Uncover the compelling true story behind a mysterious WWII plane crash and the “Frozen Airmen” found in the High Sierra. In October 2005, two mountaineers climbing above Mendel Glacier in the High Sierra found the mummified remains of a man in a World War II uniform, entombed in the ice. The “Frozen Airman” discovery created a media storm and a mystery that drew Peter Stekel to investigate. What did happen to the four-man crew who perished on a routine navigational training flight in 1942, some 150 miles off course from the reported destination? Peter found bad weather, bad luck, and bad timing—empty graves, botched records, and misguided recovery efforts. Then, in 2007, the unimaginable happened again. Peter himself discovered a second body in the glacier. Another young man would finally be coming home. Through meticulous research, interviews, and mountaineering trips to the site, Peter uncovered the story of these four young men. Final Flight explores their ill-fated trip and the misinformation that surrounded it for more than 60 years. The book is a gripping account that’s part mystery, part history, and part personal journey to uncover the truth of what happened on November 18, 1942. In the process, Peter narrates the young aviators’ last days and takes us on their final flight. 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 Peter Stekel is an award-winning writer specializing in feature articles and photography of the Sierra Nevada.  Stekel grew up in Southern California and has been hiking and backpacking in the Sierra since he was twelve years old. Peter Stekel's first trip to the Sierra Nevada was at summer camp with his Boy Scout troop, in Sequoia National Park. Under the weight of a heavy backpack and the arduous long distances, Stekel believed he might die actually from exhaustion. Upon reaching their destination--amidst the beauty of an alpine lake, granite cliffs, and wildflower fields--Stekel changed his opinion, and believed he had died--and gone to heaven. Since that time he has hiked all over the Southern Sierra, from the foothills to the High Sierra. Peter Stekel is also the author of Best Hikes Near Seattle, and the novel The Flower Lover.  Stekel has appeared as an authority on the Sierra Nevada in various national and international media outlets including National Geographic, BBC 4, and countless other print, radio, and television media.  He holds a B.A. in Botany from the University of California at Davis, and a teaching credential from Humboldt State University.  He makes his home in Seattle with his wife, their tropical fish, and a menagerie of stuffed animals. Peter Stekel is a writer specializing in feature articles and photography of the Sierra Nevada with a focus on Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. Stekel grew up in Southern California and has hiked and backpacked in the High Sierra since he was twelve years old. He now makes his