11 The AmbushMcDowell woke with a start at the thunderous sound of the snowdrift crashing to the gully floor from the bank above. She looked at her watch through sleep-ridden eyes and saw that although it was two in the afternoon it was almost as dark as night. The snow was falling harder than ever now, driving almost horizontally with the razor-like wind but despite this McDowell decided to push on rather than risk being stranded out in the wilderness. Inside the heated sleeping bag she was warm and relaxed and it was with some foreboding that she managed to muster the will to slide out of her artificial haven and expose herself to the glacial afternoon air. The ice-laden atmosphere did nothing to revive her senses. In fact, it made her more lethargic and she was unable to hold back the
