A pretty good book. Almost incredible!. The author's plane crashed in the Sierras in California with two other passengers. He had 16 bone fractures, but still walked for 13 days up and down mountains until he reached a highway. All this without any food, water, nothing that can use to make fire, no tools or knives, only the clothing that he had on. And all this at the beginning of the winter, with a 2 day snow storm. Incredible!. if anybody read it please comment about it. <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I read it. It's a good wake up call. We are all a split second away from having the infrastructure of society yanked out from beneath us. Stories of surviving solely on grim determination are at best inspiring to us with a mere pocket tin who still despair. "Have you hugged your PSK today?"

Coincidentally, I discovered this book on Amazon.com recently. But, I haven’t read it yet, so can’t offer a first-hand opinion.

That said, the reviews posted on Amazon made for interesting reading. Roughly half those commenting took the book at face value and liked it – the account of a nearly two-week hike from plane crash site to “civilization.” The other half acknowledged Mr. DeLeo’s amazing journey, but thought his book may have embellished some facts, while omitting others relevant to the story.

If you’re interested, those readers’ comments can be read here , here and here.

I found the report and conclusions of the NTSB investigation, here, and here, informative.

A little hard to believe the 13 days with no water and across terrain.

In fact that is not accurate according to the editorial reviews. He ate snow and insects. I know it's not lean cuisine, but it provided the nourishment to live in those conditions for that length of time. Otherwise it would not have been incredible but IMO impossible.

I was looking at the NTSB report and the ELT was not instalted correctly and was not turned on. From what I see in the report the ELT was in a working condition, if it had been installed correctly. This points out two things, first check your safety equipment second know how it works. If he had a aircraft rubber duck antenna and removed the ELT from the aircraft put the duck on it and turned it on or if the instulation was done right in the first place he would have been found within 24 hous of impact, given the weather and time. In fact I would be supprised if it would have taken more that 12 hours.

Thanks for your answers and siteswhere I could find revews. I really enjoy them and I agree with must of the doubts expressed in those reviews. I still admire the author's endurance and ability to get out of the mountains all by himself. I don't think that I could have endured that ordeal in his condition.
One thing that bothers me is his lack of preparation and lack of survival equipment in his plane. Also he did'nt take with him some of the few things in the plane that could had helped him maybe to have some fire, or drink water, or rope to help him construct a shelter.
Somethings that I found hard to believe is the part about falling and holding himself up the ridge with so many fractures, and the climbing of the tree.
Finally why did he changed his walkout plan and went in a different direction than agreed with the guy that stayed behind for no apparently good reason at all?