Final Flight

Peter Stekel lives in Seattle. He has hiked in the Sierra Nevada—mostly Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks—since he was twelve years old. That is a long time. But not long enough. He is also the author of The Flower Lover and Best Hikes Near Seattle. More photos can be found at the book's website. You will also find links to videos Stekel shot at the glacier, newspaper stories, television programs, book reviews, a schedule of personal appearances, and other things of interest to readers of Final Flight. Stekel’s blog, documenting his research, is also at the site.

Stekel has breathed warm life into these long lost World War II airmen who disappeared while on a training mission in 1942. Entombed in High Sierra glacial ice for more than sixty years before being discovered by climbers and the author himself, Stekel skillfully weaves the crew's fate in these rugged mountains with his own quest to unravel the mystery." --Eric Blehm, bestselling author of The Last Season and The Only Thing Worth Dying For Because truth really does trump fiction for drama, Final Flight reads like a good novel and sticks with you like a particularly affecting play. Superbly researched, compellingly written, and lovingly relived, this gripping tale both solves an old mystery and serves as a moving tribute to all fallen fliers. By actually trekking to the remote site of the crash and making a stunning discovery there, Stekel rescues a sad story from dead-end status and turns it into a living memorial.--Robert Michael Pyle, author of Chasing Monarchs and Sky Time in Gray's River ... [An] invigorated appreciation of the dedication of the men and women of the Greatest Generation.? Michael Sledge, author of Soldier Dead: How We Recover, Identify, Bury, and Honor Our Military Fallen Capture[s] the history, geography, and the mystery surrounding this inspiring tale of the High Sierra.--Pat Macha, author of Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of California Those who love the high country will find this a fascinating read.--William Tweed, Co-author of Challenge of the Big Trees: A Resource History of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks If you love our parks, and if you love a good mystery, you need Final Flight; it will be a read you can not put down. Stekel does a masterful job of painstakingly putting this seven-decade old "jigsaw puzzle" together touchingly for you: frozen airman by frozen airman.--Charles R. "Butch" Farabee, Jr., author of Death, Daring, & Disaster - Search and Rescue in the National Parks A thoroughly enjoyable...detective story--Douglas H. Clark, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Geology Department, Western Washington University

• PrologueChapter 1: A Body in the Glacier Chapter 2: Home from the Mountain Chapter 3: Who Is the Frozen Airman?Chapter 4: The More I Know, the Less I Know Chapter 5: Playing DetectiveChapter 6: First Discovery: 1947Chapter 7: What Was Recovered: 1948Chapter 8: The Frozen Airman Is Identified Chapter 9: The Frozen Airman Is Not Alone: August 2007 Chapter 10: My Report Chapter 11: On the Trail of the Second Airman Chapter 12: Understanding the Beech 18 AT-7 Navigator Chapter 13: The Boys Chapter 14: Their Training Chapter 15: They Weren’t the Only Ones Chapter 16: It Rained Cats and Dogs All Day Chapter 17: Carried by Flight: A Scenario for Disaster Chapter 18: East to West: A More Probable Scenario Chapter 19: Please Remember Me References Acknowledgments