Survive! My Fight For Life In The High Sierras

As I struggle to reach the mountain's peak, I have a view to the west, where I can see the general area where the Maule went down. Gazing out toward the wreckage site, again I wonder, What is Wave doing? Why no smoke? Is Lloyd still alive? Is it possible they were rescued and I never saw or heard the rescue team? Does the rescue team think I'm dead? Still able to use only one lung, I gasp for air as I continue my ascent. My inner clothes are drenched from sweat. My mouth is dry. I'm thirsty and just short of vomiting from exhaustion. The deadly combination of steep rugged terrain mixed with deep unstable snow and ice has forced me to scale down my climbing goals to just five- to ten-foot sections.... My breathing calms. I say nothing, not even a whisper. First I think, It's OK to die. You're in God's country. Then I ask myself, Is it OK to give up? Is it? This is so tough. I don't want to do this anymore. Moments pass. Even as I get ready to tell myself, Keep moving, you have to do it, you told Wave you could make it, I realize that somehow I'm already moving. I'm not going to give up. -from the book.DeLeo, Peter is the author of 'Survive! My Fight For Life In The High Sierras', published 2005 under ISBN 9780743270069 and ISBN 0743270061.