Largo native, Donnie Eichar, has come full circle facing the mystery of The Dyatlov Pass Incident. The 55-year-old Russian mystery that captured Eichar’s interest and left him intoxicated in his search to find the answers.
In February 1958, nine experienced Russian hikers led by Igor Alekseievich Dyatlov went missing in Russia’s northern Ural Mountains. A search and rescue team later found the bodies over a mile from their tents. Some were half naked, barefoot and had radiation-tanned skin. One of the hikers had his skull crushed by a force presumed too powerful to be human. Another had her tongue ripped from her mouth. No footprints besides those of the hikers were found anywhere near the incident. Their tents were ripped open from the inside, yet there was no evidence of foul play.
For decades, many have wondered about what truly took place on that mountain. Eichar claims to have the answer, which can be found in his new book, Dead Mountain.
[jump]Eichar discovered the Dyatlov Pass Incident while writing a screenplay for a scripted project. He said he was procrastinating one night by researching what historians felt were the top modern mysteries in the world and saw the Dyatlov Pass Incident on most lists. The more he read into its history, the more intrigued he became.
“I admire the hikers and the life they lived during the time of the Cold War, being in the wilderness allowed them to get off the grid and challenge themselves,” said Eichar.
Many theories were uncovered during the research process which include the hiker’s uncovered a Russian government secret and were silenced with death, alien abduction, they were camping on sacred ground and punished by that area’s indigenous people, and they were accidentally killed during a Russian missile test.
The lead investigator on the case ultimately declared that the cause of death was an “unknown compelling force.” Russian citizens never accepted that as a conclusion.
Eichar made two trips to Russia — in November 2010 and February 2013. He combed through the hikers’ belongings (journals and photos,) read declassified government reports, interviewed the hikers’ friends and family as well as members of the search and rescue team even ex-KGB agents, and followed in the hikers’ footsteps during the same winter months.
“It was really amazing, I was in the same place photos were taken — starting from their dorm — it was surreal,” said Eichar.
Eichar started off wanting to know the story behind the mystery, but in the end what he found was a story about the people. “They had such an innocence,” said Eichar. And the more he learned about the individuals the more he was bound to uncover what snuffed out the light in these youths.
In the end and with the assistance of scientists from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eichar said he has finally been able to prove what that “unknown compelling force” was.
Thanks to modern science Eichar feels very sure that he has come to a logical conclusion for the mystery of The Dyatlov Pass Incident.
Eichar credit’s his adventurous nature to his upbringing and a trip to Costa Rica with his father, in the summer of 1987, he was able to see what life could truly offer if you throw a little caution to the wind. "At that time, tourists weren't heading to Central America, the resources available to off-the-grid travelers were limited, and my dad and I had to rely on mail order maps to direct us to the country's best surf beaches, he said."
Costa Rica could have been seen as a forerunner in preparation for his hike through the Ural Mountains. However, he quickly realized nothing could compare to the Russian in the winter.To solve the mystery of The Dyatlov Pass Incident, Eichar felt he needed to get inside the minds of the deceased hikers. To do so, he followed their final footsteps as closely as possible, from the beginning of their journey to the end. He took the same tram car, bus and train route toward the Ural Mountains as they did.
"I never knew how hard it was to walk in the snow. I literally took off my shoes and walked barefoot in zero below,” said Eichar
Led by three experienced hikers, Eichar then began the journey on foot. Snow was waste deep in some areas and dangerous weather conditions prevented him from camping in a tent as the hiker’s did. The weather was anything but forgiving to his search for truth. If anything were to happen he was 30 hours from the nearest hospital. His three guides were 60-plus-year-old Russians with whom he knew little about.
Eichar stressed that these were not amateur hikers who went missing 55 years ago. They were very accomplished adventurers. They knew better than to leave that tent, especially half naked. So why would they try to run to safety unless they believed that leaving the tent was their only way to survive.
After two trips to Russia, back in Los Angeles Eichar built a command center in his garage of photos and data illustrating the timeline progression of the hikers journey and the investigative case. He then spent over a year working through a process of elimination sifting fact from fiction with a team of experts from NOAA, Russian scholars, scientists and survival experts.
Most people who are aware of the story only know about the tragedy. Eichar became equally compelled with the hikers’ story as he was with the horrible tragedy that occurred.
Originally there were 10 hikers, but one hiker named Yuri Yudin was forced to turn back early due to illness, unaware that he would never see his friends again. Eichar was the first person ever granted an extensive interview with the surviving hiker Yudin.
“If it weren’t for Yuri I wouldn’t have been able to fill in some of the missing information, without him this story wouldn’t have been told,” said Eichar.
So what’s next for this Florida born native? There seems to be talk about making Dead Mountain into a movie. One things for sure Eichar plans to make one more trip to Russia next year for the anniversary of those who had fallen.