Seven Days Out on a Broken Leg

I am happy to say that I receive letters weekly and would like to print them all. However, I am only printing those that are unusual. Here is one of them: "Dear Jerry, I am writing this letter to thank you for making such a fine product. Some years ago I bought an Ultima Thule, and in the summer of 1999 it saved my life. Some friends and I have been going into the Selway Crags of Idaho for over 20 years. It is a harsh but spectacular land. On the second day I got onto some snow in a very steep gully and went for a long slide. When the crash was over, my right leg hurt like hell and things were not looking good. I had heard a loud wet snap when I hit the rocks, so the immediate and ugly swelling was no surprise. The walls were too steep for any type of extraction, so I grabbed my pack and made my way painfully to the bottom. I set up my tent and got my partner to fill a garbage bag full of snow. I stuck my leg in the bag, duct taped the top shut, crawled into my Wiggy's bag, and wished the world away. It was the longest night of my life. Your bag kept the rest of my battered body warm with one leg immersed in snow. I don't know if I would have survived the night in a lesser bag. The temperatures dropped to around freezing and it rained/snowed all night. It took me seven days to very slowly make my way out of there. The leg was broken straight across on the big bone, and slant wise on the on the small bone about three inches above the ankle. Walking out of there was the most technically demanding thing I have ever done. While the rain pounded down, I would hobble along and think of how nice it would be to be curled up in my warm bag. Thank you again. I truly believe that your sleeping bag saved my life. Thank you, Steve Armstrong East Wenatchee, WA.