There are places on this earth that mark you forever. For me, that place is Pinchot Pass. It's not the tallest peak in the Sierra Nevada, nor the most treacherous trail. But for me, it's where everything changed-where a life on the edge of adulthood was almost lost if not for a friend who changed my fate. On August 7, 1974, just days before my 18th birthday, I had a backpacking fall that should have ended my life. What follows is a story written in snowy pain, silence, and courage. It's the story of a shattered leg, fading daylight, and a friendship so fierce that it held my life together when my own strength ran out. This also is a story about what happens next- of being carried, being chosen, being saved, and being rebuilt. And it's about how some people, quietly, without fanfare, become heroes. If you've ever asked yourself how much one moment can change a life... this is my answer. Welcome to
Pinchot Pass
. -Bob Van Zant