The author has spent a good part of his life (over half-century) exploring, on foot with backpack, a large portion of the Great Southwest: California to Texas to the High Sierra Range, and points in between, desert to mountain, Northern Nevada to the Mexican Border. This includes a stint with the U.S. Marine Corps during the bitter Korean Conflict, 1950's.
It was during the brutal winter of 1996-1997, that Bergthold, along with a second companion, trekked for 35 days, 350 miles, in subzero conditions in hopes of finding 'survival routes' that the ill-advised Donner Party could have considered instead of attempting the High Sierra during the winter of 1846-1847 which culminated in the loss of many lives. "In our case," concluded Bergthold, in regard to the 1996-1997 winter trek, "we could've frozen to death on that trek that took us from Battle Mountain, Nevada to the northern boundary of California's Death Valley. We survived, but not without extreme difficulties."
During the winter of 1999-2000, Bergthold, along with two other companions forged their way south, on a second 35 day, 350 mile cross-country excursion that took the trio from Death Valley to the Salton Sea, thus this present book, The Night of the Triangle. "It was tough enough going cross-country through the heart of Death Valley," said the author, "but the real challenge was pursuing further: The Panamint Mountains, the Wingate Wash, the Owlshead and Avawatz Mountains, then the Devil's Playground, the Bristol Dry Lake and into the Pinto Mountains, and south to the Sea."
That wasn't the end. The author, along with three companions, went back into Utah (Donner Springs), then worked their way back, cross-country, to Battle Mountain, Nevada, another 350 miles in 35 days. "That will be the fourth book," states the author, "The Hastings Cut-Off, a deadly shortcut that cost the Donner Party many lives."
To this day, the author keeps up an active teaching regimen, including a robust outdoor schedule, exploring seldom-seen, far-away places, long forgotten and totally isolated.
"You learn to survive in such prehistoric places," continued the author. "The dried up lakebeds, the playas, the mesas, the never-ending loneliness. I trod upon ancient seabeds that eons ago were water-ways for human beings who resided there thousands of years ago. It piques ones curiosity. What's out there that we don't know about...to go back in time, it's ancient."
