The Mountain Between Us

The week after finding out that they were having twins, Ben and Rachel went for an ultrasound. They learned that Rachel had a partial abruption, which meant that the placenta was starting to tear away from the uterine wall. The doctor told her that she needed to be on strict bedrest to try to stop it from tearing further.

After scouting a different direction, Ben comes back from behind their building and notices a shed out back that he didn’t see before. Inside, he finds tools and equipment, including tires for a four-wheeler. In addition, he finds several blue sleds, which are used to drag heavy supplies and equipment. He takes one and, on his way out, spots several pairs of snowshoes.

He goes back to Ashley and shows her what he found. He tells her that they’ll leave soon since he feels strong enough to pull her on the sled. He’s desperate to find a road, especially now that the presence of tires made him optimistic that someone drives to this area frequently on a four-wheeler.

That night, Ben asks Ashley to tell him what she misses about Vince. She describes several things, like Atlanta, his house, and the Braves stadium, but says little about Vince himself.

When Ben and Rachel returned to the doctor, they were told that the abruption had gotten worse. The doctor told her that there was little chance of saving the children; if it fully tore, she would die. However, she argued with him, insisting that any chance at all was worth it. The doctor told them that they could have the night to decide.

When they got home, Ben told Rachel that she was being “selfish” for wanting to keep the babies. However, she insisted that it was the opposite of selfishness. She didn’t want to “play god.” She knew two things—that she was alive and so were the children—and if she had even a chance of keeping it that way, she wanted to take it. She wanted to continue with the pregnancy as long as there was “hope.” Ben was adamant that it wasn’t worth losing her to save the children.

He angrily left their home. He ran along the beach and, when he looked up, saw Rachel watching him.

Ben goes out and sets two snares. He then tracks several moose but is unable to find or kill anything besides another rabbit.

Back at the camp that night, he eats with Ashley. She tries to talk to him, but he’s distracted. She confronts him about what’s wrong, and he explains their situation. They can stay, hoping that someone finds them, or leave and search for help. If they stay, they may be there for months, and it’s possible that no one will ever come. However, if they go, they could die—when staying would’ve led to faster rescue anyway. Ashley insists that it’s his decision to make. He tries to argue, but she tells him that she’ll accept whatever choice he makes in the morning.

Ashley then asks him what’s really bothering him. He tries to say that it’s nothing, but she interrupts him. She tells him to take his recorder, talk to Rachel, and then come back if and when he’s ready to talk about it.

Ben has a one-sided conversation with Rachel. He tells her that he feels “responsible” for Ashley since he’s the reason why she ended up on the plane and stuck in the wilderness. He feels pressure to try to catch something for food but repeatedly fails at hunting.

He then admits that it’s “not easy” to ignore his feelings for her. He tells her that Ashley is beautiful and has an amazing sense of humor. However, he’s adamant that nothing will happen between them.

On their 23rd morning in the wilderness, Ben sets 12 more snares, giving him 14 total. He sets up a blind by the lake and watches until a mother moose appears with her baby. He contemplates what to do and decides that he must kill the calf since it would die anyway without its mother.

Ben shoots the calf with his bow. He misses its heart, so it travels nearly a mile with its mother. He tracks it and then watches the mother standing over the dead calf. He attempts to scare the mother away, but she charges at him, throwing him into a tree and stepping on his bow. Ben hides among the branches, and the mother returns to her calf.

Several wolves come out of the forest. They attack the calf carcass and the mother. The moose kills several of them and then stands over her calf until they all leave. Ben watches for several more hours until the mother finally leaves.

Ben takes what good meat is left on the calf, estimating that it will feed him and Ashley for 10 days. On his way back to the camp, he realizes that he’s bothered by how the mother stood over her calf for so long. He’s adamant that he would kill the calf again because they need food, but he’s still upset about it. He finds a patch of blood from the calf in the snow. He picks it up, inhaling the scent. He then goes to a nearby tree, where he cuts a deep slash with a hatchet. He notes how, in the spring, sap “w[ill] ooze and trickle out the scar like tears” (267).

Ben records the message “You were right…you were right all along” for Rachel (268).

Ben prepares the sled to leave. He’s optimistic, as it’s easy to pull and they have enough food for the journey. However, he’s still unsure about how far they have to go. He estimates around 30 miles but is nervous that it’ll be closer to 50 before they find any kind of road.

Ben walks what he estimates is 15 miles. He comes upon something green and realizes that it’s a road sign. It reads “Evanston 62.”

Ten miles down the road, they come to a shack, labeled as a “warming hut.” They spend the night inside, with Ashley still on the sled. During the night, she places her arm on Ben’s chest, and he leaves it there.

The next day, Ben and Ashley travel about seven miles. The walk is much more difficult than the day before because it gradually slopes upward and it snows the entire day. That night, Ben collapses from exhaustion after they make camp.

Ben wakes up during the night. He walks up the incline to look into the distance. He goes back and wakes up Ashley, insisting that she come see. At the top of the incline, they can see a light glowing faintly in the distance. Ben estimates that it’s about 50 miles away.

The next day, Ben walks another 10 miles. That night, they find a small ranger’s cabin with a fireplace and a set of bunkbeds inside. They start a fire, and both sleep through the night.

It’s Ben and Ashley’s 27th day in the wilderness. The road begins to slope downward, making the walk significantly easier for Ben. He comes to a place where the road winds around a valley. He realizes that he can save about 10 miles of walking if he cuts across the valley instead of taking the road. He asks Ashley’s opinion, and she says that she’s ready to do whatever he wants.

Ben makes it down the slope and into the valley. Just as he’s confident that he can make it up the other side, the snow beneath him gives way, causing an avalanche of all the snow around them. Ben ends up lying face down in the snow, unable to move as it presses around him.

Ben struggles against the snow for several minutes. He can only move one leg, but doing so does nothing to help free the rest of his body. As he realizes that he’ll die face down in the snow, he feels a hand on his leg. It frees him enough from the snow that he can hoist himself out the rest of the way.

Ashley is lying on the ground, face down. She freed herself from the sled to help him, but her leg was rebroken in the fall. The bone has pierced the skin out the top of her leg, and blood soaks her pants. He tries to look at it, but she won’t let him. All their supplies are gone. Ben knows that he must go for help. He promises Ashley that he’ll come back for her and kisses her on the forehead and then the lips.

Ben runs toward the town. He falls repeatedly, getting back up each time. He keeps seeing Ashley’s face, which gives him the motivation to keep running.

The snow turns to sand as he imagines himself back on the beach, running for his father. Motivated by anger, he repeatedly falls and gets back up. Ashley’s face turns into Rachel’s. Rachel encourages him to run, insistent that he needs to keep going. He thinks about how he has “Rachel before [him]. Ashley behind [him]. Torn between the two. Running both ways” (292).

Finally, Ben sees a log cabin in the distance. He goes inside, and all he can say is “help.” They take several snowmobiles to find Ashley, and Ben rides with a young man, pointing him in the right direction. They find her lying in the snow, and the boy shoots up a flair, which signals the emergency helicopter. As they help Ashley up, she places the recorder in Ben’s hands.

The helicopter flies Ashley to the hospital in Salt Lake City. Ben goes there by ambulance. He knows the head of surgery, Bart Hampton. Bart allows Ben to watch Ashley’s surgery. Ben checks her X-rays. He’s convinced that her leg will heal and that she’ll be fine. He sits by her bedside, holding her hand. He calls Vince.

When Ashley wakes up, Ben tells her that Vince will arrive in two hours. Ben informs her that her surgery went well and that she’ll be able to move around soon. She asks if she can take a bath, and Ben calls the nurse. He promises to return soon.

Ben goes to visit Grover’s wife. He returns Napolean to her, learning again that the dog’s name is Tank. He tells her about the plane crash and gives her Grover’s wallet, watch, pipe, and lighter. They talk for a few hours, and Grover’s wife shows Ben photos of their life together.

As Ben leaves, he tries to apologize. However, Grover’s wife interrupts him. She tells him that Grover didn’t fly many people, so he must have been fond of Ben.

When Ben returns to the hospital, Ashley introduces him to Vince, who hugs and thanks Ben. Vince excuses himself so that Ben can say goodbye. Ashley asks Ben if he has called Rachel yet. He tells her that he hasn’t but that he’s going to see her.

As Ben turns to go, Ashley asks him why he invited her onto the plane. He hesitates and then tells her that it’s because he thought of his own wedding. It was a day that finally united him and Rachel and allowed them to love each other without reservation. Seeing Ashley excited about her wedding gave him a chance to relive that feeling in a way. He thanks Ashley for helping him remember “that love is worth doing. No matter how much it hurts” (305).

Ben returns home. He stops at the flower shop near his house to buy an orchid for Rachel. He goes to Rachel’s house and tells her what happened. He plays her all the recordings that he made for her.

When he finishes, he starts to leave but notices one more recording on the device. He plays it. It’s one that Ashley made while she waited for him to return to rescue her. She tells Rachel that she secretly listened to Ben make most of his recordings. She realized that Ben is truly in love—something that Ashley never believed in before. She explains that their relationship has given Ashley hope that she can also find love. After the recording finishes, Ben gets up to leave. However, he stops, deciding to stay with his wife for the first time in years.

A few months later, Ben goes to Ashley’s wedding. He hasn’t seen her since the hospital, deciding that it was better to end things. She sent him a wedding invitation and encouraged him to come with Rachel.

Ben stands outside the window, looking in at their wedding. He takes out his gift to her—two recorders, one for him and one for her. He records a message on one, telling Ashley that he has decided that he can’t be with Rachel: The “mountain between” them is too large. He explains that breaking up with her felt like his life broke into a bunch of pieces. He started to pick them back up again, but Ashley scattered them. He admits that he has “loved two women in [his] life, and now [he] can’t have either” (315). He wishes her happiness in her marriage. He then takes the recorder, puts it in a box, and leaves it among the other wedding gifts. He then leaves.

Ben returns home. He takes the second recorder that he bought out on the beach and considers what to record on it. He pushes “record” but then throws it into the sea.

Over the next couple days, Ben struggles not to think about Ashley. It still feels strange to be back in the normal world and, most of all, not to hear Ashley’s laughter.

Ben hears a knock at his door, and Ashley is standing there. He notices that she isn’t wearing a wedding ring. She tells him that she decided to tell Vince how she truly felt—that she wasn’t in love with him. She asks to meet Rachel.

Ben takes her to Rachel’s home. It’s a shrine dedicated to her and their two children. After Rachel and Ben had their argument about the twins and left to go running, he returned home to find the police and an ambulance there. Her abruption had worsened, killing her and the babies. For four and a half years, Ben has struggled to forgive himself for leaving her that night to run. In addition, he oscillates between feeling selfish for encouraging her to terminate her pregnancy and feeling guilty for not trying harder to save her.

Ashley breaks down in tears. Ben apologizes for not telling her sooner, but she insists on knowing all the “pieces” of Ben’s life. She asks him to go running, her first time since the injury.