On January 27th, 1959, the trekkers began their journey toward Otorten from Vizhai, a village that is the last inhabited settlement to the north. The hikers established a camp on the slopes of Kholat Syakhl, which was later renamed Dyatlov Pass in honor of the group’s leader, Igor Dyatlov. When investigators found the group’s campsite, they were able to retrieve diaries and cameras, allowing them to retrace the nine’s footsteps. Upon reading the diaries, investigators discovered the group had planned to make a camp on the opposite side of the pass, but due to worsening weather conditions, they lost their direction and headed westward towards the top of Kholat Syakhl.
Once they had realized their mistake, the group abruptly stopped and set up a camp on the slope. Had they moved downward 0.93 miles, they could have sheltered in a forested area, protecting them from the treacherous snowstorm causing them to lose all direction. However, the sole surviving trekker who left the group prior to the February deaths, Yudin, speculated that Dyatlov was responsible for the decision, stating: “Dyatlov probably did not want to lose the altitude they had gained, or he decided to practice camping on the mountain slope.”
Wisely, Dyatlov had declared he would send a telegram to the school’s sports club when he and the group returned to the village of Vizhai. The telegram was expected by February 12th, but before Yudin departed from his hiking group, Dyatlov told him he expected it to be a little longer. February 12th passed, as did more days of no news from Dyatlov’s group. Because of worsening weather conditions and the nature of such arduous hikes, fellow students and friends were not overly concerned that they had not heard from the group.
It was not until relatives of the nine hikers demanded a search party be sent out on February 20th that any attempt to find the men and women occurred. Volunteers from the institute, friends, family, and rescue crews were the initial parties involved. Several days passed, and no signs of the seasoned hikers could be found. Helicopters, planes, and the military were utilized as last efforts in hopes they would find the missing nine.
On February 26th, fourteen days after Dyatlov had planned to contact others assuring their safety, a rescue group found the shredded remains of the group’s tent. A student from Ural Polytechnical institute, Mikhail Sharavin, found the tent, stating “the tent was half torn down and covered with snow. It was empty, and all the group’s belongings and shoes had been left behind.” This single discovery was the beginning of a baffling mystery: what happened to these young men and women?