#4 The Last Man Standing
Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, two climbers, were ascending the Siula Grande Mountain in 1985. Joe had collapsed and fractured his leg near the summit. Simon was left in charge of bringing his seriously injured colleague down the mountain. Joe immediately began to fall as Simon lowered him 300 feet at a time. Simon knew Joe had passed the drop when he felt the rope become taut. Simon made an effort to see his friend but was unsuccessful.
He started to feel the snow give under his weight. He was aware that if he stayed, he would kill them both. He had to go. Cutting the rope was his only option. When Simon returned to the campfire, he believed that he had just slain his companion.
Joe, though, managed to land on the edge of a rock and crawl to safety as he appeared at the camp three days after that. He was both thirsty and starving. Joe has dropped 42 pounds in only three days. Hopefully, he recovered under Simon’s care.
