Shen Zhengnan noted that the deceased was not young, and the unfamiliar and complex mountain environment, poor lighting, and physical exhaustion from hiking could all contribute to acute confusion—an altered state of consciousness where one alternates between clarity and haziness, and may even experience hallucinations, also known as a delirious state. If the hallucinations involve threatening figures or situations, and the person believes them to be real while feeling trapped, they might choose death as a way to escape. However, he emphasized that this scenario is extremely rare.
Shen Zhengnan believes that if the deceased was already disoriented, it would have been difficult to perform the precise act of tying shoelaces to create a hanging tool. Another possibility...
Shen Zhengnan also suggested that if the deceased had already been in a confused mental state, it would likely have been hard to carry out the detailed act of using shoelaces as a hanging tool. Another possibility is that the deceased may have already harbored suicidal intentions and used the hike as a way to carry them out. Such intentions can sometimes be hidden deep down, expressed only subtly, and may go unnoticed or not taken seriously by others.
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