I Was Lost for 6 Days with No Food or Fire in the Idaho Backcountry

I Was Lost for 6 Days with No Food or Fire in the Idaho Backcountry

This story, “Lost in an Icy Hell,” appeared in the February 1971 issue of Outdoor Life.The match was a flimsy thing, torn from a book, and it would not strike. Until that moment I had never realized how terrible such a seemingly insignificant fact can be. My brother Walter tried to strike a second and third, but the heads crumbled and fell apart. “They’re wet,” I said grimly, and Walt nodded agreement. He was down on his hands and knees, in the …