Читать книгу Extreme Survivors: 60 of the World’s Most Extreme Survival Stories - Collins Maps - Страница 30

Although their ultimate goal was Chile in the west, the mountain that lay in that direction towered hundreds of metres above them. Climbing it would sap their energy and expose them to great risks. The trekking team therefore decided to start out east in the hope that the valley that they were in would eventually veer round.

Shortly after starting out, the trio found the tail section of the plane, which was still largely intact. It contained luggage with extra clothing, cigarettes and even some snacks. They spent their first night in the tail in relative comfort.

But the following night they had to sleep out in the open, fully exposed to the harsh cold. They very nearly froze to death.

The valley showed no sign of turning in a convenient direction and so the three men returned the next day to the tail with the plan of salvaging some large batteries they had found and using them to power the radio transmitter in the fuselage.