In an interview with his mom, she mentioned he started before 5am ( 4:00 or 4:30am); this led me believe he was going clockwise. Otherwise the timing of the call doesn't make too much sense. -- I can't remember the exact media who conducted the interview-- boston com or boston globe?
Thank you so much for saying that! Being experienced doesn't mean they don't make mistakes and sometimes because of their experience, the mistakes could be fatal-- most people in the 4k hiking group can't accept that.