Stay Alive: The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds, The Donner Party Expedition, 1846 — Ebook

<i>"Soon we will eat the frozen cattle.... And then, when that is gone, what shall we eat?</i><br /><i>Shall we eat the snow? Shall we eat the ice? Shall we eat the bark on the frozen trees?</i><br /><i>What shall we eat?"</i><br /><br />Spring, 1846: Douglas Allen Deeds dreams of starting a new life out West. When the opportunity to join the Donner Party Expedition arises, he leaves the life he's known behind to set out on the nearly 2,000-mile trek from Independence, Missouri to sunny California.<br /><br />But progress is slow. Brutal heat, poisoned water, and rough terrain slows the expedition down. Soon they have a choice: continue on the known but grueling trail, or take a shortcut that would cut 350 miles from their journey-but take them through unknown territory. Is it worth the risk?<br /><br />Winter comes quickly in the mountains, and the wrong choice could leave them stranded in the Sierra Mountains when the snow comes, with no shelter, supplies, or even food.<br /><br />Newbery Honor-winning author Rodman Philbrick brings to life the excitement, danger, and horrors of the Donner Party's journey west.