Joe Ficklin was having an ordinary day at a dangerous job. He was flying in a helicopter over the rugged San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado. He and three other men were doing survey work on December 30, 1961, at the top of the high cliffs of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. Having difficulty getting "lift" on the helicopter, they started searching for a place that even the helicopter could land when suddenly the helicopter drifted into...