So then I decided that a one-wall lean-to would work just as well and took less time. I began gathering small trees for lean-to roof. I tried to physically break down trees, but they were so limber that they wouldn’t break even after bending them nearly to the ground. That’s when I decided to use pine boughs directly as a cover and skipped the intermediary pole support system. Unfortunately even the boughs proved too limber to be broken. Gosh, if only I had a knife!
Within minutes everything was pitch black. Now it was so dark that I couldn’t leave my partially built shelter. All I could do was just gather pine needles.
That’s when I stopped. I got up and stumbled around until I found my camera. I turned on my camera and loaded a new tape. This was the first time I had stopped pushing myself since leaving Pedro’s cabin. Even this short stop was enough for me to cool down. I could feel myself trembling inside. This was the early signs of hypothermia and is the critical concern of surviving cold regions.
I looked at my camera and the familiar red record light came on. This could be my last curtain call. I wanted to say my farewells and let my family know much they meant to me.
The surrounding trees formed a mantel cover and offered some protection from the cold, but also prevented the starry night from providing even minimal light. Just venturing a few feet for shelter materials required me to feel my way back to my nest. I wore only a turtleneck shirt and my netted photo vest. I had not eaten since breakfast. Temperatures were dropping rapidly and my trembling increased. My mouth and tongue were dry and my lips were cracked from dehydration. I was seduced with the thought of laying down right there, right then, and going to sleep. In this condition and at this temperature, sleep means death. As tempting as sleep was, I had to create the strength needed to save my life.
