The Last Road

It was high spring, late May or early June, when Ótzi decided to head north, towards the icy peaks. Previously, it was thought he set off in the fall, and that a sudden blast of frost and a change in the weather cut his life short, but now we know he had good weather. Hop hornbeam pollen grains were found in his gut, and this alpine tree blooms between May and June.

The expedition's destination wasn't safe – beyond the pass stretched the lands belonging to another, likely hostile, tribe. He must have expected danger – in any case, he was well prepared. Besides, he probably wasn't traveling alone – tiny traces of blood were found on his jacket, belonging to someone who had leaned on his shoulder. This is the behavior of a comrade, not an enemy.

He walked, or rather they walked, initially through the coniferous forests of the upper montane zone; there, just before reaching the tree line, they stopped for their first meal. This is indicated by spruce pollen found with the remains of ibex meat and berries in Ótzi's large intestine. He didn't have time to excrete them—death came within 24 hours. During the meal, he drank water from a stream—as evidenced by tiny mica flakes, which he swallowed along with the water. It was then that the pollen entered his intestines.

After eating, he and his companion continued on, passing the tree line and emerging into the alpine meadows. There, at an altitude of 2,800 meters, they sat down for another, and indeed final, meal. This time, they ate deer meat—some partially digested remains were found in Ótzi's small intestine.