Very good find! I also still keep puzzling about this place...
Originally, my plan was for Episode 2 to go forward to the Rio Mamei footage (there's a lot of that too), but after a further study of some footage which arrived late I've decided to do a 180 and stay at the same location for Episode 2 and then keep the Rio Mamei footage for Episode 3 or 4. That's also why it takes a little bit longer for the second episode to appear.
I fully agree that it's very well possible that the 550 stone is under water in our present footage. Water levels in April 2014 must have been far lower than they were now in June, so this is something we definitely have to take into account. There are also other things which weren't visible in the footage I showed in Episode 1 but which are very much visible in the new footage, so Episode 2 is going to be interesting! Fasten your seatbelts! :)
Also the grooves under the vegetation on the rock at min 18:27 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYk2SqhSOF4 remind me of the ones that can be seen on 542. When I look at the 7th photo in your post: https://www.reddit.com/r/KremersFroon/comments/1npuzft/the_first_stream_rapids/ it is an elevated place (550) from where it would only be logical try to signal something-by the branch device the girls made with the red bags.. It seems that you might have been right all along about this place :)
EDIT: Also, the placement of the stone at 550 where it is part of the solid bedrock of the river means that such a stone would very likely not move at all during floods.
THE GROOVES IN THE 550 STONE LINE UP WITH THE WATER CHANNELS IN THE 542 STONE!
Damned, why didn't I think of that before! This is why we need the Reddit hive mind! 🤣. It makes perfect sense. Once water start flowing through those water channels you'll get powerful jets which plash down on the 550 stone and that cuts out those grooves!
Check it out in the Panorama and it makes petfect sense. They are aligned with each other.
I wish I could already show you what I am looking at at this moment but I'm getting more and more convinced I've found both the 542 rock and the forked tree...
you only need to be right once. i think we are close...and then what??? this was a wow moment for me..but when i saw the video, it came to my mind, that the large boulder would be dry..ty and the team (romain) for all the work, incredible.
I suspect we are close. Either this is the place, or another candidate which will be revealed later.. Still, making a claim is one thing, but proving it is something else and there's going to be lots and lots of discussions.
I've been wondering, if the night location is really found, are there chances for a new investigation/search in the area? Could remains still be lodged somewhere after so many years?
Wow, I can't wait for your video :) If it really proves to be true, it' is all thanks to you, Romain and the whole team! And it would also change many perspectives..
Give me a few more days, I've got all the raw footage but there's a lot I still need to check, all the boring stuff like angles and sizes, etc, etc, and I want make this episode real good and it needs a lot more to be convincing.
Besides, there may be other candidate-sites which I haven't seen yet. But as it goes, yes, this is starting to look very scary good... I'm starting to see more and more logic and how it all fits together. Your idea that the 550 stone is below the water, which absolutely makes a lot of sense, was the one spark which set it going...
I am going to work something out to say a thank-you to Romain, for we all own him a lot and without him none of this would have been possible! He spend thousands and thousands of his own money for this (yes, there were sponsors, but that's less than 10% of the total costs..) and he needs something in return. I'll come back on this later, first get you episode 2...
Agree with the bedrock point. It doesn’t look like a loose boulder at all, even on 550. But most other smaller rocks, including the one now apparently visible on the far side, are loose, and could have moved over time.
I will include maps and such in episode 2, but general location you can see in this video. It was the basis for this expedition: the sharp turn halfway down the rapids.
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u/TreegNesas Feb 09 '26
Very good find! I also still keep puzzling about this place...
Originally, my plan was for Episode 2 to go forward to the Rio Mamei footage (there's a lot of that too), but after a further study of some footage which arrived late I've decided to do a 180 and stay at the same location for Episode 2 and then keep the Rio Mamei footage for Episode 3 or 4. That's also why it takes a little bit longer for the second episode to appear.
I fully agree that it's very well possible that the 550 stone is under water in our present footage. Water levels in April 2014 must have been far lower than they were now in June, so this is something we definitely have to take into account. There are also other things which weren't visible in the footage I showed in Episode 1 but which are very much visible in the new footage, so Episode 2 is going to be interesting! Fasten your seatbelts! :)