Chapter 4 "How to Become a Retired Engineer in Just Five Short Years" Summary and Analysis

After opening the chapter with a quote from Dark Shadows Falling by Joe Simpson regarding "Deep Play," Ralston recounts his next set of adventures following the incident with the bear. He sets out to climb Humphreys Peak in Arizona in March 1998. As he approaches the summit, he encounters lightning and thunder. He can't stay on the summit because of the risk of a lightning strike, so he starts his descent in the storm. Ralston hears a hissing sound and soon realizes that his ski poles are strapped to his pack, which are attracting the lightning. He drops his pack and makes it back to his truck in two hours.

Ralston notes that patterns emerged during his solo...