52.490 --> 00:12:54.909 either plan would have been a terrifically fucking 00:12:54.909 --> 00:13:00.129 stupid idea. As you might recall from the theories 00:13:00.129 --> 00:13:02.590 that you might have heard on Dyatlov Pass, this 00:13:02.590 --> 00:13:06.090 kind of risky behavior rarely ends well. What 00:13:06.090 --> 00:13:11.830 do we think so far? I think that she, to me, 00:13:11.850 --> 00:13:15.629 maybe she was so confident with her abilities 00:13:15.629 --> 00:13:19.110 and knowing that trail that she wouldn't have 00:13:19.110 --> 00:13:22.169 thought that she needed to go out of her way, 00:13:22.289 --> 00:13:24.830 especially if she didn't know what weather was 00:13:24.830 --> 00:13:28.070 coming. That's really good insight, actually. 00:13:28.110 --> 00:13:30.909 Yeah. Confidence is usually what kills people. 00:13:32.490 --> 00:13:34.730 I think the goddamn kids wouldn't listen and 00:13:34.730 --> 00:13:36.409 she was hoping that she could pick a couple off. 00:13:37.339 --> 00:13:39.340 If you don't behave yourself, I'm going to turn 00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:44.320 this mountain around. So as night progressed, 00:13:44.559 --> 00:13:46.360 the weather took a turn for the worse. It was 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:48.759 already pretty bad. Located in the area where 00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:52.639 two climate zones meet. So the formation of cyclones 00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:55.899 isn't common, but isn't rare either. All accounts 00:13:55.899 --> 00:13:58.620 I found, six different sources, related to drop 00:13:58.620 --> 00:14:01.960 in temperature, thunder, and even snowfall in 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:03.960 the night. The wind picked up rapidly, stretching 00:14:03.960 --> 00:14:06.049 the limits of their tent. These harsh conditions 00:14:06.049 --> 00:14:09.169 prohibited them from making a fire, but the group 00:14:09.169 --> 00:14:11.370 was still in good spirits despite the weather. 00:14:11.450 --> 00:14:14.730 Because they're Russians, I mean, shitty life 00:14:14.730 --> 00:14:18.370 is pretty normal. The next morning at 4 a .m., 00:14:18.370 --> 00:14:20.669 August 5th, the group woke up to damaged tents 00:14:20.669 --> 00:14:22.690 and wet sleeping bags. In an effort to get out 00:14:22.690 --> 00:14:25.230 of the conditions, the group lit a fire, ate 00:14:25.230 --> 00:14:27.610 breakfast, and set out to meet Natalia and her 00:14:27.610 --> 00:14:30.909 group. Just prior to leaving, Alexander would 00:14:30.909 --> 00:14:33.789 complain about not feeling well. but believed 00:14:33.789 --> 00:14:35.629 getting moving down the trail would help his 00:14:35.629 --> 00:14:38.690 condition. This is not uncommon for hikers. I 00:14:38.690 --> 00:14:41.929 know that many times I've woken up after a full 00:14:41.929 --> 00:14:44.690 day of hiking with general soreness and discomfort, 00:14:44.690 --> 00:14:47.129 only to feel great after maybe moving around 00:14:47.129 --> 00:14:51.649 for about an hour. So later on the 5th, Natalia 00:14:51.649 --> 00:14:53.730 made her way to the proposed meeting spot. She 00:14:53.730 --> 00:14:56.389 waited for a bit, but with no sight of her mother, 00:14:56.450 --> 00:15:00.370 Natalia assumed they were held up. by the weather 00:15:00.370 --> 00:15:02.669 and moved along. She later left the area and 00:15:02.669 --> 00:15:05.769 returned home. Nothing would be heard from the 00:15:05.769 --> 00:15:08.690 group until August 10th when kayakers on the 00:15:08.690 --> 00:15:18.529 Anikta River would see a bloodied young woman 00:15:18.529 --> 00:15:21.190 standing alone on the shore. The woman on the 00:15:21.190 --> 00:15:23.909 shore was Valentina and her story was remarkable 00:15:23.909 --> 00:15:27.450 and terrifying. Valentina said things started 00:15:27.450 --> 00:15:29.590 to go wrong almost right after they hit the trail. 00:15:30.049 --> 00:15:32.649 The weather had only gotten worse since they 00:15:32.649 --> 00:15:34.509 had woken up, and the conditions were miserable. 00:15:34.830 --> 00:15:37.169 As you can imagine, the soreness of a long hike, 00:15:37.289 --> 00:15:41.490 coupled with being woken up by freezing rain 00:15:41.490 --> 00:15:44.049 and wind, the group was in rough shape and moved 00:15:44.049 --> 00:15:48.870 really slowly. After more than one mile, two 00:15:48.870 --> 00:15:52.970 kilometers, Alexander, also known as Sasha, at 00:15:52.970 --> 00:15:57.070 the rear of the group began to scream. Valentina 00:15:57.070 --> 00:15:59.509 says that Alexander was literally frothing at 00:15:59.509 --> 00:16:03.129 the mouth and bleeding from his ears. Some accounts 00:16:03.129 --> 00:16:05.490 say he was also bleeding from the mouth and eyes. 00:16:06.990 --> 00:16:09.669 Ludmilla would immediately tend to Alexander 00:16:09.669 --> 00:16:12.230 and tell the others to continue down the trail 00:16:12.230 --> 00:16:16.370 led by Dennis and Timur. At only 15, Timur was 00:16:16.370 --> 00:16:18.149 actually one of the more experienced hikers, 00:16:18.149 --> 00:16:21.649 so it wasn't unusual. Though it might sound that 00:16:21.649 --> 00:16:23.750 way by having a 15 -year -old lead the group. 00:16:24.460 --> 00:16:29.320 Did they maybe eat something? I don't know. I 00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:32.360 mean, it's Russia at 15. You're reaching the 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:35.440 end of the life at that point in time. He's already 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:39.679 got 36 kids. He's been drinking vodka for 10 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:41.519 years. He's had a potato farm for most of his 00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:44.259 life. Okay, so accounts differ on the reason 00:16:44.259 --> 00:16:47.559 why, but the group immediately set out, but then 00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:49.659 returned shortly after. Some say it was because 00:16:49.659 --> 00:16:51.419 they were scared, while others say it was because 00:16:51.419 --> 00:16:54.740 Lumila called them back. When they reached Ludmilla, 00:16:54.840 --> 00:16:56.940 they saw Alexander's condition had worsened. 00:16:57.179 --> 00:17:00.700 He had become unresponsive, and Ludmilla insisted 00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:04.420 that Valentina and Victoria go into the woods. 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:09.640 Oh, okay. Yeah, right? For what? I have no idea. 00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:12.079 Victoria was the least experienced hiker in the 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:14.859 group, and Ludmilla almost decided against taking 00:17:14.859 --> 00:17:16.980 her due to the lack of time on the trail and 00:17:16.980 --> 00:17:20.859 her habit of loudly complaining. Frankly, I think 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:22.920 she made a mistake. I also would have left her 00:17:22.920 --> 00:17:26.119 home. This is worth noting because of what happens 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:30.460 next. Victoria begins acting erratically. Valentina 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:32.420 tried to get Victoria to follow, but Victoria 00:17:32.420 --> 00:17:37.740 would actually start biting Valentina. Undeterred, 00:17:37.859 --> 00:17:40.220 Valentina resorted to pulling Victoria by her 00:17:40.220 --> 00:17:44.480 hair. Valentina eventually gave up and once again 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:46.640 returned to the spot where Alexander was now 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:50.579 laying dead. Nearby, Tatiana was doubled over, 00:17:50.759 --> 00:17:54.359 literally bashing her own head against some rocks. 00:17:55.960 --> 00:17:59.000 Timur started grasping at his own throat as if 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:04.359 suffocating. Dennis tried to restore order by 00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:06.640 getting supplies together, but Valentina would 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:08.759 note that he quickly dropped the supplies on 00:18:08.759 --> 00:18:12.759 the ground and fell over. Dennis would then begin 00:18:12.759 --> 00:18:16.390 to try to pull off his clothing. Valentina would 00:18:16.390 --> 00:18:18.630 try to help him, but he kicked and he thrashed 00:18:18.630 --> 00:18:22.289 at her. As panic sets in, so did the symptoms. 00:18:22.349 --> 00:18:24.829 Some ran away and hid behind rocks while others 00:18:24.829 --> 00:18:27.789 retreated to their sleeping bags. Valentina reported 00:18:27.789 --> 00:18:31.349 that all six group members bled from their ears 00:18:31.349 --> 00:18:35.210 and frothed at the mouth. What do you think so 00:18:35.210 --> 00:18:46.430 far? It's a cliffhanger. They were pulling their 00:18:46.430 --> 00:18:50.069 clothes off at a Dyatlov Pass as well, though. 00:18:51.049 --> 00:18:53.650 Well, that was because of hyper -throwing. Nobody 00:18:53.650 --> 00:18:57.509 knows if they... So what can happen in an avalanche 00:18:57.509 --> 00:18:59.769 is that your clothes will be taken off of you 00:18:59.769 --> 00:19:04.069 involuntarily by the avalanche. So it could be 00:19:04.069 --> 00:19:06.630 a case of paradoxical undressing in Dyatlov Pass, 00:19:06.750 --> 00:19:08.390 or it could have been that they were disrobed 00:19:08.390 --> 00:19:10.960 by the avalanche. Or it could have also been 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:16.140 the aliens. Yeah, or a train wreck orgy. We just 00:19:16.140 --> 00:19:21.559 can't say for sure. We need answers. So I've 00:19:21.559 --> 00:19:26.400 got some direct quotes from the website that 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:30.319 I didn't know is what it's called. Dennis began 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:33.029 to hide behind stones and run away. Tatiana beat 00:19:33.029 --> 00:19:35.650 her head against the stones. Victoria and Timur 00:19:35.650 --> 00:19:38.750 probably went astray. Lyudmila Ivanova died of 00:19:38.750 --> 00:19:42.789 a heart attack. After some time, two girls fall 00:19:42.789 --> 00:19:45.069 at once. They start rolling, tearing their clothes, 00:19:45.289 --> 00:19:47.609 grabbing their throats. The symptoms are the 00:19:47.609 --> 00:19:51.049 same. The boy is falling behind them. The girl 00:19:51.049 --> 00:19:53.569 and the guy are left. They decide to leave the 00:19:53.569 --> 00:19:55.769 most necessary things in the backpack and run 00:19:55.769 --> 00:19:58.809 down. The girl leaned over her backpack while 00:19:58.809 --> 00:20:02.779 she laid out, lifts her head. The last guy with 00:20:02.779 --> 00:20:05.380 the same symptoms rolls on the ground. The night 00:20:05.380 --> 00:20:09.140 was spent under a stone on the edge within the 00:20:09.140 --> 00:20:13.140 forest zone. The trees were falling nearby like 00:20:13.140 --> 00:20:16.480 matches. In the morning, she rose back. From 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:20.299 what I understand, this was a quote from one 00:20:20.299 --> 00:20:23.720 of the police officers. Seeing that the situation 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:26.000 was well and truly fucked at this point, Valentina 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:28.099 ran for the trees with limited supplies. She 00:20:28.099 --> 00:20:30.930 eventually fell asleep. When she awoke, she returned 00:20:30.930 --> 00:20:32.930 to the group to get supplies. Sources say she 00:20:32.930 --> 00:20:35.269 knew they were dead before she even saw the bodies 00:20:35.269 --> 00:20:38.670 based on the condition when she left them. Again, 00:20:38.730 --> 00:20:40.190 I don't want to get too deep into speculation 00:20:40.190 --> 00:20:42.769 as Valentina has been notorious for her silence 00:20:42.769 --> 00:20:45.890 on the event due to the trauma she endured. But 00:20:45.890 --> 00:20:48.990 I wonder if she said she knew they were dead 00:20:48.990 --> 00:20:50.869 because of the guilt she felt in leaving the 00:20:50.869 --> 00:20:54.529 group the day before. I can only imagine how 00:20:54.529 --> 00:20:57.049 horribly this poor girl felt watching her friends 00:20:57.049 --> 00:20:59.930 die in such a horrible way. A Russian translator 00:20:59.930 --> 00:21:01.950 would later say that Valentina reportedly did 00:21:01.950 --> 00:21:04.730 everything possible to avoid looking at the dead 00:21:04.730 --> 00:21:06.690 while she gathered supplies from their lifeless 00:21:06.690 --> 00:21:12.529 bodies. Now, Amanda, you had mentioned had they 00:21:12.529 --> 00:21:15.049 eaten something. One thing I forgot to say is 00:21:15.049 --> 00:21:20.990 they all ate the same things. And Valentina is 00:21:20.990 --> 00:21:22.950 the one who got away, right? She had no symptoms? 00:21:23.349 --> 00:21:26.690 Yeah, she's the one who got away. She's the one 00:21:26.690 --> 00:21:30.579 that was bloody by the river? Okay. Why was she 00:21:30.579 --> 00:21:34.940 bloody if she missed? We'll get to that. There's 00:21:34.940 --> 00:21:38.039 still a little bit more. Okay. I don't want to 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:40.599 give my theory on Valentina. Okay. We're almost 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:43.240 there. Valentina eventually found power lines 00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:45.299 and began to follow them until they ended. She 00:21:45.299 --> 00:21:47.380 then followed the river, hoping to find civilization. 00:21:47.480 --> 00:21:49.640 It would be about five days from the incident 00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:53.680 for Valentina to finally be rescued. Police wouldn't 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:59.019 find the bodies until... either the 21st or 26th 00:21:59.019 --> 00:22:02.119 due to weather conditions. Reports say that the 00:22:02.119 --> 00:22:04.299 bodies were bloated in various states of undress, 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:07.539 very similar to Dyatlov Pass. Animals had also 00:22:07.539 --> 00:22:10.599 started to eat the bodies in a startlingly similar 00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:13.400 condition as the victims of Dyatlov. The victims 00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:16.619 were missing their eyes and their tongues. That's 00:22:16.619 --> 00:22:19.759 not as uncommon as you think. Animals tend to 00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:22.500 go for the softer tissue first, so eyes, tongue, 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:26.210 face, all that kind of stuff. autopsy reports 00:22:26.210 --> 00:22:30.529 are absurd in relation to Valentina's testimony. 00:22:31.769 --> 00:22:33.750 Ludmila's cause of death was listed as heart 00:22:33.750 --> 00:22:36.190 attack. The remaining dead were deemed to have 00:22:36.190 --> 00:22:39.490 died from hypothermia. I have learned a lot about 00:22:39.490 --> 00:22:41.529 hypothermia through my time in the Boy Scouts, 00:22:41.609 --> 00:22:46.049 my time in the military, and I've never once 00:22:46.049 --> 00:22:49.130 heard of bleeding from the ears or eyes as symptoms. 00:22:49.630 --> 00:22:56.059 The autopsy also listed burst lungs. Oh, bruised 00:22:56.059 --> 00:22:58.759 lungs. I'm sorry, my spelling is terrible. The 00:22:58.759 --> 00:23:01.400 autopsy also listed bruised lungs and a protein 00:23:01.400 --> 00:23:05.099 deficiency. Some conditions can expedite the 00:23:05.099 --> 00:23:07.599 onset of hypothermia, according to the Mayo Clinic. 00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:13.019 These would be exhaustion, older age, young age, 00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:17.680 like children, mental problems, like dementia, 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:24.880 alcohol and drug use. and certain medical conditions 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:28.819 and medications. So all of those are out because 00:23:28.819 --> 00:23:33.319 they're all different ages. Yep. They were all 00:23:33.319 --> 00:23:35.579 pretty young and healthy. Even Ludmilla, I mean, 00:23:35.579 --> 00:23:37.960 I think she was only in her late 40s, I think 00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:43.279 I said. So it just doesn't, it doesn't, the age 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:48.640 is out. Exhaustion would make sense. Yeah, but... 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:51.299 Alcohol, maybe, but I don't think that they were, 00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:53.480 like, getting shit -faced. I've been exhausted 00:23:53.480 --> 00:23:55.700 before. I didn't bleed for my life. Yeah, only... 00:23:55.700 --> 00:23:59.160 Yeah. Like, one or two bottles each. You know, 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:04.140 they're doing some light drinking. So, I have 00:24:04.140 --> 00:24:06.519 spoken with a friend of mine who is a seasoned 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:10.480 EMT and currently is the assistant superintendent 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:14.579 of Boston EMS. She's no stranger to hypothermia 00:24:14.579 --> 00:24:16.279 cases, and when I asked her if she had ever heard 00:24:16.279 --> 00:24:18.259 of hypothermia leading to bleeding from the head 00:24:18.259 --> 00:24:21.720 via the eyes and ears, she said a change in altitude 00:24:21.720 --> 00:24:26.059 could have played a factor. I also have a friend 00:24:26.059 --> 00:24:28.980 who is a nurse, and she confirmed this. The condition 00:24:28.980 --> 00:24:33.700 is called barotrauma, which is sudden bleeding 00:24:33.700 --> 00:24:35.900 from the ears and sometimes eyes caused by a 00:24:35.900 --> 00:24:39.099 rapid change in altitude. Now, on its own, it 00:24:39.099 --> 00:24:41.839 may not have been a factor. caused because of 00:24:41.839 --> 00:24:44.980 high elevation. Even over a 24 -hour span that 00:24:44.980 --> 00:24:49.799 can cause hypoxia or more red blood cells, which 00:24:49.799 --> 00:24:51.599 can cause weaker -than -usual clotting. However, 00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:55.099 altitude changes coupled with thinner blood from 00:24:55.099 --> 00:24:58.339 being cold and wet for roughly 24 hours could 00:24:58.339 --> 00:25:01.099 possibly explain the bleeding. Another thing 00:25:01.099 --> 00:25:03.519 to think about is shunting. This is when the 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:05.900 body draws blood away from the extremities to 00:25:05.900 --> 00:25:08.160 warm vital organs like the heart and the brain. 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:11.319 More blood in the head could explain more pronounced 00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:15.259 bleeding than that Valentina described. The somewhat 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:17.859 excessive bleeding could have then led to panic 00:25:17.859 --> 00:25:21.240 and shock. Shock could then have led to paradoxical 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:23.059 undressing because when the body experiences 00:25:23.059 --> 00:25:24.859 shock, it could be tricked into feeling warm, 00:25:24.980 --> 00:25:26.980 even though it was actually going in the opposite 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:31.200 direction. Okay. Disclaimer time. Please take 00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:33.019 all of this with a big grain of salt. I'm not 00:25:33.019 --> 00:25:38.690 a doctor. I'm just a moron. The two people that 00:25:38.690 --> 00:25:40.430 I spoke to were very good at their jobs, but 00:25:40.430 --> 00:25:43.029 they only had my simple brain explaining the 00:25:43.029 --> 00:25:45.529 circumstances in a short article I sent, which 00:25:45.529 --> 00:25:48.269 highlighted the symptoms. You're certainly not 00:25:48.269 --> 00:25:51.569 diagnosing anyone. All I'm saying is there probably 00:25:51.569 --> 00:25:54.269 isn't an easy answer, much like Dyatlov Pass, 00:25:54.450 --> 00:25:57.009 or rather a collection of circumstances that 00:25:57.009 --> 00:25:59.849 accumulated possibly into the symptoms that Valentina 00:25:59.849 --> 00:26:03.769 reported. Wouldn't it be terribly insensitive 00:26:03.769 --> 00:26:09.690 of me to... suggest possibly another view? No. 00:26:11.210 --> 00:26:16.089 Which is that Valentina is a shapeshifter. She 00:26:16.089 --> 00:26:20.109 wrecked her whole party and in order to get away 00:26:20.109 --> 00:26:24.490 with it, described all of these symptoms, no 00:26:24.490 --> 00:26:28.130 one could question her because she won't talk 00:26:28.130 --> 00:26:32.029 about it. Because she's a shapeshifter, you're 00:26:32.029 --> 00:26:38.579 saying? I'm saying. Why would she kill everyone? 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:45.500 When she's in her other form, she is not human. 00:26:45.559 --> 00:26:50.579 She doesn't have human emotions. So she has werewolf 00:26:50.579 --> 00:26:57.380 emotions, maybe? It's not even supernatural. 00:26:57.420 --> 00:27:00.019 That's just kind of something that happens. Yep. 00:27:00.019 --> 00:27:02.859 Sometimes people become werewolves. When you're 00:27:02.859 --> 00:27:05.039 in the woods. What are you going to do? What 00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:12.160 are you going to do? You fucking solved it. I 00:27:12.160 --> 00:27:15.220 mean, obviously I'm just kidding. Yeah, of course. 00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:20.700 Clearly it was Yetis. But yeah, this is a crazy, 00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:22.900 crazy story and it really doesn't get a lot of 00:27:22.900 --> 00:27:27.680 attention. I've never heard of this. So you did 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:32.900 not explain why she was bloody. Oh. I'm sorry, 00:27:32.980 --> 00:27:35.400 I might have skipped over it by accident. She 00:27:35.400 --> 00:27:38.460 had to hike down by herself and she was lost 00:27:38.460 --> 00:27:42.240 in the woods and in considerable shock from what 00:27:42.240 --> 00:27:45.059 she experienced. So she was just wandering through 00:27:45.059 --> 00:27:48.380 the woods. She actually found power lines and 00:27:48.380 --> 00:27:51.359 then followed the power lines along the riverbank. 00:27:51.660 --> 00:27:54.099 And actually what happened is she found a village 00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:56.319 and when she got to the village, she thought 00:27:56.319 --> 00:27:58.119 she was saved until she realized that it was 00:27:58.119 --> 00:28:02.180 abandoned. Oh, well, that would suck. Yeah, but 00:28:02.180 --> 00:28:04.400 then the kayakers found her and rescued her. 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:10.559 So I'm sure she had some blood from the various 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:13.579 bites she received and everyone's bodies when 00:28:13.579 --> 00:28:16.339 she was like gathering supplies. And then she's 00:28:16.339 --> 00:28:18.420 probably just got tore up going through the brush. 00:28:19.900 --> 00:28:22.579 Yeah, I mean, being a werewolf didn't help me. 00:28:22.619 --> 00:28:25.579 I mean, I imagine you're going to get bloody. 00:28:25.700 --> 00:28:31.000 If you are werewolfing, it's a messy business. 00:28:33.400 --> 00:28:37.039 All right, guys. So that's the story. Incredibly 00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:39.900 insane story. If you want to know more, look 00:28:39.900 --> 00:28:42.980 up Merck Docs, the Kamar Dabin incident on YouTube. 00:28:43.420 --> 00:28:48.359 That's M -E -R -C Docs. I also checked Medical 00:28:48.359 --> 00:28:52.500 News Today, Encyclopedia .com, Thought Catalog. 00:28:52.900 --> 00:28:58.339 I even found a Russian website called Ariel Ter. 00:29:00.940 --> 00:29:05.599 I'm just going to post these links in the Wikipedia. 00:29:05.700 --> 00:29:07.640 They're all made up words. Strange Outdoors. 00:29:08.460 --> 00:29:12.579 A website called That I Did Not Know. And the 00:29:12.579 --> 00:29:15.460 Cleveland Clinic. So there's all kinds of stuff 00:29:15.460 --> 00:29:20.839 here. But yeah, that's all I got. If you like 00:29:20.839 --> 00:29:23.960 this, please find us on Instagram at Cryptid 00:29:23.960 --> 00:29:27.319 Cocktail Party. Amanda, you want to share your 00:29:27.319 --> 00:29:32.950 Instagram? Oh, yeah. I'm Tattered Seafoam. And 00:29:32.950 --> 00:29:39.130 that's all one word. All right. And Cam, you 00:29:39.130 --> 00:29:41.069 got anything to promote besides Narragansett? 00:29:42.789 --> 00:29:46.170 Yeah, my friends, a bunch of my friends are in 00:29:46.170 --> 00:29:48.509 a band called the Salem Wolves. They just released 00:29:48.509 --> 00:29:54.589 a new album. It's a covers EP. And it's called 00:29:54.589 --> 00:29:57.470 Salem Wolves Greatest Hits because it's a covers 00:29:57.470 --> 00:30:01.089 EP. And all the songs are great. And I did background 00:30:01.089 --> 00:30:04.150 vocals on a few of them. So check them out, the 00:30:04.150 --> 00:30:07.430 Salem Wolves. They're freaking amazing. And if 00:30:07.430 --> 00:30:10.190 you're in New England, they're going to be touring 00:30:10.190 --> 00:30:12.650 all over the place. And I will buy you beers 00:30:12.650 --> 00:30:16.730 because I go to all the shows. And we will drink 00:30:16.730 --> 00:30:21.380 for net and gansets and have a good time. After 00:30:21.380 --> 00:30:23.839 the Pride Parade incident, I'm good on Fernette 00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:29.099 for the rest of my life. Fair enough. All right. 00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:31.420 Also, drink the Arrogant's at Beer. They're our 00:30:31.420 --> 00:30:33.700 sponsor, and we love them very much. All right. 00:30:33.940 --> 00:30:36.640 I love you and goodbye is up to you guys. Do 00:30:36.640 --> 00:30:38.740 you want to do the countdown? Yeah, let's do 00:30:38.740 --> 00:30:43.539 that. All right. Okay. Three, two, one, go. I 00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:47.180 love you and goodbye. Oh, fuck. Oh, son of a 00:30:47.180 --> 00:30:47.440 bitch.