Copy of Copy of 2.

                                    That evening, Nov. 19th, 1981, Jim was sitting in the train station of Brig, Switzerland, writing in his trip log book. Brig was a small city not far from Zermatt, and was an important rail link in that area. Jim planned to catch a night train across the Alps to northern Italy.

                     The train would cut across one of the major passes which connected Italy to central Europe--there was the famous St. Bernard, the Simplon, and one or two others. These passes were strategic in history, used by Napoleon, the Romans, etc.

                      Jim sat at a table in a small cafe in the station. He thought over the events of the day. His left foot was still smarting. He had slipped on ice, on the way down from the Matterhorn, and tumbled some distance down a 45-degree slope. He landed and the toe of the left boot struck something. If the ankle had been injured it was questionable whether he ever would have made it back--alive, that is.

                      It had been an excellent hike, but the dangers were many. Really it was stupid what he had done, foolhardy. He didn't realize this, though--that since he had no provisions (except a liter of water), and no winter hiking equipment, he had been wandering into a potential deathtrap. Conditions conspire against you, and intensify, the further you get from civilization. You think things are going great and then all of a sudden...

                      It had been excellent weather that day, sunny and calm. That morning the temperature must have been about 20 degrees F. By afternoon, about 3 PM, there was still no sign of snow or ice melting so it must still have been below freezing. Jim should have been better prepared, though. All kinds of things could have gone wrong. Weather could change suddenly and unpredictably in mountainous regions like that. Jim's first mistake was, cotton clothing, which is a serious hypothermia risk--if it gets wet, you're in trouble, because it loses about 75% of its insulating capacity, even if it's been wrung out. All garments should be wool, nylon, polyester, silk, or some other cold weather-rated material. So, to be prepared for every eventuality, he should have been outfitted with wool socks and other good cold weather gear. Also, at very least, he should have had:

                      --a compass, on a colored lanyard (so it's easy to find).

                      --outdoorsman's matches (waterproof).

                      --sunglasses, to protect eyes from glare, snow                                     blindness.

                      --a hat of some kind, to protect from sunburn.

                      --spikes for his boots. Then he could have walked on                           ice or snow without problem.

                      --hiking pole--similar to a ski pole--important for walking                       on ice or over other difficult terrain.

                      --gloves of some kind, to protect hands. If you fall you                         need to be able to catch yourself with your hands.

                      --whatever provisions he could carry.

                      It would also have been wise to have a map of the area. It was amazing he was able to get back to the town without making a wrong turn on one of the many trails, or getting lost some other way. If he'd been delayed even 10 minutes he probably would have collapsed from dehydration before ever getting back to Zermatt. Undoubtedly, death would have soon followed. All four factors--thirst, fatigue, hunger, cold--would have converged, in a short time, and that would have been the end of him, surely. That was how easy it was to die in the wilderness.