Cowboy Now

In January of 1996, nine men from separate parts of the world—America, Canada, Chile, and Britain—ventured into the Patagonian mountains. Their goal was the second west-to-east crossing of the Northern Patagonia Ice Field, the fourth largest ice field in the world. Patagonia is world-renowned for some of the worst weather on planet earth. Three weeks into a scheduled five-week expedition, and directly in the middle of the ice field, the team was attacked by a massive, unrelenting blizzard. Their tents were destroyed and supplies were dwindling as they clung to life in snow caves for two agonizing weeks, slowly starving while they battled for their lives.

Carlson describes core survival, drastic change, and self-examination, all while trapped in a man made snow cave for two weeks in a horrendous South American blizzard. The resulting novel is a fast moving, stripped raw, symbolic mountain journey about survival, struggle and change. Numerous climbers in the region died during the blizzard.