Falcon, if you leave deer carcass in the woods and come back in six months, you'll be lucky if you find the skull. This far out, broken branches might stick out if they are in a systematic pattern, but prints and soft plants, no chance.

I've taken off my pack and left it someplace that was visible to me many times before going off to get water or take a picture or take a leak. If he got injured say, 50, 60 yard away from where he stashed his fleece and wallet, it is possible they aren't going to find anything at this point except maybe some clothing.

Reading the article, I didn't really get a good feel for the immediate area. I might also look up in trees- for all we know, he tried to climb a tree to get a better feel for where he was, slipped, and got hung up. *shrugs* Lovely thought. Pure speculation and what-iffery, but not outside the realm of conceivability.