1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: Hello, it's Richard mc clean smith here with a quick 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: update before we dive into today's episode. Unexplained is very 3 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: excited to be a part of Crime Wave at Sea 4 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:12,799 Speaker 1: this November, joining forces with some of the eeriest voices 5 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: in the world of true crime and the paranormal four 6 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: Nights in the Caribbean, with amazing podcasts like Last Podcast 7 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: on the Left, Scared to Death and many more live shows, 8 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: Meet and greets, creepy stories under the stars and you 9 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: can be there too, but don't wait. Rooms are nearly 10 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: sold out. Head to Crimewave at Sea dot com forward 11 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,120 Speaker 1: slash Unexplained to grab your fan coat and lock in 12 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:42,480 Speaker 1: your cabin. We'd love to see you on board. Please 13 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 1: note this episode contains graphic descriptions of gore printal discretion, 14 00:00:47,000 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: as advised. The rafters floated steadily down the fast flowing 15 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: waters of the Sneeshnaya River, reveling in the serenity of 16 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: the vast wilderness around them. Towering above to the north, 17 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: under a boundless cerulean sky, were the gentle slopes of 18 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:21,199 Speaker 1: Deep Siberias Kama Daban Mountains, their tops dusted with pristine snow. 19 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,959 Speaker 1: It was mid August nineteen ninety three, and they'd come 20 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 1: from Kiev for an adventurous, weak long trip of camping, 21 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: rafting and hiking. What they hadn't reckoned on was the rain. 22 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: For days it had refused to let up. However, though 23 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:43,400 Speaker 1: the waters were faster and higher than expected, their inflatable 24 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: catamarans were more than up to the task, and as 25 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: they set out that day, a pale morning sun had 26 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: finally burned off the cloud and the cyclone that had 27 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: unexpectedly torn through the region had all but vanished. They 28 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: paddled slowly, letting the river do the work, talking and 29 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: laughing among themselves as sunlight danced on the water. On 30 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: both sides, Vast tiger forests stretched up into the hills. 31 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: The tops of the countless birch, pine and larch swayed 32 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: silently under the sound of the river's rushing water. There 33 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: was not a soul around. As they paddled around a 34 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: tight bend in the river, one of the rafters caught 35 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: sight of something unexpected at the tree line. A bear, perhaps, 36 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: he thought, as his mind worked feverishly to calibrate the 37 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:43,080 Speaker 1: unexpected object. Or was it simply paradolia, a trick of 38 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: the light He blinked hard and squinted as they drifted 39 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: past it, and then the shape finally fixed in his brain. 40 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: It was a teenage girl sitting alone on the river bank. 41 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:59,519 Speaker 1: Her hair was tangled and matted, and her clothes smeared 42 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: with dirt. Having almost drifted past her completely, the girl 43 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: suddenly stood up and began to wave frantically, screaming for help. 44 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:14,359 Speaker 1: In shock, the rafters hurriedly paddled over to her as 45 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: their catamarans crunched onto the rocks. One of the group 46 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: instinctively held out her arms to the girl, who threw 47 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,679 Speaker 1: herself into them. She sank her head deep into the 48 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 1: woman's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. The others crowded round, desperate to 49 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: know what had happened and where she'd come from, but 50 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: the girl was too inconsolable to speak. Spotting her large 51 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: hiking pack on the shore, two of the group tied 52 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: up the boats and jumped out to retrieve it. As 53 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: they bent down to pick it up, they stopped suddenly 54 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: and felt a chill run up their spines. The pack 55 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: was covered in dried blood. The men turned back to 56 00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: the girl. Is this your blood? They asked? Finally, She 57 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: lifted her head and turned to face them, and then 58 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: she began to murmur, over and over again. They're dead, 59 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: she said, They're all dead. You're listening to Unexplained, and 60 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: I'm Richard McLean Smith. There are few regions of the 61 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 1: world as large and as largely misunderstood as Siberia. Despite 62 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: encompassing more than eight million square miles, it remains a 63 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 1: place often overlooked, practically forgotten by the Western world. It 64 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 1: can be a struggle to even define Siberia geographically Asian, 65 00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: yet culturally far more complex, incorporating influences from Asia and Europe, 66 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: including ancient Arctic and Scandinavian. Its political borders have shifted 67 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 1: through the century. Today, the widely recognized boundaries are the 68 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,039 Speaker 1: Ural Mountains in the west and the Pacific Ocean to 69 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:11,840 Speaker 1: the east. To the north, Siberia fragments into the bitter 70 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: Arctic wastes. In between lies barren tundra and brutal mountains, 71 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: a sea of inhospitable wilderness surrounding islands of hardy human habitation, 72 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: and of those inhabitants, those outside know fairly little. The 73 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 1: average Westerner, for example, has only the vaguest concept of 74 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:38,360 Speaker 1: Siberia's history, which reaches back at least forty thousand years 75 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:43,039 Speaker 1: across almost ten percent of the world's land surface. In 76 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 1: such vast ancient places, is it any wonder that mysteries abound. 77 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: We have covered our own share of Siberian mysteries in 78 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: previous episodes of Unexplained. Earlier this season in episode eighteen, 79 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:00,840 Speaker 1: The Hardest Hue To Hold, which told the story of 80 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 1: the strange black sarcophagus from the supposed Teesul princess found inside. 81 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: Back in season two, episode four, when the snow melts, 82 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: we recounted the so called d'atlov Pass incident of nineteen 83 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:20,839 Speaker 1: fifty nine, when nine young Soviet hikers died in uncanny 84 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: circumstances on the slopes of the Ural Mountains. That particular 85 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:29,919 Speaker 1: incident is perhaps Siberia's most famous puzzle, with all of 86 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: the necessary ingredients to endure tragic death, cold war paranoia, 87 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: a hint of the other worldly, and the sinister undercurrent 88 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:47,719 Speaker 1: of more earthly machinations, it is, simply put a great story. However, 89 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:51,720 Speaker 1: the Urals are far from the only mountains in Siberia, 90 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,599 Speaker 1: and the d'atlov Pass incident was not the only time 91 00:06:55,880 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: that something went extremely inexplicably wrong up in the high cold. 92 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:06,599 Speaker 1: The Kamar D'aban Mountain range is a snow capped wall 93 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: in southeastern Siberia. Situated in the remote and rugged republic 94 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 1: of Buriatia, The range runs from two hundred and sixty 95 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: miles from the southern tip of Lake Baikal. These are 96 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 1: some of the oldest mountains on the planet, a series 97 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 1: of smooth domed peaks staring down like the weathered brows 98 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: of judges. The highest of them, Mount krn Ula, rises 99 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 1: to nearly eight thousand feet, while almost all are well 100 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: over six thousand. At their base, the valley floor is 101 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:45,880 Speaker 1: covered in tiger forest, a dense carpet of conifer, cedar 102 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: and rhododendron. They form a dark contrast to the mountains themselves, 103 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 1: which are never free of snow, even at the height 104 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 1: of summer. It's a beautiful, if foreboding backdrop for the 105 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: tourists who come to soak in the bathhouses and hot springs, 106 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,679 Speaker 1: but for those of a boulder inclination, the Khamar Daban 107 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 1: trails beckon like waving fingers. On August second, nineteen ninety three, 108 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: seven adventurers arrived in the tiny settlement of Marino on 109 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:30,559 Speaker 1: the south bank of Lake Baikan, the last embarkation point 110 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: before entering the Kamar Daban. They were all part of 111 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: the Asimut Hiking Club in Petra Pavel, a city in 112 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:43,839 Speaker 1: northern Kazakhstan close to the Russian border. Like a number 113 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: of other hikers arriving in the region that day, they 114 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:50,560 Speaker 1: were there as part of Kazakhstan's to Riada Festival, a 115 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:54,240 Speaker 1: national sports and tourism event. At the head of the 116 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:58,960 Speaker 1: team was experienced and highly skilled outdoor survivalist forty one 117 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: year old lead Miller Corovina. Tall and striking, her curled 118 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: blonde hair and accompanying bow of ribbons, was seemingly at 119 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 1: odds with a life of isolated adventure. As a recipient 120 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 1: of a Master of Sport, a certificate acquired from the 121 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 1: exacting Ministry of Sport and signed off by three internationally 122 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 1: renowned experts, her pedigree was beyond question. She was idolized 123 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 1: by all the aspiring outdoors people that she met. The 124 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,920 Speaker 1: six other adventurers on the trip were all under her tutelage. 125 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 1: Twenty three year old Alexander Kreesin was her second in command. 126 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 1: Studying at Bauman Moscow State Technical University, the mit of Russia, 127 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 1: he was a prestigious student. He fell in love with 128 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: mountaineering at the age of twelve and quickly came under 129 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: Ludmiller's wing, who in turn developed a deep bond with 130 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:00,720 Speaker 1: the young man. She called him Sasha with mother affection. 131 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:07,080 Speaker 1: That August, Alexander finished his final exams, then raced immediately 132 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:11,439 Speaker 1: to the mountains to join his teacher. Alexander was physically 133 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: the strongest of the group and also looked up to 134 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:19,439 Speaker 1: by the others, but one year older Tatiana Pilipenko was 135 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:23,400 Speaker 1: the next most experienced. She worked as a secretary at 136 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: a teaching college back in Petro Pavel and had completed 137 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: numerous tracks with Lyudmiller. Nineteen year old Denis Schwatchkin was 138 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: lucky to be there. He'd only been drafted in at 139 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 1: the last minute when a fellow hiker was refused permission 140 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: from his parents to join the trek. Fortunately for Dennis, 141 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 1: his parents were away at the time, and being slightly older, 142 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: he didn't need their permission. Unable to contact them, he 143 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: left a message instead before heading out the door. It 144 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: read simply, I went to the mountains. I'll be back soon. 145 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:03,720 Speaker 1: Then there was seventeen year old Valanina Utuchenko, known as 146 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 1: Valia to her friends and Timor Bapenoff. Though the baby 147 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 1: of the group at only fifteen years old, Timur had 148 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: packed many hours of trekking into his short life thanks 149 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: to his keen sporting parents. Lastly, there was sixteen year 150 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: old Victoria Salasova. Lud Miller had been hesitant about including 151 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:29,440 Speaker 1: her in the group. Once on a winter hike, Victoria 152 00:11:29,559 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: became fatigued and broke down. In lud Miller's own words, 153 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:37,280 Speaker 1: she began acting up and struggle to make it back 154 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 1: to base camp. But Victoria was desperate to go and 155 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:46,559 Speaker 1: desperate to prove herself to Ludmiller too. After an impassioned 156 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:50,800 Speaker 1: phone call from the girl's parents, lut Miller reluctantly agreed 157 00:11:51,200 --> 00:12:01,040 Speaker 1: to let her join. Lyud Miller and her team began 158 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:05,719 Speaker 1: their preparations six months in advance. Being the leader, it 159 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:10,360 Speaker 1: was Ludmiller's responsibility to compile the maps. Having trecked the 160 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:14,679 Speaker 1: area numerous times before, she diligently mapped out the route, 161 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:18,320 Speaker 1: marking out the precise location of where she expected the 162 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,679 Speaker 1: team to be every hour. She also drew up a 163 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:25,960 Speaker 1: rations plan, guaranteeing each member that required twenty four hundred 164 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 1: kilo calories per day, that be hot food and snacks 165 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:35,839 Speaker 1: between meals composed of stewed meat, vegetables, cereals, dry milk, 166 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: as well as candy and chocolate. Being an experienced forager, 167 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:43,680 Speaker 1: she also had the skills to locate food on the 168 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:46,920 Speaker 1: mountain should they need it. When it came to the 169 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 1: physical training, Lute Miller was known for her tough love, 170 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:54,360 Speaker 1: demanding much of her students but also endowing them with 171 00:12:54,480 --> 00:13:00,320 Speaker 1: the skills and confidence required for such inhospitable terrain. And 172 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 1: respected her, But they loved her too. They called her Master, 173 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 1: and she in turn cared about them deeply. Also taking 174 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:14,439 Speaker 1: part in the Turiada Festival that year was Lude Miller's 175 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:19,679 Speaker 1: sixteen year old daughter Natalia. Despite her age, Natalia was 176 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 1: already a hugely proficient mountaineer, a testament to her mother's 177 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:29,200 Speaker 1: ability to teach and train. Lud Miller also reassured herself 178 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 1: that should anything go wrong with Natalia's hike, she would 179 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: be on hand to offer rescue. They make a plan 180 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 1: to rendezvous three days later at the midpoint of each 181 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:44,840 Speaker 1: other's trek on August fifth. On the morning of August second, 182 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 1: lud Miller and the others make their final preparations. By then, 183 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:54,480 Speaker 1: Natalia's group are already underway, taking a more moderate route 184 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:58,560 Speaker 1: through the mountains. Lud Miller's group have set themselves a 185 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: more serious challenge. They plan to cover over seventy miles 186 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:08,480 Speaker 1: and make several ascents, including summiting Mount han Ula, the 187 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:12,960 Speaker 1: highest peak located at roughly seventy five hundred feet above 188 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 1: sea level. From there they will descend toward the city 189 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 1: of Shlutyanka, their finish line, located about eighty miles further 190 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:25,920 Speaker 1: up the lake shore. It's a long, difficult horseshoe route 191 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 1: that quickly takes you out of the relatively low lying 192 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: Tiger forest and into the rugged barren trails and perilously 193 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: exposed snowy ridge lines above. Thanks to Ludmilla, the team 194 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: are well prepared, though the weather looks to be on 195 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 1: their side too when they step off the train that 196 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: August morning under a bright sun and clear Siberian skies, 197 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: and with that, after a few last checks, the team 198 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:59,520 Speaker 1: headed up into the mountains. The first few days are 199 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:02,240 Speaker 1: a sink as the team make quick work of the 200 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 1: proposed route, scrambling eagerly up through the forest, their vast 201 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:11,280 Speaker 1: backpacks bobbying up and down behind them. They eat four 202 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:15,200 Speaker 1: times a day, gathering firewood from the forest and forage 203 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:20,000 Speaker 1: mushrooms and berries as they go. By August fourth, as 204 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 1: they head up the steep slopes of Retranslator Mountain, they 205 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 1: are comfortably ahead of Ludmiller's taxing schedule. Happy, full of energy, 206 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 1: and well fed, they are having the time of their lives. 207 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:39,000 Speaker 1: They chat excitedly about surprising Ludmiller's daughter Natalia's group by 208 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:43,920 Speaker 1: arriving at the rendezvous point first. But then in an instant, 209 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 1: everything changes. It was sometime into the third day when 210 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:59,360 Speaker 1: the team, now trekking through the barren upper reaches of 211 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 1: the mountain beyond the tree line, feel the first drops 212 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:08,080 Speaker 1: of rain. They had watched with no little concern as 213 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:11,800 Speaker 1: a thick barrier of cloud steadily crept in from the south, 214 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 1: but since the forecast had been good, they fully expected 215 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 1: it to gradually inch away. Only it didn't, and the 216 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:25,320 Speaker 1: rain got heavier. Then gusty winds began to whip at 217 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 1: the short tufts of grass, and that too steadily intensified. 218 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,400 Speaker 1: Before long the temperature had plummeted and the rain turned 219 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 1: first to slush and then snow. Despite being equipped for 220 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 1: all types of weather, the speed at which it turned 221 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:48,600 Speaker 1: caught them all unawares. With nowhere to shelter, Their bags 222 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: and clothing quickly became soaked, and soon the bitter cold 223 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:58,000 Speaker 1: was seeping into their skin. Leud Miller looked hurriedly about 224 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 1: her and back to the map was threatening to flap 225 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:05,119 Speaker 1: completely out of her hands. The tree line was some 226 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,159 Speaker 1: distance below them, and though she knew of a shelter 227 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:11,840 Speaker 1: located at the mountain peak, in the chaos of the 228 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:16,359 Speaker 1: incoming storm, she struggled to pinpoint its precise location on 229 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 1: the map. Striking out for it in this weather without 230 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,639 Speaker 1: knowing exactly where it was would be risky at best. 231 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:29,080 Speaker 1: She decided instead that they should shelter on sight, and 232 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:33,359 Speaker 1: so on the wide exposed slope, about seven and a 233 00:17:33,359 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 1: half thousand feet high, in a shallow bowl between two peaks, 234 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:42,679 Speaker 1: the group hurriedly made camp. With the utmost faith in 235 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:47,120 Speaker 1: their master. The team quickly succeeded in pitching two tents, 236 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:51,240 Speaker 1: with three getting inside one and four clambering into the 237 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 1: other All are relieved to be out of the elements 238 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 1: and huddle together for warmth, but as night descends, the 239 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:04,919 Speaker 1: storm intensifies further. It's around four a m. When several 240 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:10,080 Speaker 1: of the tents skylines snap. An hour later, increasingly vicious 241 00:18:10,119 --> 00:18:13,720 Speaker 1: winds tear the stakes from the ground, allowing the torrential 242 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:17,880 Speaker 1: rain to pour in through the limp canvas, completely soaking 243 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 1: the hikers. The soft dawn light of August fifth brings 244 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: a momentary reprieve from the otherwise relentless downpour. With numb 245 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:34,159 Speaker 1: and trembling fingers, the team finally succeeds in lighting a fire. 246 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:38,639 Speaker 1: They huddle around it and are soon greedily gulping down 247 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:43,200 Speaker 1: hot mugs of tea and porridge. With their bodies sufficiently 248 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,439 Speaker 1: warmed yud Miller gives the order for the team to 249 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:52,480 Speaker 1: gather their sodden belongings and pack up the tents. Stepping outside, 250 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:56,040 Speaker 1: they find the mountain completely covered in a thick layer 251 00:18:56,119 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 1: of fresh snow. Their boots crunch into it as they 252 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:04,160 Speaker 1: swiftly pull up the remaining pegs and gather up the canvas, 253 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:08,320 Speaker 1: keen to get moving before the rain returns. The group 254 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:11,920 Speaker 1: as soon packed up and continuing on their way up 255 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:16,120 Speaker 1: the mountain. Though the rain has stopped, the conditions are 256 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:20,199 Speaker 1: still treacherous. For a start, the fierce winds have not 257 00:19:20,359 --> 00:19:23,919 Speaker 1: let up. With such large packs on their backs, the 258 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaker 1: young mountaineers have buffeted about by violent gusts, their boots 259 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:33,000 Speaker 1: struggle for grip on the newly slick ground. At the 260 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:37,720 Speaker 1: front of the group is seventeen year old Valentina Utuchenko. 261 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:41,720 Speaker 1: Like her colleagues, she was tired and groggy after the 262 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:46,119 Speaker 1: night of broken sleep, and still stiff with cold. The 263 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:49,639 Speaker 1: weight of her soggy pack seemed to increase with every step, 264 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 1: but she was determined not to let it get her 265 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:56,840 Speaker 1: down and forced herself to set a brisk pace. At 266 00:19:56,840 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 1: the very least, she knew that the faster they moved, 267 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: the quicker they'd warm up. Then from out of the 268 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:19,560 Speaker 1: whistling wind, came a bone chilling, harrowing scream, turning as 269 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: one the group watched dumb found it as Alexander Kryson 270 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 1: fell suddenly to his knees, assuming he'd twisted his ankle. 271 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:32,880 Speaker 1: Those closest to him raised to his side, then froze 272 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: suddenly at the sight of his face From her advantage 273 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,679 Speaker 1: point at the front of the group, Valentina asked a 274 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:44,200 Speaker 1: squint against the blinding white of the freshly fallen snow 275 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: to get a fix on Alexander's face. It was contorted 276 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 1: in terror and blood was pouring from his mouth. Valentina 277 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:57,720 Speaker 1: couldn't make sense of what she was seeing. The only 278 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:00,560 Speaker 1: explanation she could think of as she made her way 279 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:03,399 Speaker 1: over to help was that a fight must have broken 280 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: out and somebody had hit Alexander in the face. But 281 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: as she neared her compatriot, she saw with abject horror 282 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:14,960 Speaker 1: that not only had no one touched him, but blunt 283 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:19,879 Speaker 1: was also pouring from his eyes and ears. The group 284 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:25,680 Speaker 1: watch helplessly as Alexander lets out another piercing scream. Then 285 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:30,120 Speaker 1: his body began to writhe and convulse, blood foaming at 286 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:33,439 Speaker 1: its mouth like a rabbit dog, as his eyes rolled 287 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:38,280 Speaker 1: back into their sockets. Seconds later, he pitched forward heavily 288 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 1: and collapsed face first into the snow, his body still writhing. 289 00:21:44,119 --> 00:21:48,840 Speaker 1: A horrified lurd Miller rushed to her protege's aid. Grabbing 290 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 1: his arms, she tried to pull his face off the 291 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:54,760 Speaker 1: ground and lift him to his feet, but then his 292 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:59,400 Speaker 1: body went limp, and the convulsions ended as abruptly as 293 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,320 Speaker 1: they had begun. Ut Miller lets him sink to the 294 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: ground and desperately felt for a pulse, but his heart 295 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:12,280 Speaker 1: has stopped. In sadness and shock, lud Miller began to 296 00:22:12,359 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: weep utterly, bereath at the unfathomable turn of events. She 297 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 1: let out a terrible, agonized scream, shocking the rest of 298 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:25,919 Speaker 1: the group with her uncharacteristic display of raw emotion. The 299 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:30,040 Speaker 1: boy was like a son to her. They seem to 300 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:33,720 Speaker 1: stand like that for eternity, frozen in time, out there 301 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 1: alone in a barren, snowy wasteland, miles from civilization. Finally, 302 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:45,040 Speaker 1: lud Miller gathers herself, suddenly fixed with her usual clarity, 303 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: She wipes the tears from her eyes and tells the 304 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,399 Speaker 1: others they have to try and focus. There's nothing they 305 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:54,840 Speaker 1: can do for Alexander. Now they must get to safety. 306 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 1: She tells them to descend as fast as they can. 307 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 1: It takes a moment for it all to filter through, 308 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:05,920 Speaker 1: but eventually the group collect themselves and start to move. 309 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:10,080 Speaker 1: They've made it only a few more feet when another 310 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:14,840 Speaker 1: scream pierces the air. It's lud Miller again, but this 311 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:19,480 Speaker 1: time she isn't crying for Alexander. The others turned back 312 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:23,160 Speaker 1: to see lud Miller clawing at her face as blood 313 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 1: runs from her mouth. It's all over her fingers too. 314 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:30,560 Speaker 1: They can't tell if it's coming from her ears and eyes, 315 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:33,760 Speaker 1: or if she's ripped her fingers to shreds with her teeth. 316 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: Lud Miller screamed again, then collapsed on top of Alexander. 317 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:44,000 Speaker 1: Her body writhed and convulsed for a moment, then just 318 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:55,480 Speaker 1: like that, it stopped and her body was still Twenty 319 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:59,479 Speaker 1: four year old Tatiana Filipenko sprinted over to the fallen 320 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: pair and kneeled down beside them. As the oldest of 321 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:07,240 Speaker 1: the remaining hikers, Tatiana was the de facto leader in 322 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 1: Ludmller's absence. As she reached Ludmilla, Valentina shouted to her 323 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:16,160 Speaker 1: through the wind, asking if lud Miller was dead too. 324 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 1: A fallorn Tatiana looked up and was just about to 325 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:25,400 Speaker 1: reply when a strange look came over her. She clutched 326 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:29,880 Speaker 1: at her throat and started to splutter. She gasped for air, 327 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,679 Speaker 1: but seemed incapable of taking a breath, as if the 328 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 1: very air around them was making her choke. Then blood 329 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:41,480 Speaker 1: ran from her eyes and ears and frothed up in 330 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:46,120 Speaker 1: her mouth. She collapsed to the ground, screaming and utter agony. 331 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:52,000 Speaker 1: Somehow she pulled herself to her feet, Then, half stumbling, 332 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:56,240 Speaker 1: half crawling, she dragged herself across the ground to a 333 00:24:56,359 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: nearby rock. The others screamed in horror as Tatiana proceeded 334 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:04,560 Speaker 1: to pull back her head and slam it into the 335 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:09,719 Speaker 1: rock over and over again, until with one final smash, 336 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 1: a sickening crack was heard, and Tatiana collapsed, blood pouring 337 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:19,399 Speaker 1: from the self inflicted head wound. In a mail stream 338 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:23,679 Speaker 1: of horror and confusion, the four remaining students scattered in 339 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:27,399 Speaker 1: a blind panic. The two youngest members of the group, 340 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:32,920 Speaker 1: sixteen year old Victoria Zealousova and fifteen year old Timor Bapanoff, 341 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:37,399 Speaker 1: sprinted down the mountain as fast as they could, seemingly 342 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:41,119 Speaker 1: with the sense that something invisible in the air was 343 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:46,320 Speaker 1: pursuing them, but they didn't get far. Before they'd even 344 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 1: made it three hundred feet, the two young teens began 345 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:53,800 Speaker 1: to convulse in mid stride as blood ran from every 346 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 1: orifice in their face. They clawed at their throats and 347 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:01,480 Speaker 1: began tearing off their clothes as if they were overheating, 348 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:04,440 Speaker 1: but they are too weak to get a firm grip 349 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:09,240 Speaker 1: on the material. After both vomiting a final bout of blood, 350 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:14,240 Speaker 1: they collapsed dead in the snow, half undressed and caked 351 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 1: in their own gore. Nineteen year old Dennis has made 352 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:22,359 Speaker 1: it as far as a nearby rock. With his mind 353 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,879 Speaker 1: seemingly gone, he pulled his sleeping bag from his backpack 354 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:29,719 Speaker 1: and cowered inside it, pulling it tightly over his head 355 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:33,119 Speaker 1: so as not to see anymore, like a young child 356 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:38,360 Speaker 1: hiding beneath the covers from a nightmare. Meanwhile, seventeen year 357 00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 1: old Valentina simply stands, paralyzed by the shock of everything 358 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 1: she has just witnessed, as rainfalls and the wind howls 359 00:26:47,359 --> 00:26:52,040 Speaker 1: all around her. After some time, Dennis emerged from his 360 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:56,240 Speaker 1: hiding place to find Valentina still rooted to the spot. 361 00:26:57,160 --> 00:26:59,719 Speaker 1: He grabbed her by the shoulders and yelled at her 362 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 1: to yet moving. When she didn't respond, he kicked her 363 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:06,400 Speaker 1: in the leg, and finally she snapped out of it. 364 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,399 Speaker 1: Soon the pair were on the move once again, stumbling 365 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: back down the mountain, both numb from the cold and 366 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:21,199 Speaker 1: the terror of it all. But then Dennis stopped suddenly. No, no, no, 367 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:25,639 Speaker 1: said Valentina at the pained look on the young man's face. 368 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:31,680 Speaker 1: Then the blood started to trickle from his mouth. Valentina 369 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:35,600 Speaker 1: can only watch in helpless desperation as he clutched at 370 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:40,399 Speaker 1: his throat and collapsed to the ground, writhing in incalculable pain. 371 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:46,760 Speaker 1: Seconds later it was over, Dennis too was dead, and 372 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:54,840 Speaker 1: Valentina was all alone on the mountain. You've been listening 373 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:59,520 Speaker 1: to Unexplained, Season eight, episode thirty three, After the Sun 374 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 1: Come Part one, The second and final part, will be 375 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:10,200 Speaker 1: released next Friday, July fourth. This episode was written by 376 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:16,560 Speaker 1: Emma Dibden, Neil McRobert and Richard McLain Smith. Thank you 377 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,840 Speaker 1: as ever for listening Unexplained as an Avy Club Productions 378 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:24,080 Speaker 1: podcast created by Richard McLain Smith. All other elements of 379 00:28:24,119 --> 00:28:27,520 Speaker 1: the podcast, including the music, are also produced by me 380 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:32,280 Speaker 1: Richard McClain smith. Unexplained. The book and audiobook is now 381 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:36,479 Speaker 1: available to buy worldwide. You can purchase from Amazon, Barnes 382 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:41,000 Speaker 1: and Noble, Waterstones and other bookstores. Please subscribe to and 383 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 1: rate the show wherever you get your podcasts and feel 384 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:46,800 Speaker 1: free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas 385 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,920 Speaker 1: regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you 386 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: have an explanation or a story of your own you'd 387 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:55,280 Speaker 1: like to share. You can find out more at Unexplained 388 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:58,960 Speaker 1: podcast dot com and reaches online through X and Blue 389 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:03,840 Speaker 1: Sky but Explained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com, 390 00:29:03,880 --> 00:30:22,800 Speaker 1: forward Slash Unexplained Podcast