At the bottom of the dark pit, Linden struggled to maintain an optimistic view of his situation. For the last hour he had attempted to climb out of the pit, but the dark hid any footholds or ledges which would have assisted him in making to ten foot ascent to safety. Now that his clothes were wet and muddy, he began to feel the effects of the cold ground not being warmed by the sun. Since the average temperature of the ground is about 8 degrees Celsius (46F), the temperature in the pit was fairly consistent at that as opposed to the warmer conditions on the surface. His exhaustion and wounds aside, his body soon found it challenging to maintain the proper internal temperature and he began shivering with cold.
