The drama began as Lauren Elder joined two friends for a pleasure flight from San Francisco to Death Valley. The little plane strained to rise above the jagged crest of the High Sierra. The views were magnificent. Suddenly, Lauren's excitement turned to shock. The plane was heading straight for the mountain. It smashed fifteen feet short of the summit. Her friends dead, her body broken and bleeding, Lauren Elder faced the greatest challenge of her life -- a terrifying descent down a wall of rock and ice.
