The 51-year-old alpinist Rob Martin was trapped for more than nine hours on a narrow stone ledge at approximately 3,200 meters altitude during a climb in the Sierra Nevada, California. He couldn't move forward or go back and feared dying if he lost his balance while waiting for rescue teams to arrive. According to Martin, being in that situation was very frightening, as any wrong move could be fatal.
Martin had driven about six hours from Oakland, California, to the area and camped under the stars in Inyo National Forest with a friend. The next morning, on August 22, the two began climbing Laurel Mountain, a peak of 3,602 meters altitude located about 80 kilometers southeast of Yosemite National Park.
The pair started the climb through a kind of channel formed in the rock, but ended up in a dangerous situation from which they couldn't escape. During the long hours of waiting, Martin remained motionless on the narrow stone ledge, aware of the extreme risk he was facing.
