Death Mountain: Chapters 12–18

by Sherry Shahan
On a hike in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, thirteen-year-old Erin Rowe makes a new friend when they both get lost and must rely on each other to survive.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–11, Chapters 12–18, Chapters 19–28
30 words 5 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. fester
    generate pus
    Erin was so relieved to take off her sneakers and rest her festering toe, she didn't care about rain or thunder or lightning.
  2. igneous
    produced by the action of fire or intense heat
    She could have sworn they'd passed the same igneous slab an hour ago, but she knew they hadn't.
  3. severe
    very bad in degree or extent
    Tiny black pinpoints of light danced at the edges of her vision. The first stage of Altitude Mountain Sickness. At the severely ill end of the AMS scale the brain swelled and ceased to function properly.
  4. altitude
    elevation above sea level or above the earth's surface
    "It's okay to get altitude sickness," Gram had said once. "But it isn't okay to die from it. If you ever feel sick like that, Erin, get to a lower elevation."
  5. subconscious
    just below the level of awareness
    Erin sipped from her water bottle, subconsciously rationing it, then passed it to Mae.
  6. miserly
    characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity
    Mae took a miserly swig and recapped the bottle.
  7. plateau
    a relatively flat raised area of land
    Thirty minutes later they were zigzagging down a short pitch to a plateau at 9,500 feet.
  8. reconnoiter
    explore, often with a goal of finding something or somebody
    “Two girls...Lost near Cottonwood Pass...We'll reconnoiter at Horseshoe Meadows Campgrounds..."
  9. gorge
    a narrow pass, especially one between mountains
    Without a word she and Mae turned back, climbed again, and moved between two shoulders of granite. Soon they found themselves in a narrow gorge.
  10. shabby
    showing signs of wear and tear
    Step after step, Erin and Mae hunched against the wind, leaning forward, putting one shabby sneaker in front of the other.
  11. weld
    join together by heating
    It felt like someone was holding a welding torch against her foot, constantly turning up the flame.
  12. cleft
    a long narrow opening
    A few feet up she found a crack wide enough to support her sneakers. It took forever to go ten feet. She rested with one foot higher than the other and jammed in a cleft.
  13. taut
    subjected to great tension; stretched tight
    She pressed her cheek against cold rock, her spine taut as wire.
  14. foothold
    a place that provides support for standing or climbing
    She found the knob and another foothold and crept forward.
  15. raspy
    unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
    She wanted to scream, to shock herself into action. Her throat wouldn't open.
    Finally a raspy shriek burst out of her.
  16. vertigo
    a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall
    All of a sudden she didn't know the difference between up and down. Vertigo. That's what Gram said sometimes happened to people skiing in a whiteout blizzard—they lost all sense of direction.
  17. grubby
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt
    Mae pulled out the ranger's map and flashlight, running a grubby finger over the twisting lines.
  18. murky
    dark or gloomy
    The beam of the flashlight cut through murky shadows.
  19. bottleneck
    a narrowing that reduces the flow through a channel
    Erin's gaze moved to a spot in the trail where granite closed in, creating a bottleneck. Two people stood in the narrow space.
  20. lumber
    move heavily or clumsily
    She couldn't make out more than lumbering shadows beyond the glow of flashlights.
  21. impulse
    a sudden desire
    She had a strange impulse to ask them if they had any cookies.
  22. unwavering
    marked by firm determination or resolution
    The guy with the sunglasses chewed on Erin's answer. She noticed his eyes were deep set, unwavering.
  23. sliver
    (figurative) a small or narrow piece or slice
    The drizzle let up and a sliver of moonlight spread shadows on the trail.
  24. overwhelming
    very intense
    The stink was overwhelming. Then she realized she was smelling herself.
  25. gauzy
    so thin as to transmit light
    Gauzy clouds drifted in from the northwest, swirling in front of the moon.
  26. crusty
    blunt and ill-tempered
    "Your pictures have been in all the papers—on TV too, the neighbors tell me. I hear crusty old Edgar Harold headed up a search party of his own—a dozen or so volunteers from around the county."
  27. terra cotta
    clay fired for pottery and building material, or the finished object
    Then the spicy scent of rosemary and basil from the terra-cotta pots beside the door.
  28. relish
    spicy or savory condiment
    From the refrigerator she snatched mayonnaise, oranges, relish, cheese, almonds, squash.
  29. casserole
    food baked together and served in a deep dish
    She pulled out a cold Mexican casserole and stabbed the rubbery cheese with a spoon.
  30. stub
    a small, unused piece
    Then she thought about the ranger's John Muir book and pencil stub.
Created on Tue Apr 25 10:18:58 EDT 2023 (updated Tue Apr 25 14:03:18 EDT 2023)

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