old_hand

I agree, and my reply here wasn't meant to "warn" specifically for the Husky. But just to tell you of an unprecedented, recent tragedy as far as Holland is concerned. And myself I think the root-problem lies with us, humans. There are way too many people who don't know the least about dogs. Yet they are allowed to buy them, breed them, trade them, treat them just the way they want or see fit.

Thank you véry much, Ragnar. I'm pretty speechless now. We dón't know for sure that Marijke Vervoort accidentally fell into a river; she may nót be in the water. But at the same time, that chance exists indeed. And to read here how someone can disappear forever in one of those wild rivers in Jotunheimen EVEN when a search is started immediately... As said, speechless.

Many thanks, Detlef, for your PM. So the article about Marit concerns a young girl who drowned in Jotunheimen in August of 1980. That makes it 26 years ago, Marijke's age... Truly a painful coincidence. And if there are reasons why the parents of Marit know for sure that she drówned there yet in all those years never ány trace of her was found back, that is indeed discouraging. And it makes me understand your post here even better. From the article it seems to me that Marit had a holiday-job (summerjob) in Leirvassbu. And she hiked from Lom to Leirdalen. It is this area that, I believe, is investigated extensively now in the search for Marijke, both by the Norwegian teams as well as the Dutch this week. I don't know what else to say than that my heart goes out to Marit's parents, as it does to the relatives, friends and colleagues of Marijke Vervoort as well.

Please excuse me. But I noticed that you are talking about dogs here and allegretto also wrote "Også en utmerket familiehund!". I just want you to be aware that a rather dominant Siberian Husky killed an 8 days old baby in Holland a few weeks ago. The dog (apparently they had two of them) was kept like a pet by a young couple who had their first baby early June. When the child was 8 days old, during the night the dog managed to open the door to the nursery, took the baby from its cradle and killed it. The mother discovered this shortly afterwards when she wanted to feed her child. This dog was described as being not aggressive at all, ever before, with the couple or any visiting guests, meeting strangers on the street, et cetera. On the contrary, and outside it was kept on a lead and always stayed with its boss without problem. It had a record however of killing at least one cat in the neighbourhood, shortly before. In my country and after long debates and investigations, this utter tragedy is meanwhile primarily being seen not as a result of jealousy (because of all the attention for the baby), but of simply removing "a stranger" from the family's house and as such a result of the hierarchy in the "pack". The dog was put to sleep (gently killed by a vet) the next day. And justice authorities have decided not to prosecute the parents, for neglect or anything. They are punished beyond description already. This tragedy has shocked many people over here. And there is no debate that a Husky would generally be an aggressive dog, because they are not. But please remain aware, at all times, that what wé may see as "a family dog", can sometimes be perceived differently by the dog itself... http://www.ad.nl/binnenland/article395031.ece http://www.parool.nl/nieuws/2006/JUN/10/p2.html .

Forgot to add that when much of the snow has melted AND in case one or more of Marijke's possessions are suddenly spotted some place, the chances of determining a more exact search-area will increase significantly.

Good morning Detlef, With the GD-article in your link in front of me now, it's too much of a puzzle to understand what it is exactly about. But it looks as if the search for Marijke opened old wounds in parents who also - but for a very long time - have a daughter missing out there? A girl who was seventeen when she disappeared? May I please ask you to post a summary of what's in the article, in German because that is more convenient for you with the language? It was said before, in this thread and by the police in Lom, that more people have disappeared in Jotunheimen over the years. That is really not so strange, unfortunately. And the same happens in comparable, mountainous regions in many other countries that are popular hiking destinations. Hence the rule/the strong advice never to make such trips all on your own. Any "new" disappearance, and especially if it happens in the same area/region, is painful and difficult to cope with for relatives of a person who is also still missing and last seen in the same neighbourhood. In that sense I understand your posting and the new GD-publication: it's like "a life sentence" for close relatives and friends who are left behind without real certainty about life or death, and about what happened. Which is one of the prime reasons for the presence of the Dutch SAR-team there now: to find Marijke back, alive ór dead. One remark in that respect. These dogs and the same goes for the special pack of dogs that was brought over from Oslo a fortnight ago, can act as "Leichensuchhunde": dogs trained in picking up even a very, very faint scent in case there is a corpse somewhere. I was once told (when a French team brought such dogs over to Asia in a SAR-operation) that réal good dogs have an ability to trace human remains even up to some 3 years after a disapperance, and - depending on the structure of the soil, humidity and temperatures - they can detect scents even if the body is meanwhile buried a few meters down into the soil. But with water as well, such dogs can provide amázing results if they get the chance to search the water. So it would appear to me that ANY NEW, RELIABLE INFORMATION regarding Marijke's whereabouts in Jotunheimen, remains VERY IMPORTANT. If they don't manage to find her today, that doesn't exclude the chance that still one or more esp. foreign tourists who have seen her on June 4, are not aware yet that she vanished. At least in theory there is still a chance that in future somebody can give a more precise indication of the time and the direction she was going. And it cannot be emphasised enough how important repeated media attention is in the first couple of months after a disappearance: to alert witnesses... Detlef you said you hope this will not happen to Marijke: that she remains missing for the next few decades, like the young girl in today's Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen-article. It was Tom here, I believe, who made a remark a few weeks back about how this "could be another Lesja-case". Of course I have no idea what he meant by that. But I trust that if that had anything to do with a (suspected) crime, naturally the police in Lom were the first to think the same and that they have investigated that possibility.

Friday 7th July: the fourth search-day After breakfast the whole group left for Spiterstulen. There they split up into a group of 4, including two members support team, and another group of 3 persons. The group of 4 left, fully packed, right away to go to Urdadalstjonne Lake (225 x 425 meters at an altitude of approx. 1500 m), where the dogs of the Norwegian police had shown activity/interest. This was a hike of 6 hours in total over a distance of 18 kilometers. Upon arrival at the lake after 3½ hours, searches of the lake were started immediately. Because of the weather forecast, rain should be expected. Something that was proven by threatening clouds in the sky. It meant that having mountain experience was no luxury. And it was for this reason that the 2 support-members accompanied this search team. One of the dogs, just like the police searchdogs, showed that it took an interest in the lake. Unfortunately the animal was unable to proceed this any further. In the most ideal situation there ought to be a boat to get on the water. Alas, this is impossible due to the remoteness and especially the high location (altitude) of the lake. It would appear though that divers have searched there already during the first searchaction by the Norwegians. By the end of the day everybody returned safely. The second group started by searching from Spiterstulen to the north. Wherever possible this was done on the right as well as the left side of the road. They faced very steep slopes there that kept going down all the way to the river. The terrain was also quite capricious and swampy. This hindered the action. At one point one of the dogs showed an increased interest. In that situation, however, unfortunately this could not be investigated much further. Tomorrow attention will again be paid to that spot. Tomorrow is the last one of the search-days and then the final part of the road away from Spiterstulen will be searched. Again, hopefully more success tomorrow. On Sunday the RHWW-team is scheduled to arrive back on Amsterdam Airport in the afternoon Source: http://www.reddingshonden.nl ("Nieuws")

A photo of team members Corrie and Rico, and their dogs. Several more photos through a link on this RHWW News page, a link called: KLIK HIER voor het totale inzetverslag en foto's van de RHWW in Noorwegen. (read more) Edit Sunday July 9: the special "mission page Norway", with the diary and photos, meanwhile got its own URL: http://www.reddingshonden.nl/inzetNoorwegen2006.htm .

2 - 9 July 2006; search mission for a missing woman (26) in Norway After almost two weeks of intensive preparations a mission-team of the RHWW finally left for Norway on the 2nd of July. It took longer to receive permission to enter Norway with the dogs, a.o. because of the strict regulations there in respect of rabies. The mission-team consists of 4 rescuedogs and 7 persons in total. The preparations for the mission As of June 4, 2006 the 26 year old Marijke Vervoort is missing in Norway. She was last seen at the Spiterstulen hotel in the natural reserve Jotunheimen. Norwegian police organises searchefforts. However, Marijke is not found back. On request of the relatives and with the cooperation of the Dutch police, a team of the RHWW (Rescue Dogs Team Westervoort) travels to the area to carry out searches. What took place ahead of the searchoperation. First of all there was contact with the Dutch "Postbank" where Marijke has a valid travelinsurance. Postbank soon proved willing to cover the cost of transport and expenses for the team. Next to the costs being taken care of, information about the disappearance is of high importance and from that information it already became clear that applying the Dutch dogs would provide for extra value. The organisation of the mission was started. BCD travelagency was asked to book the flights, accomodation and transport in Norway. The financial part was further to be taken care of by VIDI. An inventory of the number of available dogs was made as well, which resulted in seven of them. However, as it turned out the biggest problem was to bring the dogs along because Norway is very strict in its rules regarding import of dogs into the country. The main concern in that respect are the rabies vaccinations and the compulsory bloodtest in view of that vaccination. A rule is that after a minimum of 120 days after the latest vaccination, a bloodtest needs to be performed. With a number of the dogs this period proved significantly shorter than the 120 days, and as a result we had a big problem. After consultations with the Norwegian authorities a dispensation of the regulations appeared possible, but in order to get that dispensation all details of all the dogs had to be sent by e-mail in advance and also the bloodtest was an obligation. In the end nevertheless a number of dogs was refused entrance, their titer value although being truly sufficient was yet significantly lower than the value in the remaining dogs, which caused the Norwegian authorities to deny them entrance. Ultimately definite bookings could be made for four dogs, four dog handlers, 2 men support team, and one mission leader. Sunday 2nd July: departure At 7.00 a.m. we assemble in the departure hall of Schiphol airport. Upon collecting the tickets at the BCD Travel counter, it is clear that all has been taken care of perfectly and into the smallest details. We check in, partly at KLM and the rest at SAS. After a short flight of an hour and a half we land in Oslo where the dogs are being examined by the veterinary staff at the airport. Then through Customs and on to the rental company to pick up the cars. The journey to the area of this search-mission is considerably longer, which is a result also of the maximum speed allowed to drive in Norway. Arrival at the hotel It is evening already when we arrive at the hotel, where we can still enjoy a meal. After our dinner we unpack the cars and our luggage. Time for a short break and also to make the plans for tomorrow. First to the police and then to explore the search-area Monday 3rd July: exploring In the morning the local police gave us an extensive briefing. Then we headed for Spiterstulen right away, in Jotunheimen National Park. After a briefing by the woman owner of the hotel, we combined a survey of the terrain with rehearsing some skills of our dog-teams. The day went by too quick. It is remarkable that distances seem rather short, but the maximum speed on the roads makes for long rides. Finally, back in our hotel, on the basis of the information we had gathered we made a preliminary search-plan to leave the next morning at 8.00 a.m. for the western part of Jotunheimen. Edited July 9 to add additional info re. Monday 3rd July, source: vermist.nl, based on a phone conversation. The cooperation of the police in Norway is outstanding. They have done very much, we really have to say so. Almost everything was scoured. They have stopped because of the glaciers, it became too dangerous. But Marijke would have indicated that she did not want to go to the glaciers because she found them too difficult to walk/climb. Helicopters have flown above the natural reserve, but that could be debated. I went to lie down below some bush for a short while and nothing could be seen of me. We have received good maps of the territory and of the route that has been searched. We will mainly search an area that has not been scoured previously. Tuesday 4th July: the first search-day Departure at 8.00 a.m. for the search area. We made the choice for this area because there is a trail from Spiterstulen towards the mountain hut Leirvassbu. On the day of the disapperance, this mountain hut was closed. The weather was ideal. After a drive of some 45 minutes (35 kms) we arrived at the road towards the mountain hut. This non-dirtroad is approx. 15 kms long. The search took place along the river Leira. The terrain turned out to be of medium difficulty and fortunately there were no thorns! Taking into account the wind, we started on the north side. The group (4 dogs) was split up between both sides of the road. By the end of the day and against our expectations we have already searched 8 kilometers over a stretch of 200 meters. Tomorrow the remaining part will be searched. Although for the time being we are unsuccessful, we nevertheless look back on a productive and informative day. This first day taught us a lot about a.o. wind currents and conditions of the terrain. Upon arrival back at our hotel, the equipment for tomorrow is all made ready right away. The first day caused us all to go to sleep in time. Wednesday 5th July: the second search-day After a good night's sleep we left early for the search area where we were yesterday. The weather was again good, and the enthusiasm big. Because the search-area on the left side of the trail is narrower than on its right side, we decided to have 1 dog search on the left side and the other three on the right side of the trail. The terrain was swampy. Rico soon was up to his knees in the mud! Because of the nature of the terrain, we made less progress in terms of distances than had been expected. Yet the mood and enthusiasm remained good. On today's route we also reached one of the very few bridges across the river. This offered the opportunity to search on the other side of the river as well. Previously that had been impossible because of the strong current in the river. Therefore this will be a part of further searches tomorrow. It was quite remarkable that the water level in the river had gone down compared to yesterday. But the weather forecast for tomorrow indicates that rain should be expected. As a consequence, unfortunately the water will rise again. We have met Dutch tourists who are very familiar with the area and they were able to give us much information about distances in relation to times, and about the terrain-difficulty in the national park. Meeting them was very valuable to us. And it was also encouraging that these tourists could tell us that the disappearance is very much on the mind of other Dutch nationals presently staying in Jotunheimen. Also the Norwegians we speak with make clear they keep their ears and eyes open. Although the area's size is truly gigantic, we stay optimistic. And that's how we want to close this day. Thursday 6th July: the third search-day Again an early departure for the same search area as yesterday. At a waterfall the dogs showed increased interest. For that reason John and Rémy went to fetch wetsuits at a canyoning company (Sjak Canyoning AS). The people were so kind to make these suits available to us for free, in view of the nature of our mission. When the team members returned, both searched the waterfall from all above to down below, where ever possible. Unfortunately without result. At some places where the current was very strong it was impossible to search in a safe way. In order to secure the safety of the man in the water, special stands were created and climbing gear was used. After a couple of trial efforts, with this too we gained quite some experience for possible future applications. We noticed again how, in the morning, the water was lower than the day before. During the search action in the water, it started rising again. This although, contrary to expectations, the weather was very good. It was also very warm. The dogs have together continued searching towards the south up to the Leirvassbu. Here we have searched both sides of the river. In total we covered some 7 kilometers over an area of 300 meters on an average. The western side of the river was searched up to a glacier stream that was impossible to cross. During the evenings most of the time is spent taking care of ("grooming") the dogs, making preparations for the next day and processing the information gathered on that day. GPS results of the past days indicate that the first search-area was thoroughly searched. Experience, unfortunately, tells that this is no guarantee for total exclusion. Tomorrow óne group will go from the Spiterstulen towards a lake where policedogs have shown increased activity. The other group will investigate the road to Spiterstulen. Hopefully tomorrow will be more successful. = = =

As you'll all be aware there is no big news yet, unfortunately. Yeah, you're right with that, Julia. It's just that people don't always do what you'd expect them to do, even in the mountains. And with those "indications" regarding Glittertind AND Besseggen, I was speculating she might have turned east somehow (though that would have meant returning to Spiterstulen first). There is a button called "Nieuws" ("news") on the searchdogs-website www.reddingshonden.nl. Problem (here) is that the site is in Dutch... And the latest news comes with a link to a "diary" with information about their preparations during the past fortnight, and then a real diary of events starting Sunday July 2nd when the team flew to Norway. I'm thinking about simply translating all that info, to post it here; there are so many people here who really take an interest and who've done their best to be of help. But in the first place I don't know if the RHWW would agree with that idea (copyright and such issues), and secondly I don't know if a lot of the people here would really like to read it all. Fact is there is a 7-member Dutch team out there with four well-trained dogs. They have received an extensive briefing from the Lom Police, they've spoken with a female owner of the Spiterstulen Hut, and they have started their actual searches on Tuesday along a trail from Spiterstulen leading into the direction of Leirvassbu, along the river Leira. Their aim is to search areas west of Spiterstulen (more western parts of Jotunheimen). And everyone of the Dutch tourists they've meanwhile met out there but many Norwegians as well have made clear that Marijke's disappearance is on everyone's mind, and people hiking and moving around there are all keeping their eyes and ears "open". The weather on Tuesday and Wednesday was good, but for tomorrow rain is expected which will cause a rise again of the water in rivers in the area, unfortunately. One final detail: there should have been seven Dutch dogs, as that is the number the team had available for this assignment. But it's due to the results of their bloodtests that three of them were refused entrance in advance already; their results being more than sufficient yet clearly "lower" than the bloodtest-results of four of their canine colleagues...

You know what's intriguing? In that Dutch text I quoted here ( ".....was op haar eentje op trektocht en wilde de hellingen Besseggen en Glittertind bezoeken. "), it literally says: Now as for the Besseggen Ridge, and my knowledge only coming from viewing lots of photos lately, I think that's a misunderstanding: you do not hike "the slopes" of Besseggen, but the ridge itself. Of course with the mountain Glittertind that máy be an entirely different thing: making plans to climb your way up, yet without really wanting to reach the summit (for whatever reasons she may have had). Maybe she knew in advance there might be (would be) too much snow still? Maybe it's for that same reason she stárted to climb Galdhøpiggen, yet without the idea ever to summit it? So that's why she turned back half way??? I still didn't manage to find out where that more detailed information suddenly, on the Dutch website, came from. And I suppose it's all none of my business anyhow. But how they described it, in Dutch, could be really remarkable: the slopes of. Depending on whó gave them that information, it may provide an answer/explanation re. her adventure on Saturday June 3. But at the same time it may answer, Julia, why she perhaps still would have hiked into the direction of Glittertind, though not to make an attempt to summit it all on her own, and then use an eastern hikingtrail to go south towards Lake Gjende and the Besseggen Ridge. PDF (zoom in, zoom out by changing the %) map of Jotunheimen: http://english.dirnat.no/archive/attachments/01/67/NPmap016.pdf .

They did have the bloodtests. Otherwise they would have arrived more than a week earlier. But I think it's probably safe to assume that the Norwegian vets who are responsible in such matters, have understood and agreed that – with these very specific dogs whose past whereabouts can of course be documented in detail – there is an utterly minimal to zero risk to allow them entrance into the country. Which would have been a reason to "step up" the ordinary bloodtest-procedures in this emergency situation. Which, subsequently, means that the results of the required bloodtests became available much quicker than in ordinary cases. Add to that what BjornV brought up here: Norway is - naturally - already used to giving searchdogs (search- & rescuedogs) "in active service" a special treatment: one that requires less bureaucratic rules and regulations. And therefore less time.

In principle five more days of searching: the Foundation "Werkgroep Reddings Honden Westervoort" today issued a press statement saying that members of its organisation left for Norway today, to continue searchefforts for the missing woman. It's a team of 7 people, bringing four rescuedogs with them. In principle they'll be carrying out further searches for a maximum of five days and then need to go back to Holland again. (Of course this will be dependent on possible results, such as with the chance that meanwhile possessions of Marijke would be discovered anywhere in Jotunheimen. If that would happen, it could give a better indication of where to intensify / concentrate searchefforts). See for example: Elsevier.nl Nieuws.nl

You're forgiven, Susanne: fully, completely, entirely, eternally, and you have my blessing... What you have done so far for this thread, all the effort you put into this thing with the Lonely Planet travelguide for Norway that Marijke used as a reference: there's no need at all for you to make a public "mea culpa". So LP dóes provide more information regarding Norway, hiking, DNT, and more. I guess we can debate whether or not it's logical to print that, as you said, 'at the end' of the big book. I hope it's mentioned in their index pages! But since that's not so relevant here, I will not go into all that. What I do notice, from your translation, is that in my opinion the information that they dó supply, still seems to be insufficient. As apparently there is still no explanation regarding pre-season and high-season, nor too much about huts being closed and the season-defined absence of bridges.

I'm sorry to say that in this case I have always found e-mail communications with "the friends/relatives" to be "poor", which is a disadvantage really if you are trying to deal with (travel)webforums and ask for more detailed information, also in view of appeal-postings on webforums. So that's perhaps why, on a Dutch website, but not in direct communications with strangers who have tried to be of help, it is stated that Marijke wanted to hike the Besseggen Ridge and Glittertind... http://www.vermist.nl/?url=vrm_detail_page?id=13507 No idea how long that information is publicised there, on "Vermist.nl", a national source/team specialised in trying to help in missing person cases. It wasn't there last week as far as I know, the details re. destinations in Jotunheimen. So maybe they managed indeed, after all, to dig up a kind of Jotunheimen-itinerary that the missing woman had indeed. .

You're very lucky that, presumably, you have no rabies because you dó have bats: "Flaggermus" And in Oppland as well (bats) (att.: PDF document) Page 9, down below: "I deler av verden kan flaggermus være bærere av en variant av rabies." Comes from a report of June 2005; an English summary starts on page 53 though not in respect of rabies. Euro surveillance "Rabies in Europe in 2005" (no year of publication; can't open and read the whole study) (ditto) Wikipedia "Lists of countries where rabies in pet animals is under control" Unfortunately, a trained RESCUE DOG is however NO PET..... for these official qualifications, or so it seems. Although naturally the animal has a boss and a family and a home too. Like any police or rescue or searchdog. Disappointed? Yes, extremely. With colonies of bats reported in or at least in the vicinity of Jotunheimen yet knowing relatively little about their species in Norway and therefore a "presumed rabies-free presence of bats", I fail to see why a Dutch SAR-team urgently required there with their well-trained dogs is forced to stay at home, under the present circumstances. It is the 26th of June meanwhile.

Thank you haraldn. This comes from INTERVET.NL, one of the countries' main suppliers of veterinary medicines. A daughter company of Intervet Intl. which is a business-unit of the Pharma Group of Akzo Nobel. translated:

Hello Astrid, In view of all what you say about directions and roads: the last info I received directly (on Saturday) is that the Dutch SAR-team were indeed doing all they can, and activating everyone so they can leave for Norway A.S.A.P. But they háve to be sure - before they leave - that they'll be allowed in once they land in Norway of course. If permission comes soon now, they'll start a new search on the ground with the assistance of local mountainguides ánd the help of the Lom Lensmannskontor, who of course have all the data of their own searches, experience, knowledge and so on. It seems that "Westervoort" was told about this particular forumthread some time ago already, and read some information they found useful, in here. So let's try and keep these efforts up here!!! (says someone who has never been to Norway) By the way: the issue with the bloodtests for their dogs is nót because the dogs would not be vaccinated against rabies at all, of course. It's a SAR-organisation that's in principle always ready to fly abroad right away, and rabies vaccinations are a requirement virtually everywhere. But the way I understood, the problem lies with the various dates of the vaccinations (in that number of individual dogs). Norway wants proof of "the percentage" of vaccin/protection still active in their blood ("titer-bepaling" in Dutch, I think; wouldn't know what that is called in English). Best protection comes from a "fresh" vaccination after a certain number of days or weeks; an "older" vaccination reduces the % of vaccin ( = protection) still detectable in the blood. The principle goes for humans too. It makes me wonder if each and every Norwegian dog has to undergo bloodtests too, if its rabies vaccination was administered not really recently... These "Westervoort" dogs, after all, would nót be coming to roam around freely and sprint all over Norway.

I agree, Susanne. A few random comments in that respect. It's every backpacker's own responsibility to prepare him/herself well for a trip/certain destination, and make sure you learn the most crucial/ specific/ important things there are to know about travelling in that country/region. I'm expecting any LP travelguide to have a "disclaimer", saying the publisher is not (to be held legally) responsible for any errors, inaccuracies or misjudgements in the information they supply in their publication. It would be impossible for any publisher to include ALL there is to know, in a travelguidebook (they also have to take care all the time that the book doesn't get too heavy and too big to carry around!). And a publisher is not responsible for how well or how poor a future traveller prepares him/herself, and whether or not they skip info on safety, seasons, et cetera because they just don't care too much and "want to feel free". The scans you made clearly advise to visit the Lom Tourist Info Centre (upon arrival there) for more detailed information, and LP gives the URL of its website ("visitlom.com"). By the way: Oslo (and other towns) has a Tourist Info Centre of course as well. I imagine that any visitor could learn in Oslo as well about the summer season, dates, accomodations still being closed if you say you want to go to Jotunheimen. Maybe Marijke did go to one of the Tourist Info Centres in a different town, before she arrived in Lom. Maybe at the Lom "TIC", outside on their door or walls, there is clear info (in posters or anything) about the summer-season dates and consequences? That way their opening hours would make less of a difference in this case. About "quality travel guidebooks": if they can give the details of any national bank holidays in a country (such as 14th July in France f.e., or our 30th April "Queens Day" in Holland when the whole country is upside down, shops, banks being closed and all accomodation in Amsterdam fully booked long in advance), for a country like Norway I think they ought to be more clear about the consequences of tourist season. And speaking about "summer" or "winter" is just - in the case of Norway - not good enough. LP guides are not really specific f.e. about monsoons either. But monsoons don't come with a calendar date. And moreover: ending up in the monsoon rains is, at least theoretically, much less life-threatening than ending up in Jotunheimen with no warm hut and food where you expected it to be. Jotunheimen not even being all the way up north (climate, temperatures). We don't know for sure if Marijke was informed adequately enough. Yet it's a fact that she went missing. I get the impression we agree that the LP guide for Norway lacks a few essential informations (that would not take too much space to include). Yet I should be honest and explain that myself I'm not "neutral" anymore regarding the publisher (LP), anyhow. That happened some time ago, after I kept noticing how they are really reluctant and not organised or prepared to focus too much on safety topics, and the existence of specific dangers, scams and "traps" for backpackers/tourists. Like any commercial company, they want to sell. That is perfectly understandble. But as soon as you tell them "your advice/warnings are insufficient for so-and-so reason and country", they don't even reply directly but by using several different usernames on their own forums (also to try and change the topic all the time) they come to point at their "Disclaimer", and that's it. It's a long read in below link; it took five weeks to have a little something improved on the LP-website only (it wasn't even about the printed guidebooks!). But you can judge for yourself then: Lonely Planet is provided "as is"... Discussionthread in TT "All About Lonely Planet", started April 4, 2006.

Not to mention, finally, that a growing number of backpackers/hikers use travelboards and specialised webforums such as this one when they are planning their trip.... Was she a (registered) visitor on one or more of such boards? Where? The Thorn Tree perhaps? Username? And if threads haven't expired yet (but they probably did quite some time ago already if she started asking around and planning a long time ago), what sort of advice, tips and recommendations re. Jotunheimen did she ask, and receive? (Haven't been able yet to "spot" her on the web in connection with Jotunheimen, but I don't mind admitting I've started trying so a few times since last week already).

1. Thank God for your reply regarding wildlife out in Jotunheimen. (There are one or two reports online from hikers meeting with a wolverine in Jotunheimen a few years ago. But even then: it's an enormous large area). It's probably correct to assume that a woman like her would never deliberately approach a fairly large "predator" (or a moose in a bad mood). But an injured human, lying on the ground, could be different for some hungry (and large) animals. If they are not there: so much the better! 2. The prices you mention for simple things such as breakfast or even a slice of bread, are breathtaking.... Indeed: no wonder people in that case rather leave without it. And since she was travelling in Norway at least for some time already, she was probably aware of such prices indeed. I was not. 3. Huts: if só many were still closed, the logical question needs to be which one(s) was opened, and did she know that? And: what direction are they? 4. I mentioned the e-mail account(s) in view of the examples I explained here with other missing trekkers. Maybe it was all done last week already by people here in Holland. Maybe a relative or a friend she really trusts, has her password(s) permanently (like I do with the account of my daughter who is an avid traveller, so it's exactly for the same reason that we made that arrangement years ago). It would not be difficult in this country (for police and relatives) to get the cooperation of a provider to open ("open it up") an e-mail account in situations like this. And as far as the internal communications in the hospital are concerned where there may be personal correspondence of course as well: they too (the employers) will have a protocol to deal with this situation. If there is a hunch that her electronic notebook, agenda, e-mailaccount or whatever might perhaps provide urgently required information, it should not be hard to have it all thoroughly checked out for "Norway information". But what counts is if parties concerned here, have indeed done all that or not yet, including appeals to all contacts / friends / colleagues.

About searching, just a personal opinion. Although it may seem as if many searches out in mountainous terrain are basically "the same" and require the same type of investigations, approach and actions (depending on season and such circumstances), the missing person isn't the same, his/her history isn't the same, his/her direct relatives are not the same, the friends who frantically try to help are not the same, the acting policeforce is not the same, nor is the policeforce and its liason officer in the home country of the missing backpacker, the embassy is not the same, a search&rescue team is different, the local residents ditto and any possible eye-witnesses as well. In principle strangers everywhere are usually helpful and understanding, and everyone emotionally or professionally involved in the searchefforts wants the missing tourist back A.S.A.P. The tragedy of a foreign tourist going missing is a global problem, but the people directly involved can make a lot of difference. Back to Marijke: As far as I know Norwegian police kept saying they have no information or indication regarding where Marijke wanted to go (in Jotunheimen National Park). No doubt this is true. What they have checked thoroughly right from the start, is the so called "electronic evidence" regarding at least her Dutch cellphone and her creditcard (and bankaccount). I am hoping that on instructions of the police her entire e-mail account (or accounts) were thoroughly checked out as well: for each and every e-mail she sent or received, ever since she made her plans to go to Norway. The e-mail correspondence, including with friends or even relatives, where any remark could be made in view of her travelplans in Norway. I'm also hoping that all her contacts, friends, colleagues have been asked to do the same: to go carefully over anything she has written or told them about going to Norway. And to see if there are "clues" in the information that will surface that way. She reportedly said on June 3 she wanted to hike in Jotunheimen during a week. On Saturday June 10 she was expected in Oslo. Did she have a Jotunheimen-itinerary in mind only, or did she write it down some place? Where? For whom? Fyi some time ago a hiker went missing in an environment rather comparable to Jotunheimen. The disapperance became public news a month later. By that time his free Hotmail account had long expired (not logged into again in time, the contents automatically deleted). And only some three months later suddenly a work-colleague of the still missing backpacker decided to forward an e-mail to the parents, an e-mail he had received from him shortly before he went missing. In his case the e-mail was not relevant regarding itinerary/where to search. But it was extremely relevant in a different way. Nobody had ever specifically asked the missing backpacker's friends and contacts to supply any correspondence they had with him (rather) short before he disappeared. It was a sudden "brainwave" that made the colleague decide it might be nice for the parents to read what their son had written when all was still okay. Naturally I'm not advocating that people would always need to share – with the police - their most personal correspondence with someone who is missing. But what they all need to do, is find back anything with a possible, even the slightest, indication of what choices she may have made after leaving Spiterstulen that Sunday morning. In a different case of a backpacker who went missing in a foreign country this year, it soon turned out that the close relatives nor the friends had any information about the travel itinerary in that country during a 4-weeks hiking holiday there. Apart from an e-mail sent by the backpacker on a certain date 7 weeks earlier from a certain village, nobody knew where she wanted to go: south, north, west, east: no information whatsoever. Then suddenly, over a week into the search, a friend accidentally found back an old e-mail she had received from the missing backpacker some 2½ months ago. The friend was convinced she had deleted the mail, and didn't recall its contents no more. And although that e-mail was still hopelessly inaccurate regarding intended dates, at least it did provide some important clues about what the plans of the missing backpacker had been. This, later, proved correct. Communication, clear communication including confirmations, is só important if someone goes on an adventure trek abroad, and alone. But ALSO in the tragic event that a backpacker is missing. And it's a fact that not everybody is able to think logically and communicate clearly and accurately: certainly not if they are under (extreme) stress from having a loved one / dear friend missing abroad.

Well, that didn't sound very reassuring Susanne. Thanks for the effort. What do you think yourself regarding where such vital information should be in the guide? Detlef replied in German on one of the other boards with an appeal for information re. Marijke. His reply concerns leaving without having breakfast, and the "?" questionmark. In my English She was seen leaving Spiterstulen on Sunday, with her rücksack, and walking into a certain direction. Whether she continued in that direction, as far as I understood, is not clear/certain. Could she have continued (on foot) in any direction and expecting to arrive (at the end of the afternoon or so) at any type of hut that would be open. Only to find out that was not the case yet, the hut still being closed? Did she have keys? What if she had no keys? Were there a few or many other hikers around to ask for help/advice? Maybe, maybe not, probably not: in view of the time meanwhile if there was no accomodation in the neighbourhood. No tent; what other option but to walk on many more hours and to sleep outside and continue the next day? The option to return all the way to Spiterstulen? What if she never asked for any advice there BEFORE she left, simply because she felt rather discouraged to do so at that hut? (Speculation, yes, because Julia reported they have very kind and helpful staff too). What about the presence of wildlife, in particular fairly large predators? Have humans ever seriously been attacked by large® animals out there, say in the last five years or so? There are no warnings for wildlife in Jotunheimen, or are there?

Thanks very much Susanne. If you can spend a little more time on it, could you please also try to look up any general advice/warnings in the LP for Norway regarding the season, and when the summer seasons starts, and that before it actually starts several lodges/huts or facilities such as f.e. bridges are not available? That sort of information, that was nót printed in the parts about Jotunheimen itself. @ Ragnar, That was interesting, and your replies often clearly showed my lack of abilities to read every detail in the Norwegian pressreports. I am sorry about that, but it's a fact. I had no idea f.e. that Nordal Camping is situated inside Lom. Naturally there is the possibility that her friend in Oslo and/or (many) others have told her all there is to know, well in advance. She is described as a hiker who would thoroughly prepare herself whenever she went abroad on such vacations. In that sense, there is a lot of speculation in my questions. Re. # 9 You've mentioned that word in Norwegian here before: "destination" (Besemmelgem, or something like that). It does sound a lot like the Dutch "bestemming" (= destination), so if she generally (and reportedly) asked no questions at all at the Spiterstulen Hut, she most probably knew exactly what it meant. And did not write a " ? " just to be done with it, because she didn't understand the question. Even better: probably the check-in card is in several languages! Re. # 10 Whether or not she had registered herself (long) in advance with the DNT we don't know, but the police does. (Also in view of the keys you need to be able to open and use some of the huts). You say that according to news articles, she did not ask for anything at the Spiterstulen hut. That information is likely to come straight from the police; reporters wouldn't "invent" such a thing, I trust. The weak point, in my opinion, in this fact about her not asking for anything (no advice, no guide, no nothing) is that I suppose that this information (statement) comes from the staff (owner, personnel) at Spiterstulen. It cannot come from the Polish national, because he wasn't with her all the time she was there untill she left on Sunday. It cannot come from just one or more other tourists either. It's a mean thing for me to say here, but in view of earlier comments re. behaviour sometimes of some individual(s) of that staff, I would have my doubts if that information is entirely correct or if that statement was given primarily because the owners/staff want to be left alone and are not pleased at all with their position in these investigations into the whereabouts of a lost foreign tourist, and all the media attention that followed. Re. # 11 Relatives, friends from her university education, and/or present (close) friends and colleagues could know. I brought up Ibsen here because of the type of schooleducation she received before she went to university. It's called "Gymnasium" in Holland, however: not to be confused with what "gymnasium" often means in English re. fitness training. Hers is the highest level "highschool" one can go to, with an emphasis on classical languages such as Latin and ancient Greek, and generally more attention for "the classics". But again: whether or not it was appealing to her to hike the Besseggen Ridge, no idea... Re. the Tourist Information Centre in Lom, it would seem to me that some of their information should indeed be improved and it sounds like a good idea what you have in mind: to contact them over those issues. Thinking back however of several descriptions of Marijke and how she always seriously prepared herself for these type of holidays, it seems impossible that just by missing out on a visit perhaps to that Tourist Centre in Lom, she would nót have known about several crucial safety rules, or the possibility that not all accomodations were open and available already.

You, and a great many other people here, know that part of the world and the options or conditions it may provide to survive, or not. But with the uncertainty ánd the hope probably hurting the most, I suppose many can understand if even more attempts would be made to try and find her back. As for what you say about "running away for a while", in my opinion that is not what a mentally stable doctor would do: bring lots of other people in direct danger because of course they will go searching for you, and even in the most difficult and dangerous terrain. The Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen put another article online this morning about the situation and developments. http://www.gd.no/artikkel.asp?Artid=185937 "Nye søk når isen har gått " - Lørdag 24. juni 2006 Two quotes from their publication: Regarding the searches on June 21 when a reporter and photographer of the NRK could join a helicoptercrew to fly over Hellstugubreen, people can still listen to an audio interview with Jan Erik Hellerens, straight from the chopper. => Click this link (interview of 1:20 minutes; starts with a little bit of advertising) .