Plane Crash in the Andes | The Climb | 4
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Nando Parado straps a pair of snowshoes to his feet and looks up at a pure blue sky.

He's been stranded high in the Andes Mountains for two months now. He and his rugby team were flying from Uruguay to Chile for a match when their plane crashed. Inando and the 15 other survivors have heard on their one working radio that officials have called off the search for them. Now, he's about to leave the safety of the plane's fuselage to try to climb down into Chile to get help. If he comes back, it will be with a rescue team.

Nando's waiting for Roberto Canessa and Antonio Tintin-Vizentín to join him.

Out of all the remaining survivors, Nando chose these boys to climb with. They're simply the strongest ones left. And he needs them to be tough. They're going to have to fight the mountain and its brutal cold. But for now, the temperature is above freezing and the air is calm. A perfect day for climbing. Though Nando's still prepared for the frigid temperatures he knows will come.

♪♪

As he stands outside the fuselage waiting for Roberto and Tintin, Carlitos Paez, one of the youngest members of the rugby team, jumps out to say goodbye. They start to hug, but Nando pulls away. I almost forgot. He swings off his knapsack, reaches into the outer pocket, and pulls out a pair of tiny red baby shoes.

His mother bought them at the airport for his older sister back in Uruguay. She was three months pregnant when they left. His mother and other sister Susie died in the crash, so these shoes are the last gift from them. But before he'll pass them on, there's one last symbolic use for them. Nando hands one of the shoes to Carlitos. Hang that up in the fuselage. I'm coming back for it. We'll have the full pair again. Carlitos takes the shoe and smiles.

Nando watches while Roberto and Tintin step out of the fuselage. He nods to his fellow expeditionaries as they take their place on either side of him. Nando breathes in deep and looks at the giant mountain in front of him. The only way out of the Andes is to climb over it. But even then, he doesn't know what awaits them on the other side. Still, Nando would rather die trying to escape than wait for a rescue that might never come.

Nando makes a quick sign of the cross and takes his first step towards the Western people. In our fast-paced, screen-filled world, it can be all too easy to lose that sense of imagination and wonder. If you're looking for new ways to ignite your creativity and open your mind to fresh perspectives, then let Audible be your guide. Whether you listen to stories, motivation, or any genre you love, Audible is the place for you.

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In our last episode, Nando Parado and Roberto Canessa clashed over how to get off the mountain. Since their plane crashed in the Andes two months ago, they've been debating the best path to safety. Nando wanted to take the most direct route by climbing over the western peak and descending into Chile, while Roberto wanted to try the gentler, more accessible route to the east. In the end, Roberto's insistence won out, and they headed east.

However, after several days of hiking, the weather took a turn for the worse, and the boys discovered they were only heading deeper and deeper into the Andes. The only food they have is the bodies of their fellow passengers who perished in the crash, and the supply is starting to run low. Now there's only one option left. If they want to live, then they must hike out through one of the largest mountain ranges in the world. This is episode four, The Climb.

Roberto Canessa takes a step and feels his legs sink deep into a snowdrift. He, Nando, and Tintin are all wearing makeshift snowshoes cobbled together out of the plane's seat cushions. When they first left the fuselage an hour ago, the snowshoes made it easy to climb over the snow. But now, they're soaked through with freezing water. The water they've absorbed makes them heavy and cumbersome. It's hard to stay on top of the snow.

He remembers having the same problem when he made his first scouting climb more than six weeks ago. Today, the sky is brighter and the sun warmer, but otherwise not much has changed. The thin air doesn't feel any easier to breathe. He still has to stop every few yards to rest. The expeditionaries set a goal of reaching the summit before nightfall, but Roberto knows at this rate they'll never make it before dark.

His only small peace of mind is that Roberto knows they packed enough food. The only food they have is the meat from the bodies of the people who died in the crash or in the avalanche that happened afterwards. Many of the survivors refuse to eat it, but Roberto knows that it's the only way they'll stay alive.

For this trip, he saved chunks of fat for energy and pieces of liver for vitamins. At noon, he signals for the others to stop and eat. He knows they have to keep their energy up. From where he's sitting, Roberto can still see the crashed Fairchild below. The survivors are sitting outside, watching the expeditionary's progress. He imagines that by now he, Nando, and Tintin are just specks on the mountain.

Roberto even feels small, like something that could be tossed into the void below him without the slightest effort. He remembers how, on the first scouting expedition, Vito Strauch fell through a layer of snow into a hidden crevasse. Vito survived, sure, but he was lucky. How long will it be before something similar happens to one of the expeditionaries on this trip? And will he be so lucky?

By the time the sun has started to dip behind the western peak, Roberto knows there's still nowhere near the top. He calls ahead to Nando. "We need to find a place to camp. It'll be dark sooner than we think." Roberto watches as Nando keeps moving up the mountain. He's scrambling, moving too quickly. But Roberto doesn't want to scold him, so he just watches and says a small prayer.

Then suddenly, Nando's foot slips and dislodges a rock the size of a cannonball that shoots down the mountain. Watch out! Roberto sees the rock flying straight at his head, and all he can do is duck out of the way. It misses his head by mere inches. A second's hesitation would have cost him his life. At first, he's furious and yells up to Nando. What the hell is wrong with you? You almost killed me! But then, Roberto surprises himself.

He begins to weep. He can't believe how close he just came to dying. And they've barely started their journey. While he's bawling and clutching his sides, Roberto realizes that it isn't just the brush with death that's broken him. It's the accumulation of every horrific moment he's experienced since the Fairchild crashed.

After so much death and hunger and cold, it seems brutally unfair that the only way he can save his life is by risking it. Any number of things might kill him in these mountains. Frostbite, an avalanche, a blizzard. But a rock kicked free by his friend shouldn't be one of them. He is thankful that the wind drowns out the sound of his crying. But he can tell that Nando is worried for him. Soon, the tears pass and he is able to continue.

They finally stop for the night when Nando finds a spot to camp under a boulder and out of the wind. Even the ground is clear of snow. But as night falls, the temperature plummets far below zero, and they are once again saved by one of Fido's inventions: a sleeping bag. Fido's the one who created the snowshoes they're wearing and even the filtration system for the water they're drinking.

The sleeping bag, though, is stitched together out of insulation from the Fairchild's heating system. The bag is sewn with copper wire pulled from the plane and traps their collective body heat. It even keeps Roberto warm enough to drift off and get a few hours of sleep. Now he has one less reason to despair. At least he won't die of frostbite during the long nights ahead. Nando is trembling with exhaustion as he climbs up onto yet another false summit.

Tintin and Roberto make their way up behind him. They've spent the past two days still making slow progress toward the peak of the mountain. Nando estimates they're only covering a few hundred vertical feet each day. The sheer face of the wall is so steep it's nearly impassable, so each foothold has to be carefully planned. It takes time. The three boys are standing side by side on a flat surface, not much wider than the window ledge of a skyscraper.

Nando catches his breath while he looks out at the eastern peaks. He feels like they're almost at eye level, though he knows that distances are hard to judge in the Andes. Still, they must be really near the summit now. The rock walls surrounding them are growing much steeper. Nando makes a suggestion that Roberto stay on the ledge with their packs while he and Tintin scout for the top of the mountain. Roberto quickly agrees. He tells Nando he's glad for the chance to rest.

In order for Nando to climb higher, he digs rungs for his hands and feet in the snow. It's as if he's climbing a roofer's ladder up one of the tallest peaks on Earth. If he were to slip, he would fall hundreds of feet to a certain death. But he pushes aside his fear by imagining what he will see on the other side of the mountain. Grass. Trees. Cows. A scattering of stone huts. Civilization.

He keeps climbing, his eyes looking up. And then, suddenly, the wall of snow is gone, and he finds himself scrambling up a small incline onto a level surface. At first, he feels pure joy. He has conquered what might be the greatest obstacle on his journey to safety. He's made it to the top of the mountain. But then, as he takes in the vista, his heart sinks.

It's nothing like what he imagined. There are no trees anywhere, no grass, no stone huts, just more mountains in every direction as far as he can see. He knew from past climbs that the mountains went on endlessly to the east, but he was certain the Fairchild crashed near the western edge of the Andes. The co-pilot said they'd pass Carrico, but now Nando knows he was wrong. Very, very wrong.

They're nowhere near the Chilean foothills. They're smack in the middle of the Andes range. He stands there, scanning the horizon, certain this is how he's going to die. The Andes will take him, wear him into dust. Then, in the distance, he spots two mountains that seem slightly different from the others. Their peaks are not covered in snow, and a wide valley passes between them.

Could that mean the end of the range? Nando assumes that the valley is his way out of the Andes, but from where he's standing, it looks like it's a thousand miles away. How is he even going to make it down the mountain? And if he does, can he survive the trek across all that frigid, barren terrain? Will his body, not to mention his food supply, hold out for that long? Soon, he hears Tintin calling him from below.

He walks back to the ledge and shouts down, Go back and get Roberto. You've got to see this for yourselves. While he waits, Nando sits and studies the two snowless mountains. The valley that separates them will lead him to his grass and trees. That is where the ranchers will be waiting for him, in their stone huts. He's certain. Now, he just needs to get there.

Fido Strouch sets out first thing the morning of the 14th, carrying a light day bag and pulling a sled made from sheets of aluminum he found in the Fairchild's wreckage. Fido has become the de facto leader of the group of survivors who stayed at the fuselage after Nando's rescue expedition team left almost three days ago. The survivors are running out of food, and he has decided to take matters into his own hands. They need more meat.

He's going to search for bodies that fell from the plane's tail section. He brings Gustavo Zurbino with him. Gustavo should know exactly where to look. He's stumbled across bodies from the tail section on his last scouting expedition. Temperatures have been warming recently, but this is a bitter morning. Though for once, Vito is thankful for the cold. It means that the snow is hard and easy to walk on.

He and Gustavo make quick progress. Less than two hours into their climb, Gustavo spots a body lying face up in the snow. Fido runs over to it. He recognizes the features even from a distance. It's his cousin, Daniel Shaw. Fido kneels over the body and says a prayer. Then he looks up at Gustavo with tears in his eyes. "This is my cousin. Let's keep looking. There has to be someone else."

Gustavo puts his hand on Fido's shoulder and nods. An hour later, Fido is encouraged when they come to a long, wide ridge dotted with metal fragments from the plane. We must be close to the other bodies you found. You said there were pieces of plane nearby, but Gustavo shakes his head. They were near parts of the wing. This stuff looks like panels. I've never seen this before. Fido checks his watch. It's only 1 p.m. There's still plenty of daylight left.

but he knows that if they wander much farther, they'll risk being caught outside after nightfall. He's also noticed the clouds growing darker. Reluctantly, he tells Gustavo it's time to go back for his cousin. "Are you sure, Fido?" Fido wants to say no. He wants to respectfully bury his cousin. He and Daniel were close, more like brothers. They grew up together, went to the same schools, and played on the same teams.

But Fido knows that the boys back at the Fairchild are starving, and they're running out of meat. If Daniel can help keep them alive, then his death wasn't in vain. Gustavo helps Fido strap Daniel's body onto the sled. Fido reminds himself that this corpse isn't really his cousin. Daniel has passed on to the afterlife. Still, Fido makes Gustavo promise that they will only use Daniel's body as a last resort.

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Head over to Symbiotica.com and use code "Odds" for 20% off and free shipping on your subscription order. Roberto clutches his stomach and pants for breath. He's just joined Nando on the summit of the mountain. Tintin is making his way up too. Roberto's stomach muscles are spasming, but Nando is just staring off to the west, and Roberto follows his gaze. Nothing but mountains. He turns to Nando. "That's it, we're finished."

Nando shakes his head and points. See those two mountains there? That has to be the end of the range. Roberto traces the valley with his eyes, then squints into the distance. You're out of your mind, Nando. That's a 50-day climb. We've got enough food for 10. We'd have more if we sent Tintin back to the fuselage. We can keep his rations with us and keep climbing. Roberto thinks it's over. Yes, they would have more food, but would they have enough?

Plus, what if those peaks without snow aren't the western limits of the Andes? What if they find only more mountains on the other side? But Roberto knows that Nando is determined to continue moving west. So there's really only one option. He clears his throat and speaks. Okay, we'll send Tintin back. He then looks west, using his hands as visors to block the sun. It's early evening, and the peaks are framed by golden light.

They look almost heavenly, like something made for God instead of man. Roberto turns to Nando. This would be so beautiful, Nando, if we weren't marching to our deaths. Roberto knows if they split up Tintin's rations, they'll have enough food for two more weeks. Two more weeks climbing in the Andes sounds like an eternity to Roberto. But he wouldn't be surprised if it took them a month to reach the valley.

He'll just have to pray that they stumble across another food source before they starve to death. Fido drags the body of his cousin Daniel back down to the fuselage. Gustavo follows not far behind him. But when they arrive, the rest of the survivors barely notice. Everyone is standing in the middle of the distress signal they laid out last week. A large cross made of luggage, bones, and debris.

Some of the survivors are hugging each other. Some are praying and looking up at the sky. It's clear to Fido that something happened while he was gone. Fido drops the nylon reins of the sled and calls out to Carlitos Paez. Carlitos comes running over. Happy tears are streaming down his face. He looks like he couldn't stop smiling, even if he wanted to. We've been spotted, Fido. We heard it on the radio.

Pilots saw a large cross on a mountain called Santa Elena. How could there be more than one cross in the Andes? I'm telling you, the helicopters will be here any minute. Fido looks over at the others. Roy Harley is fiddling with the radio's antenna, while the others listen intently for an update. Javier Maytal is crying, though Fido thinks his tears come from sadness as much as joy.

The thought of rescue must be bittersweet for anybody who watched a loved one die on this mountain. And Javier's wife was killed in the avalanche. Fido goes to pray with his friends at the center of the cross. Slowly, he feels his spirits start to rise. Carlitos is right. The cross in the Andes has to be their cross. The Uruguayan Air Force will send a team to investigate. Even the name of the mountain feels like a sign.

Fido remembers that St. Elena is the patron saint of lost things. And what are the survivors if not lost things? The more Fido thinks about it, the more certain he feels that help really is on the way this time. We'll be with our families for Christmas has become something the survivors say to each other. But Fido never believed it until now.

He shuts his eyes and sees the long table in his parents' dining room and all of the faces crowded around it on Christmas Eve. And then, like Javier, he is crying as much from sadness as from joy because he knows that his cousin Daniel will not be there. Vito wipes the tears from his face and stares up at the sky. How long will it take for the helicopters to arrive?

Nando stops and treats himself to a swig of rum from one of the bottles he found in the tail end of the plane. The bottle is the only non-essential item he and Roberto brought with them. And so far, they've drunk from it sparingly. But now, Nando has reason to celebrate. The past seven days have been a hellish journey over shifting terrain, climbing down the mountain on slopes steep enough that they had to fasten themselves to each other in case one of them slipped.

They passed through giant fields of loose shale, where it was nearly impossible to walk. They traversed long, snow-covered inclines that he and Roberto sledded down on their snowshoes. But now, they've finally reached the place he set his sights on from the summit. The place where the valley splits between two mountains, untouched by snow.

Fernando, each change in landscape has felt like an endurance test. His quads are burning and his hamstrings feel about to snap. He has just enough energy to concentrate on his next step. But at least the weather has been kind. So far, no blizzards, no avalanches. At night, the temperatures plunge below zero, but their insulated sleeping bag keeps them warm.

Nando finds it strange to think that when he started his descent, he was looking down at the clouds. Now, when he turns and cranes his neck, the summit seems hundreds of miles away. Looking down the gentle slope in front of him, Nando can see a 15-foot ice wall with a crack in it. A jet of water gushes through the crack and then cascades downhill. As it flows, it widens into a powerful stream.

This is the start of a river, Roberto. I bet it passes through a town. Nando takes the lead as they walk beside the stream. He was right. Before long, it swells in size and the snow line ends. But then, the passage of shale gives way to fields of car-sized boulders that flank the water on either side. Climbing over and around them is exhausting, but Nando feels possessed. He's sure that at any moment he will see a tree.

and that tree will be followed by a meadow. There might even be cattle grazing and a ranch house nearby. He can see it in his mind. Roberto shouts for a break, but Nando couldn't make himself stop now if he wanted to. He can't even make himself slow down. He wonders who will give out first, him or his shoes. Then he hears Roberto shouting, Nando, look!

Roberto's pointing to a rusted soup can stuck between two rocks. We did it, Nando. Help can't be far. Nando turns around and keeps walking. He'll celebrate once he's standing face to face with another human being. Until then, he refuses to lose focus. Roberto feels a sharp pain in his gut and bowls over. He wants to stop walking, but he can't.

He and Nando have been hiking alongside the stream for hours, and now he can sense how close they are to civilization. Around every bend, he expects to see a homestead. He listens for the sound of human voices or a dog barking. He scans the sky, searching for smoke from a fireplace. There's a chance that someone will offer him real food to eat this very night. Just one serving of vegetables will fix his stomach.

The pain comes and goes in waves. Now and again, he has to stop and wait for it to pass. Then he hurries to catch up with Nando. There is maybe a half hour of daylight left when Roberto follows a curve in the river and finds Nando standing still, staring up at an enormous boulder that completely blocks their path forward. He turns to Roberto with a serious look on his face. We can either climb over the top

or we can inch our way along the ledge over the river. Roberto isn't surprised when Nando announces that he's going straight over the top. This last week, he's marveled at Nando's stamina. Nando has dominated every obstacle they've encountered, every snow drift, every outcropping, every gust of wind. He seems to pick up his pace as the day goes on, and he never wants to rest. If anything, Roberto has the impression that Nando's been holding back for his sake.

Roberto's pride is telling him that if Nando can climb over that boulder, then so can he. But deep down, he knows he won't make it. He's feeling weaker than ever, and the pain in his stomach is constant. He nods for Nando to go ahead and climb over. He's going to edge his way around. I'll see you on the other side. The rock ledge is thigh high and roughly two feet wide. Roberto climbs onto it and begins sliding his way around.

He keeps his face to the boulder, his knapsack jutting out over the river. He's made it halfway when he feels something in his gut shift. Suddenly, his whole body is wracked by waves of nausea, and he feels almost too weak to stand. He barely makes it to the other side where he jumps down and collapses into Nando's arms. I'm finished. I can't take another step. But look, Roberto, we're nearly there.

Roberto looks up to see the edge of a long, green meadow. And at the opposite end, there's a stone corral that might hold livestock. A farm. Roberto shakes his head in disbelief. He lets Nando take his knapsack. And together, they hobble across the meadow, praying that someone is there to help them.

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The stone coral they found is the first evidence of human civilization they've seen in months. But when they cross the meadow, they found the farm deserted. Worse, Nando discovers that the river they've been following intersected a second, larger river. The water is too swift to wade across, which means they're stuck until they find either a bridge or a place shallow enough to cross. Night is beginning to fall.

Nando tells Roberto that he's going to find some firewood. He's taken just a few steps when he hears Roberto shouting. Nando, look! Nando scans the opposite bank. At first, he's afraid Roberto's hallucinating. Then he spots a man in a cowboy hat sitting on a horse. The man is staring straight at him.

Nando runs up to the edge of the water, waving his arms. They've finally found someone to help them, the first person they've seen since the plane crashed. Nando is almost too frantic to breathe. The man on the horse shouts something over the river, but then simply turns and rides off. Nando falls to his knees and watches as the man disappears. Nando could only make out one word over the sound of the current. Mañana. Tomorrow. Tomorrow.

That night, Nando barely sleeps. He gets up at first light and walks back to the river's edge. There are three men standing around a fire on the opposite bank. Nando tries shouting, but he can't make himself heard over the rushing water. A man in a flannel shirt and overalls stands and writes a note on a piece of paper, then ties the paper to a rock and throws the rock across the river. It lands at Nando's feet.

Nando's hands are shaking as he unties the string. The note reads, "Someone is coming for you later. What is it you want?" Nando wants to answer, but he has nothing to write with. He mimes, scribbling on a piece of paper. The man nods, then ties a pencil to a second rock and hurls it across to Nando.

On the back of the original note, Nando writes, I am a passenger from the Uruguayan plane that crashed in the Andes. 14 more of us are trapped in the mountains. We are weak and starving. Some of us are dying. When will you come? Nando ties his note to a rock and summons all of his strength in order to throw it back across the river. It lands on the shore and rolls down almost into the water, but stops just before it gets there.

When the man is done reading, he holds up two hands in a gesture that seems to say, "Wait where you are." Then, he sits back down at the fire with his friends. They are roasting meat on sticks and drinking from coffee cups. Nando wants to charge across the water and grab the man who wrote the note. He wants to shake him and scream, "We can't wait a minute longer. Our friends are dying." Instead, he does the only thing he can.

He lies back down beside Roberto and shuts his eyes. He can only hope the men will help them. Three days after the announcement that a cross was spotted in the Andes, Fido and the others are gathered around the transistor radio when they hear a follow-up bulletin. The cross in question isn't theirs. It belongs to a team of Argentine geophysicists. How cruel.

The broadcaster goes on to say that the hunt for the missing Fairchild has been scaled back. Only a single plane from the Uruguayan Air Force will continue the search. For more than two months now, he has fought to keep his spirits up in the face of one nightmare after another. The crash, the avalanche, the deaths of so many friends, all because of an exhibition match that was never anything more than an excuse for a weekend getaway.

Lately, it seems to him like the universe isn't just cruel, it's spiteful. He goes searching for bodies, and the only one he finds is his cousin's. The plane's spare batteries work, but the radio doesn't. Tintin returned from the expedition only to tell them that Nando and Roberto have no chance at making it out alive. And now, somehow, there is a second cross in the Andes. Vito is finally ready to give in. He collapses on the ground.

He's been lying on his back for a few hours when suddenly he hears the sound of a plane's engine. He tells himself not to get his hopes up. They've seen planes fly directly overhead before and nothing has ever come of it. Still, he keeps listening. Every time the plane seems to get closer, it recedes again. Carlitos, who's sitting beside him, stands up. What is the pilot doing? Fido thinks he's figured it out. He's flying in parallel lines. He's searching for something.

Fido yells for survivors to throw on their brightest clothes and join him at the cross. He's sure that any minute the plane will come into view. The survivors gather round, ready to run in circles and wave their arms. But then there's a loud revving of the engine and the sound of the plane recedes one final time. At 9 a.m., after a night of fitful sleep, Roberto sits up and watches a man on a mule riding towards him.

The man dismounts, then introduces himself as Armando Cerda. He has been sent by the man who threw the rock across the river. Armando is short and muscular, with an untamed beard and a poncho that hangs almost to his ankles. Roberto stands to greet him, then stumbles and falls to one knee. A night's sleep has done nothing to bring back his strength. Nando and Armando help him to his feet, then hoist him onto the mule.

Armando says that he will take them to a hut where he has food waiting. There are also two straw mattresses for them to sleep on. Roberto is thankful, but also frustrated. Armando doesn't seem to be in any kind of rush. Please, can we hurry? Our friends need help. Armando shrugs. He tells Roberto that the man he first saw on horseback has gone for help, but the nearest outpost is 10 hours away. In the meantime, Armando leads them across a shallow spot in the river.

He takes them to a clay hut, where a pot of stew is simmering over a fire. Armando hands them bowls and spoons and tells them to eat and sleep as much as they like. He must go back to work. The taste of steak and beans makes Roberto tear up. He is done eating the dead. It's the first sign that his life is no longer merely about survival. He refills his bowl again and again.

When he lies down on one of the straw mattresses, he falls asleep instantly. He sleeps not only through the afternoon, but through the night. He and Nando are awoken early in the morning by the sound of helicopters landing. Herberto pushes himself up and finds he can stand without any problem. Still, he is far from steady on his feet, and he follows Nando outside, where a dense fog has settled over the area.

A man in uniform runs up to him in Nando. He is tall and thin, with close-cropped gray hair. He introduces himself as Commander Carlos Garcia of the Chilean Air Force, then crouches down and unfolds a map on the ground. Roberto's glad to see that the man is all business. The 14 survivors back at the Fairchild can't afford to wait a second longer. Garcia points to the map. Show me where you crashed.

Roberto kneels beside Garcia and traces the route he and Nando followed with his finger. Garcia shakes his head in disbelief. That's more than 70 miles from here. Nobody could have survived that journey on foot. But Roberto insists, and Nando backs him up. Garcia has no choice but to believe them. But then, he tells them what they already know. A white plane on a snow-covered mountain will be almost impossible to spot.

"Once the fog lifts, I'll need one of you to fly with me and the rescue team. You'll know where to look." Roberto wants to volunteer, but he's still too weak. He looks over at Nando, who simply gives him a somber nod. Three hours later, Commander Garcia tells Nando that the fog has thinned enough to take off. It's time to go. Nando climbs into the back of Garcia's helicopter alongside three members of the Andean Rescue Corps.

The co-pilot turns and hands Nando a pair of headphones with a microphone attached. He slips them on and feels his stomach lurch as the helicopter lifts into the air. He looks down and sees Roberto watching from a distance. Roberto is the only one who can understand how terrified he is to be flying over the Andes again. Nando hears Garcia's voice through his headphones. Tell me where to go.

Nando forces himself to hold his eyes open and scan the terrain below. He steers Garcia along the valley he and Roberto followed out of the mountains. Soon, Nando finds himself hovering at eye level with peaks that rise thousands of feet in the air.

Garcia keeps talking to him through the headset. You hiked through this? As they climb higher, Nando's terror increases. The engine is screeching, and the helicopter is straining as though it's about to break apart. The fierce wind doesn't help. Nando feels like he's riding an inflatable raft through the raging rapids.

But already, just 20 minutes after takeoff, they are face to face with the western side of the mountain. Hernando spent two long months battling to stay alive. We're almost there. The crash site is on the other side. We can't fly any higher than this. We have to go around. Garcia drops the helicopter a few hundred feet. As they curve toward the east, they're flying directly into the wind.

Nando's seat shakes so violently that his vision starts to blur. Through his headset, he hears Garcia yelling at him. Where are they? We can't just hover up here. I'm going to have to turn back. Nando starts to panic, but then he spots a familiar ridge. He leans forward and points. No, it's that way. I see it. There it is. I don't see anything.

A gust of wind knocks the helicopter sideways, and Nando imagines himself free-falling back into the Andes. Under his breath, he prays, while Garcia is cursing and fighting with the controls. When the helicopter is level again, Nando opens his eyes. He scans below for the Fairchild, but Garcia has already spotted it.

Now, everyone is talking over each other and pointing frantically. Garcia's voice bellows through his headset. All right, shut up. Everybody shut up. I need to focus. Nando can feel the helicopter battling the cross currents as Garcia tries to lower them down. It feels like the wind might rip the propellers right off the roof, but Nando keeps his eyes trained on the fair trial. And then he sees them, tiny figures filing out of the fuselage.

Little by little, Garcia inches closer, and the turbulence eases as they approach the ground. Javier Maytol is on his knees, hugging himself and weeping. Gustavo Zurbino is running straight for the helicopter, with his arms spread wide like he's going to tackle it before it can fly away without him. Even Carlitos is running toward the helicopter, one red baby shoe in his hand.

All 14 of the survivors are gathered outside in the snow, shouting and jumping in the air. Everyone Nando left behind is alive. 72 days after the crash, the nightmare is finally over. As the helicopter touches the ground, Nando is overcome with a fierce love for the young men he knows are forever his brothers. They're safe now. They'll be home in time for Christmas.

Nando Parado and his father approach the gravesite on foot. It's a warm spring day in 1975, two years after the crash. It's taken them three days to get here, an eight-hour drive in an all-terrain vehicle, then two and a half days on specially trained Indian horses, and a final climb on foot. It's so quiet that all Nando can hear is his breathing and the crunching of their feet on the rocks.

Nando watches his father place flowers in a stainless steel box, holding his sister Susie's favorite teddy bear on top of the gravesite. And he feels complete peace. The crash site is no longer a place of fear, just one of rest. The 14 survivors slowly reintegrate back into their normal lives. In Uruguay, they are treated as heroes, and their survival is taken as a point of national pride.

But Nando struggles to articulate his feelings that their experience on the mountain was just painful, not glorious.

For a short while, Nando enjoys a successful career as a race car driver. In 1984, he's invited to host a motorsport show on Uruguay Channel 5. This leads to a new and enduring career. He and Veronique, his wife, now write, direct, and produce television shows covering a wide range of topics. They have two daughters. ♪

In the months after the crash, Roberto Canessa returns to med school and goes on to become Uruguay's leading pediatric cardiologist. In 1976, he marries his fiancée, Laura Sirocco.

Nando is the godfather to their son, Ilario, who became a star player for the old Christians rugby club. Unlike Roberto, Gustavo Zerbino does not go on to finish medical school. He had his fill of blood and death on the mountain. Today, he is CEO of his own pharmaceutical company and is also the director of the Uruguayan Rugby Federation. He lives just a few blocks away from Nando.

In the decades following the crash, Carlitos Paez struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. Eventually, the problem becomes so bad that Nando and Gustavo show up at his house and forcibly escort him to rehab. Roughly 30 years later, Carlitos remains clean and sober. He spends his free time doting on his three granddaughters. Fido Strauch owns and runs a cattle ranch. He and his wife Paula have four children.

After a long career as an importer, Antonio Tintin-Vincentine works as a motivational speaker. Roy Harley lives in Montevideo with his wife, Celia. Celia is the sister of Roberto Canessa's wife, Laura. Roy and Celia have two daughters and a son who played rugby for the old Christians.

Years after he is rescued, Javier Maytal remarries. In addition to raising the four children from his marriage to Liliana, he and Ana Maria, his second wife, have four more children. On June 4th, 2015, Javier dies of cancer at the age of 79. All of the survivors remain close. Every year, they gather with their families on December 22nd to celebrate the day they were rescued.

Nando has written that they treat the day as their rebirth, the day they reemerged into the world with a more profound appreciation for the gift of being alive. If you like our show, please give us a five-star rating and a review. Follow Against the Odds on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, the Wondery app, or wherever you're listening right now.

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If you'd like to learn more about this event, we highly recommend the book Alive by Pierce Paul Reed. I'm your host, Cassie DePeckel. Chris Narosny wrote this episode. Our editors are Matt Wise and Maura Waltz. Brian White is our associate producer. Our audio engineer is Sergio Enriquez. Sound design is by Rob Shielaga. Our executive producers are Stephanie Jens and Marshall Louis. We're Wondery. Wondery.

What's up, guys? It's your girl Kiki, and my podcast is back with a new season. And let me tell you, it's too good. And I'm diving into the brains of entertainment's best and brightest, okay? Every episode, I bring on a friend and have a real conversation. And I don't mean just friends. I mean the likes of Amy Poehler, Kel Mitchell, Vivica Fox. The list goes on. So follow, watch, and listen to Baby. This is Kiki Palmer on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.