The boys became disoriented.// Herr slipped and fell into a river,/and they were stranded on the wilderness side of Mt. Washington.// Cell phones did not yet exist,/so the boys were on their own/as the winds howled and the temperature dropped.//
　　“We survived/by building snow caves/and hugging each other to stay warm,”/Herr said later.// They lost track of time.// One day passed and then another.//
　　“When you’re hypothermic,/you can’t think clearly,”/Herr said.// “So even though we were approaching four days,/we thought we were still in the same 24-hour day.”//
　　Hypothermia gave way to surrender.// “We were no longer able to walk,”/Herr said.// “We just gave up all hope/and we actually stopped hugging each other to stay warm.// We just reasoned the sooner we died,/the better.”//
　　Almost by a miracle,/the two boys were discovered by a snowshoer,/and that evening they were airlifted to a hospital.//