right, so I'm also one of those people who usually lurks but doesn't comment, 'cause usually other commenters get the "omg so good" parts out of the way before I come along. I still love this story, but I'm taking a pause about halfway through the chapter to address a few points that made me rather squirmy; namely that Kirk should've been dead or unconscious long before Spock got him to that cave. According to the University of Minnesota (http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/coastal_communities/hypothermia), the average person would have about 45 minutes total in freezing water before death, probably less for Kirk since he was already chilly from walking around the ice field. Also, once out of the lake, his waterlogged clothing would be about as effective as continuing to soak in the ice lake. I was happy to see Spock attempting to get him out of said soaked clothes, but it seems like Jim just made his snarky comment & continued to wear them. In conclusion: why isn't Jim dead yet!?