Plane Crash (continued)

        Before I start this post, I want to tell you that if you have not read the post below this one, DO NOT READ ON. It is the end of the story for the breathtaking plane crash.
        I bet you have been wondering what happened to the survivors of the avalanche. Well, I can guess why. If you want to hear the rest of the amazing story of death, survival, and snow, read on. The survivors had just been hit with a horrible avalanche, killing eight more people, including the last woman that was on the plane originally. The freezing men were all huddled up together inside the snow-covered fuselage, with oxygen quickly running out. With absolutely nothing to lose, they frantically stabbed a hole in the roof with a metal pole. The hungry, frightened men finally took in a deep breath of cold air and eventually climbed out of the hole in the top of the fuselage.
        It had been weeks since the plane had crashed in October of 1972. The terrible crash had left less then half of the original 45 passengers alive and now they were struggling to survive against the powerful forces of nature. The search had been called off, and an avalanche had killed another eight innocent people. It looked hopeless for these brave people, even though they were trying everything in their power to keep themselves clinging to last bit of hope and life that they still had in their freezing bodies.
        The days dragged by. Nobody laughed, nobody smiled, nobody played, nobody cried. It was an empty nothingness that stung everybody that came near it. And these poor people were in the middle of it. After over two months of nothing except snow, ice, and sadness, three brave men, Roberto Canessa, Fernando ("Nando") and Tintin,  decided to set out on an expedition to find the green hills of Chile. A couple of days later they gathered what they needed to survive, a sleeping bag made out of the insulated material found at the tail of the plane, some rugby socks stuffed with the remains of their friends, and some home made snow shoes. The men set off to climb the mountain by them. It looked like an easy climb, but it actually took three days. The men were tired, hungry, and most of all hopeless. When they got to the top, they expected to see beautiful hills and greenery all over. The men kept that thought in their heads and took step after horrifying step up the steep mountain. Finally, after three days of complete torture and close to death situations, they reached the top. The sight literally petrified them. You can guess what they saw.  What they thought would be beautiful hills and great buildings, turned into what they had seen for the last two months. Black and white mountains were the only things in sight.
        These three men were starving and exhausted, and now to survive they had to hike at least 60 kilometers to get to any civilization. The men decided that it would be better if only two people went the entire hike, because it would mean more food for them. Tintin slid back down the mountain towards the plane as Dr. Canessa and his friend continued their journey to the unknown hazards of the Andes.  The two of them walked aimlessly for days on end, hoping that maybe they could find someone else. After ten days of walking, they finally started to see some grassy patches instead of snow. And then the only living things they had seen other then the rest of the other survivors, in the last two months, cows! Wait... was that a man in the distance? It couldn't have been, but it was! A shepherd on a horse came riding on the other side of the river. He threw over some bread and a note to write on. The next day, the two heroes were in helicopters heading straight towards the other survivors! After 72 days, the terrible event was finally over.  The survivors would be reunited with their families for Christmas.
        I learned several life lessons from this extraordinary man. By working together as a unified group, people can provide emotional and physical support for each other and accomplish many things that an individual could not. If you have faith in yourself almost nothing is impossible.  When you are pushed to your limits, physically or emotionally, you can always "take just one more step." A strong faith in God can provide a significant amount of strength even when faced with nearly impossible challenges. You are never alone!
        Thirty eight years later, the sixteen survivors still live in the same neighborhood together in Montevideo, Uruguay. Today I will be arriving in Montevideo, and my family has been invited to eat dinner at Dr. Canessa's house. I feel honored!