FATIGUE—Alberta, Mt. Edith. Brian Borucki (23), Jim LeSage (25) and Richard Albrecht (30) were climbing Mt. Edith on August 16. Only Albrecht had climbed mountains before and he had done little leading. They were slow and unused to the loose rock. They lost the route once, and had minor injuries from rockfall, although their helmets helped to protect them. They had to spend the night with little food, clothing, or water, and they huddled together under two ponchos. On August 16, Borucki had a bad headache and was dizzy, and the others were weak and light-headed. They decided to wait for help and were a little surprised when it came in the form of a helicopter. (Source: R. Albrecht.)

Analysis: The cold, hunger, thirst, and lack of sleep caused the illness and loss of determination. More food and more clothing should have been carried. The shortage of water was caused by dropping a bottle. (Source: R. Albrecht.)