“It’s… a backpack,” he murmured, not daring to touch it.
The woman approached. As she wiped away what appeared to be a label with her fingers, they both looked at each other in surprise.
—Julian Herrera.
Father and daughter lost in the Pyrenees: five years later, hikers discover what was hidden in a crevice.
Their hearts were pounding. It couldn’t be a coincidence. The backpack was wedged between two rocks, as if it had fallen from a high crevice. The couple took photos and sent them to the gendarmerie, who responded immediately. Within hours, a specialized rescue team arrived by helicopter and cordoned off the area.
Captain Morel, who had participated in the initial search five years earlier, opened the backpack while wearing gloves. Inside, he found a dented metal bottle, scraps of food in a bag, a crumpled map… and something that made him shiver: Clara’s blue notebook, recognized by everyone during the investigation.
The media pressure returned with a vengeance. The family was alerted, and journalists from both sides of the border blocked access roads. But the mountain wasn’t willing to provide answers so easily.
The crevice where the backpack was found was only fifty centimeters wide, but it extended several meters downward and much higher. According to experts, it’s possible that Julián had attempted to descend from a nearby point in search of a shortcut or shelter, and had become trapped.
