By the time Palmer, Jax Hornsby, Ted Wagner, and Nels Osterlund reached the cliff downriver from their plateau, it was only hours before sundown. As Palmer stood by the edge, he could see no movement below, but he could see what appeared to be paths on the other side of the river and into woods. He suspected that the paths led to the others. From his vantage point, he could see the zig-zag path down the cliff and knew it was going to take a while to navigate the cliff.
“We have some careful climbing to do to get off the cliff,” Palmer said aloud. “I don’t want to be on that treacherous path after dark, so move it along!”
By the time the four men had managed the cliff-face, it was after sunset and getting dark quickly. Working together, they managed to get firewood collected, a fire start
