This is from Georger's quote:
If it could have happened then it must have happened, long before the simple proposition 'he survived and walked south'. Kaye picked up on this right away years ago - its one of the simplest explanations, maybe a 50-50 probability or stronger.
We have a rail line and roads directly connecting the traditional DZ area with just a few feet north of Tina Bar, and yet nobody wants to consider he survived and traveled that route south from the accepted drop zone.
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Georger, your statement here is intriguing. I have heard enough from skydiver experts on the forum over the years to believe that Cooper's jump was very survivable. Paratroopers with 100 pounds of gear survived the jump near Normandy Beach, behind enemy lines, in bad weather, right before D-Day. I have no problem believing Cooper survived the jump. Let's say he did.
Then I studied some of the railroad lines and road map and Google Earth map around the Ariel/Lake Merwin area. It is uncanny just how close they are to each other -- down the Lewis River from Ariel to the Columbia River, turn south, and you're at Tina Bar -- not that far, maybe 20 miles. I then looked at some of the railroad lines. From what I could see, a rail line from Merwin east toward Cougar was abandoned, but the rail line from the Lake Merwin area down the Lewis River to Woodland is operational. And there is a rail line that goes south from Woodland to Vancouver, and it just so happens to come within earshot of Tina Bar. It would be interesting to see if that particular rail line did a run down the Lewis River to Woodland, from the Merwin Lake area, on 11/24/1971, and if a line also ran that night from Woodland to Vancouver, via Tina Bar. I'm sure this was discussed on the DropZone forum, I need to look up those discussions...I'd be interested in checking out rail runs in the area on the night of 11/24/1971. I have a brother who works for the railroad, he's been driving trains for years, and he lives in Vancouver. I think I will run this one by him. Anybody have any information or ideas to add?
Meyer