The
setting of this story is in the Rocky Mountains, found
in British Columbia, Canada, and the story occurs
during the summer. The Rocky Mountains stretch more
than 4,800 kilometers from British Columbia, in Canada,
to New Mexico, in the United States. The highest peak
is Mount Elbert, in Colorado, which is 4,401 meters
above sea level. Mount Robson, at 3,954 meters is
the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. There have
been many different periods of glaciations, which
is a big factor in the story, for there are many glaciers.
Periods of glaciations occurred from 1.8 million-70,000
years ago to fewer than 11,000 years ago. Water in
its many forms sculpted the present Rocky Mountain
landscape. Runoff and snowmelt from the peaks feed
Rocky Mountain Rivers and lakes with the water supply
for one-quarter of the United States. The rivers that
flow from the Rocky Mountains eventually drain into
three of the world's five Oceans: the Atlantic Ocean,
the Pacific Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean.
These
impressive mountains represent one of the central
themes throughout the poem. David and Bob pit themselves
against the Rockies; they must try to escalate the
peaks, a worthy challenge. This is the tale of man
vs. nature; two young adolescents attempt to climb
one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, and
fail. This round is won by nature, her lofty peaks
defeating the two young mountain climbers.
