Rich and his crew understood exactly how dangerous it was in that zone, and as Pete and I slept, they weighed the variables that would govern our survival—dwindling food and supplies, limited water, extended exposure to lethal temperatures—and tried to calculate how those variables would play out as our strength ebbed, our spirits waned, and our pace ground to a halt. The dilemma was no less stark than the stone itself. Without a chance for rest, Pete and I would not be able to continue and survive; but once we were on the Redwall, survival would dictate that there could be no rest at all.
This is where you pull out the emergency beacon and call for a rescue whether they want it or not.
