TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Chapter 1: Young Explorers

  Chapter 2: Partners

  Chapter 3: In the Fog

  Chapter 4: Over the Edge!

  Chapter 5: A Wall of Ice

  Chapter 6: On Solid Ground

  Chapter 7: Water and Storm!

  Chapter 8: Shelter

  Chapter 9: Safe

  Author Bio

  Illustrator Bio

  Glossary

  Discussion Questions

  Writing Prompts

  More About Outdoor Adventures

  Explore More

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  CHAPTER 1

  YOUNG EXPLORERS

  “Think fast, Nita!” called Sohail Aman.

  A snowball whizzed past Nita Dara’s head. She ducked just in time. When she stood back up, Sohail was laughing.

  Before Nita could make a snowball of her own, one of the Alaska Young Explorers guides interrupted.

  “Listen up, everyone!” the guide called. “We have an exciting new challenge for you!”

  Nita straightened up, breathing in the fresh Alaska air. She loved new challenges. It was one of the reasons she’d signed up for this adventure.

  The Alaska Young Explorers—ten eighth graders in total—shuffled through the snow toward the guides. The crampons strapped to the bottoms of their boots struck the snow with soft thunks as the spikes pierced the frost.

  Crampons made it easier to walk in the snow. They also gave everyone what looked like big, spiky monster feet, which was really cool.

  “What’s the new challenge?” one of the other kids called.

  “Whatever it is, I plan on winning,” Sohail spoke up. He was already winding up another snowball.

  Nita rolled her eyes. Everyone wanted to win, of course. That was the whole reason they were there. Each kid had won a Young Explorers scholarship. The scholarship allowed kids who didn’t have much money to visit a wilderness camp in Alaska to learn explorer skills.

  But it was more than just a camp. It was a competition. That was the part Nita cared about the most. Whoever won the Alaska Young Explorers prize would be awarded five thousand dollars.

  Nita could barely repeat the amount to herself without jittering. Five thousand dollars.

  She’d first heard about the competition months ago. Her Aunt Carmen, who had raised her, had burst into their New York City apartment one day.

  “Nita, I just heard about an opportunity you can’t miss!” Aunt Carmen had announced. “You have to apply!”

  And so Nita had. She’d filled out the application. Then she’d written an essay explaining some of the hardships she’d faced and why she thought she would make a great Alaska Young Explorer.

  To her surprise, she’d been awarded a scholarship. A few months later, she’d boarded a plane to Alaska to be part of the competition.

  Winning the Alaska Young Explorers prize would make Aunt Carmen proud, but it wasn’t just about pride. Nita’s family really, really needed the money. If Nita won, Aunt Carmen would finally be able to get her dental work done. And Nita would be able to buy the school supplies she needed.

  And maybe our water won’t get shut off so often, Nita thought. She gripped her ice ax, determined. She was going to win that money.

  They’d all learned so much since camp started a few days ago. Out in the Alaskan wilderness, Nita felt like she could conquer anything. She had never seen any place like Alaska. The sky was bright blue. The air was the cleanest she’d ever smelled. The mountains were fierce and majestic.

  Today was their final challenge. The one that would determine the winner of the prize money.

  Nita was sure she was one of the best explorers in the group. She’d done great in both the ice climbing and ice cave challenges the day before. All she needed to do now was ace this last one.

  “Before we issue our last challenge, I need everyone to gather over here so we can check your gear and equipment!” Nessa, the head guide, called.

  Nita practically jumped up and down. She couldn’t wait.

  “Ready to lose, Nita?” a voice nearby asked.

  Nita didn’t even have to look around to know who that voice belonged to. Sohail had been competitive and rude ever since they’d arrived.

  “In your dreams,” she told him.

  Nita trekked up to the front of the group. Sohail stayed right next to her. He always stayed at the front. It was like he wanted to absorb all the good explorer information for himself.

  “Double-check your gear, everyone,” Nessa called. “Your crampons first! Then, your ice axes, harnesses, helmets, and trekking poles.”

  Nita checked all her gear. She plodded through the snow, monster-style, in her crampons. She hit the snow with her ice ax and trekking pole.

  When everyone was done, Nessa addressed the group again. “All right! We have something really fun planned for you today,” she said. “For your final challenge, we’re going to perform a partner wilderness exploration.”

  Nita quivered with excitement. She couldn’t wait to find out who her partner would be.

  “We’ll be considering each explorer’s accomplishments in order to determine our winner,” Nessa continued. “We’ll look at how you participated in all the challenges. And that includes how you work with a partner.”

  The guide paused and smiled. “The super fun part?” she said. “You’ll complete this challenge without guides.”

  Nita’s chest filled up with hope. She was going to nail it as an explorer. That prize money was hers.

  “We’re assigning groups of two,” Nessa continued. “Each group will start out at a different point somewhere in this area. We’ll have five different routes, but all the routes will lead to a cabin down the river. That’s where we’ll meet up.”

  Mr. Lorrain, one of the other guides, started reading the partners from a list.

  Nita listened anxiously for her own name. But her heart dropped when Mr. Lorrain said, “Sohail Aman and Nita Dara!”

  CHAPTER 2

  PARTNERS

  Nita couldn’t believe it. She frowned at Sohail. Of all the rotten luck.

  Nita looked at the guides to see if they were kidding. There was no way they’d missed Sohail giving her a hard time all week. She wasn’t sure if he was just a jerk or competitive—or both. Either way, she didn’t have time for it.

  But it didn’t seem to be a joke. Nessa was helping someone with their harness. Mr. Lorrain was talking with the other guides.

  Nita sighed. Then she plunged her ice ax into the snow.

  This challenge decides everything, she told herself. No time to get distracted. Sohail had better not get in my way.

  “You’d better not ruin this,” she muttered to him.

  “Me?” Sohail said. “What about you—”

  “All right everyone, let’s move into our groups!” Mr. Lorrain interrupted. “Stand by your partner. A guide will come by and explain your route to you.”

  Nessa trekked over through the snow. She smiled at Nita and Sohail.

  “Hi there!” Nessa said. She pulled out a map. “You two will be crossing the north side of this glacier. The glacier will slope down on the other side, onto the shore. You’ll find a kayak waiting for you. You’ll take the kayak down the river a few miles to the cabins. If you run into any trouble, set off a flare. You have several packed in your bags.”

  Nita couldn’t help smiling. They’d already learned all the skills they’d need to complete this journey. Since arriving, they’d taken lessons in ice climbing, rappelling, glacier hiking, and sea kayaking. This challenge was going to be a piece of cake.

  “I’ll take you to your starting point,” Nessa said. She led them farther away from the group until they couldn’t see anyone else.

  Once they were out of sight, she helped Nita and Sohail check their ropes and harnesses. They had learned that when hiking across a glacier, it was very important for hikers to wear harnesses and to be tied to the same rope. It was a precaution in case one person fell into a crevasse.

  Crevasses were terrifying. They were huge, long, deep cracks in glaciers. If someone fell into a crevasse, it was up to the rest of the team to pull that person out. The explorers had practiced crevasse rescue just yesterday.

  Nita managed to rope up by herself. She was using a kiwi coil, which meant the rope coiled across her chest and one shoulder, like a sash. Then it hooked into her harness. Sohail used the same technique.

  “Good job, Nita,” Nessa said, checking the knots. Then she checked Sohail’s knots. “Um, you might have to redo yours, Sohail.”

  Nita tried not to smile. She was already coming out ahead.

  Nessa said, “All ready! Straight in that direction. We’re rooting for you!” And then she was gone.

  Nita took a deep breath. Even if I have the most annoying partner here, I’m still going to have fun—and win.

  “Well, let’s go,” Sohail said.

  The pair set off across the glacier. The bottoms of their crampons were like spears on the hard surface.

  Sohail led the way, using his trekking poles to stay steady on the snow and ice. Fresh, cool air hit his face.

  They kept the rope loose between them, like they’d been told—not too much slack and not too tight.

  Tingles of excitement went up and down Nita’s spine as she walked. It was the first independent Explorer mission! She was so glad they’d saved it for last. It was going to be the most fun.

  The wide, white expanse of the glacier spread out ahead of them. Nita couldn’t get over how magical it looked, like a crystal kingdom. Or like a landscape on the moon. Some parts of the glacier looked like melted ice cream. Other parts were jagged and rippled. Some parts were smooth.

  “This is pretty cool,” Sohail said from in front of her.

  “Yeah,” Nita agreed. She looked into the distance as she walked.

  The other side of the glacier looked like it was about a million miles away. Somewhere just beyond it, a kayak was waiting to take them down the river.

  And I’ll claim that prize money, Nita thought.

  Nita listened to Sohail’s slowly plodding feet ahead of her. She was starting to get impatient.

  “Can’t you go any faster?” Nita called up to him.

  “No.” Sohail turned and frowned. “Glaciers are dangerous. I’m not going to mess this up just because you want to go quicker.”

  Nita was surprised to hear him say that. During practice, Sohail always acted like nothing scared him.

  For a while, Nita was quiet. She and Sohail kept trekking together in silence.

  But Nita was getting mad. At this rate, they’d never reach the other side before the others.

  “Look,” Nita finally said, “I’m here to win. So you might want to pick up the pace a little!”

  “Oh and you think I don’t want the prize money too?” Sohail snapped. “Everyone needs the money, Nita. That’s why we’re here!”

  Nita was about to answer when she noticed dark clouds rolling in over the sun. It happened so fast it was shocking. A chill struck the air. The temperature felt like it dropped by ten degrees.

  Nita stopped. “Whoa,” she said.

  “It might snow,” said Sohail. He sounded worried.

  Nita was worried too. Their guides had stressed how fast the weather could change on the glacier when they first arrived. It could be dangerous.

  A wall of fog started rolling toward them. It was the thickest fog Nita had ever seen. Within seconds, they could barely see a thing.

  CHAPTER 3

  IN THE FOG

  “Are you still there?” Sohail’s nervous voice came from ahead.

  Nita could only see glimpses of him, when the fog shifted. “Where would I go?” she said. “I’m tied to you.”

  “The fog might go away in a minute,” Sohail said. “Let’s just wait and see if it passes.”

  Nita was even angrier now. Now the stupid fog was slowing them down too. And she didn’t want to admit it, but she was scared. The fog was so thick and had moved so fast. It almost felt alive.

  “Should we call for Nessa?” said Sohail.

  “No!” Nita said. “We’ll lose if they have to come rescue us. We can do this. We’ll just wait.”

  They waited for a while longer, but the fog didn’t seem to be stopping. Nita grew impatient.

  “Let’s just keep going—really slowly, though,” she said.

  They moved forward. Nita shuffled behind Sohail. She batted at the thick fog, but it didn’t help. The whole world was gray now, like someone had covered it in a blanket.

  “Maybe we’re close to the edge of the glacier,” Nita said, shivering. She couldn’t tell anymore which direction they were going or where the other side of the glacier was. “I can’t see where I’m—whoa!”

  From in front of her, Nita felt a sudden hard tug on the rope. Then she heard a crack!

  “Sohail?” she called.

  “Falling!” his voice shouted.

  Without thinking, Nita dropped flat on her stomach onto the snow, just as she’d been taught. The guides had taught them to selfarrest, in case another hiker fell. She kicked her feet into the snow, anchoring them there.

  Nita clung to the ground, terrified. In the fog, they hadn’t been able to see where they were going, and Sohail had given the signal: “Falling!”

  That meant he’d fallen into a crevasse. Now Nita’s body weight was the only thing stopping him from falling in farther.

  CHAPTER 4

  OVER THE EDGE!

  “Sohail!” Nita shouted again.

  “Be careful!” he yelled back from down below. “Don’t fall in too!”

  Nita lay there in the snow, her whole body pounding with fear. She tried desperately to remember what else she’d learned about crevasse rescue. But her brain was too jumbled to think clearly.

  Still on her stomach, Nita scooted around to face the other direction. The fog was as thick as soup now, rolling over them, making it impossible to see.

  “Is it really deep?” Nita called to Sohail.

  “I’m not too far down!” he called back, his voice still muffled. “But the ice might crack!”

  Nita’s heart started pounding. She would need to haul Sohail out of the crevasse. Her mouth felt dry.

  You can do this, she told herself. Just think clearly.

  Nita tried not to move too much as she slipped her pack off her back and rooted around inside it. She had three pickets, two ice axes, two pulleys, cordelettes, and sling ropes. She also had more than a dozen carabiners—big, metal clips that glacier hikers seemed to use for almost everything.

  “Don’t worry, Sohail!” Nita yelled down to her partner.

  Nita was sweating as she stared at her materials, trying her best to remember what they’d learned.

  The first thing to do was make an anchor—something solid Nita could tie her rope to. Then she’d have to transfer Sohail’s weight to the anchor, so that it wasn’t just her holding him up.

  Nita clipped her rope onto the picket and dug a deep T-shaped trench in the snow with her ice ax. The digging seemed to take forever, and Nita was shivering. She tried not to think about how scared Sohail must be right then.

  Finally the trench was deep enough. Nita set the picket on its side in the T-trench and buried it with snow so that only the rope was sticking out. Then she attached her rope to the anchor.

  I need a backup anchor too, in case the first one fails, Nita remembered.

  Still shivering, she used her second picket to make another anchor. Then she attached one of the pulleys to the rope, tying the two anchors together.

  With Sohail’s weight transferred to the anchors, Nita finally felt safe enough to stand. She approached the edge of the crevasse. There was Sohail, wedged inside, looking up at her helplessly.

  “Hold on!” Nita called.

  She took a deep, shaky breath. She wasn’t sure if she’d done everything right. There were so many steps, and she was half-numb with fear. But it was time to see if her pulley system worked.

  “Pulling now!” she called.

  Nita started pulling the rope back up toward the anchor. Her arms felt like they were on fire, and she was sweating with the effort. Even though Sohail said he hadn’t dropped down too far, he was heavy.

  Finally Sohail’s head appeared, followed by the rest of him. He scrambled to get over the edge.

  With a loud grunt, Sohail made it out of the crevasse and back onto the glacier. He wiggled forward on his belly, moving far away from the edge.

  “You did it! You saved me!” Sohail said breathlessly. He glanced at the pulley system, anchored deep in the ice. “I can’t believe you remembered how to do all this stuff!”

  “I can’t believe it either,” Nita panted. She was sweating inside her snowsuit and still shaking.

  Sohail lay back in the snow, panting. His breath was quick and shallow. It seemed to take forever for him to start breathing normally again.

  Finally he rolled over on his side and checked his watch. “We’ve been out here for almost two hours,” he said. “Let’s get moving. Maybe there’s still a chance we can win.”

  “We can take our time,” Nita replied, still shaken. For once, she didn’t want to hurry. “I still can’t see anything in this fog anyway.”

  Sohail nodded. Together, they dug the anchor out of the ice and rolled up the ropes.

  “I don’t know how far the other side of the glacier is,” Nita said. The fog was still as thick as smoke.

  “We’ve got to be close,” Sohail said. He shivered. “Let’s get moving.”

  They packed up their gear and kept moving. But this time, they went on their hands and knees.

  Nita crawled behind Sohail, using a trekking pole to test the ground ahead. It was uncomfortable crawling with only one hand, but she didn’t dare stand up. She was not going to fall into a crevasse too. The next one might be one of those deep pits that seemed to slice right into the middle of the earth.

 

1 2 3