In this case, we decide to move Vijay to the shelter of a nearby cave using a technique he taught us on day one. With people on either side of him, the carriers interlace each others’ arms under Vijay’s legs while he supports his upper body on our shoulders. Donning helmets, we journey into the cold snow and jarring wind. Hail and snow gather on our clothing as we shuffle through the thick mud. The white-crusted towers, with their protruding hoodoos and perching bombs are now Alice in Wonderland meets Iraq, a psychedelic landscape mixed with an active warzone. We hurriedly walk in unison—desperately hoping we can dodge additional incoming firebombs—toward the entrance of the nearby cave. Next, we lower Vijay onto his dry cushion in the cave. Finally we ferry the remaining supplies to the shelter. Features of this “safety” zone consist of a nascent riverbed and half-collapsing roof. Myriad blocks from the ceiling rest throughout the cave floor—except the entrance block, which leans from the roof like a leaf spring. The cave sits three feet tall.

As a team we strategize our next steps. Cody, already exhausted from hours of carrying Vijay up the steepest terrain, begins ferrying extraneous gear back to camp while Josh and I rack up for a nearby short climb also serving as our only logical escape route. Our goal: We’ll use the anchors on the climb by attaching ropes to them and then draping these ropes over a nearby drop off. Vijay would then rappel these ropes and skip all the otherwise steep hiking terrain.

It’s late afternoon when the storm temporarily abates. Utilizing this time, Josh and I climb the first 100 feet of the popular nearby tower, Ancient Art, and fix a line to the first anchor. This is followed by hurriedly carrying Vijay past the rock-fall zone, then past an exposed section of the trail before clipping into the rope. He sets up his rappel device, we pad the rope over any sharp edges on the surrounding rock, then he heads down and out of view. A few moments later he calls down that he’s safe.

From here, I head back up the tower, via Ascenders, and remove our hanging rope while the team assists Vijay back to his One-Off mountain bike and back to camp. The storm blows over the landscape as we shuttle our loads out of the Towers, leaving in its wake a bone cold chill. Vijay aggressively rides his bike back to camp, charging over many obstacles we previously deemed impossible. And, by nightfall, we’re all sitting around the camp table.