To Build A Fire

From an intimate hospital conversation with a young hunter to a personal harrowing battle against frostbite on the towering slopes of Nanga Parbat, this story captures the raw edge of adventure and the fragile line between life and loss.

Join me as I weave together two tales that reveal how quickly the elements can turn—and the choices that determine our survival.

Illustration by American artist Frank E. Schoonover (1877–1972), which appeared in black and white with Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” in the August 1908 issue of Century Magazine.