Emphatically- uttered, or to be uttered, with emphasis; strongly expressive.
Sentence: Al was shaking his head emphatically. p. 4
Topographic Map- a map showing geographic features, usually by means of contour lines.
Sentence: He spread the topographic map. p. 4
Bestowing- To present as a gift or an honor; confer.
Sentence: It was Pug’s way of showing gratitude for bestowing his nickname. p. 6
Blithely- joyous, merry, or gay in disposition; glad; cheerful.
Sentence: Father had never done any technical climbing yet blithely shipped me off to Hoods in the woods. p. 15
Belaying- to secure (a rope) by attaching to a person or to an object offering stable support.
Sentence: My life was in Freddy’s hands; he was belaying me with rope passed behind the small of his back, mustering whatever strength he could in his arms and shoulders, back, and legs. P.20
Piton- a metal spike with an eye through which a rope may be passed.
Sentence: Maybe the Piton anchoring the rope would hold. p. 20
Condescending- showing or implying a usually patronizing descent from dignity or superiority.
Sentence: Get away from me and take your condescending psycho-babble with you. p. 32
Intoned- to utter with a particular tone or voice modulation.
Sentence: Adam intoned, “The terms are as follows…” p. 36
Riveted- To engross or hold.
Sentence: Our attention was riveted to those keys. p. 49
Forlorn- desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance.
Sentence: Her smile didn’t seem quite so forlorn. p. 82
Rouge- Wild, reckless.
Sentence: He came charging through the woods like a rouge elephant. p. 86
Oblige- to require or constrain, as by law, command, conscience, or force of necessity.
Sentence: I’d be happy to oblige. p. 94
Succumbed- To submit to an overpowering force or yield to an overwhelming desire; give up or give in.
Sentence: Before long he succumbed to gravity and sat in the mud. p. 98
Cavorting- To bound or prance about in a sprightly manner; caper.
Sentence: The others weren’t cavorting like otters anymore. p. 104
Derisively- characterized by or expressing derision; contemptuous; mocking.
Sentence: Pug laughed derisively. p. 110
Feral- Existing in a wild or untamed state.
Sentence: His dark face shone with that same feral joy. p. 125
Gaunt- extremely thin and bony; haggard and drawn, as from great hunger, weariness, or torture; emaciated.
Sentence: His face looked gaunt under the yellow hood. p. 157
Gamut-A complete range or extent.
Sentence: Al’s face ran the gamut of emotions. p. 159
Portage-the act of carrying.
Sentence: The men had to portage goods for miles. p. 160
Hypothermia- subnormal body temperature.
Sentence: The patient at the hospital had an extreme case of hypothermia. p. 162
Wearily- in a weary manner. Weary- tired, physically and mentally tired.
Sentence: He wearily walked up the stairs after a hard practice. p. 164
Succumb- To submit to an overpowering force or yield to an overwhelming desire; give up or give in.
Sentence: The child succumbed to the bully and gave him his lunch money. p. 165
Abate- to reduce in amount, intensity, etc.; lessen; diminish:
Sentence: to abate a tax; to abate one's enthusiasm. p.189
Pandemonium- wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; tumult or chaos.
Sentence: All of a sudden, there was pandemonium. p. 41
Chortling- to chuckle gleefully.
Sentence: Pug was chortling. p. 45
Catapulted- A military machine for hurling missiles, such as large stones or spears, used in ancient and medieval times. Sentence: “…it catapulted her out just the way Pug said, as if she’d been shot from a cannon.”
Sentence: everybody crashed into each other, and when the boat sprang back to a normal length, it catapulted her out just the way Pug said, as if she’d been shot from a cannon. p. 45
Parley- an informal conference between enemies under a truce, esp. to discuss terms, conditions of surrender, etc.
Sentence: “Ah,” Adam replied merrily, “the voice of reason…Let’s parley, mates.” p. 36
Ominous- portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening; inauspicious.
Sentence: “…the place loomed impossibly huge, mythical, ominous.” p. 57
Abstract- thought of apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances.
Sentence: “With a little stick he drew diagrams in the wet sand and calmly talked abstract strategy.” p. 68
Finesse- extreme delicacy or subtlety in action, performance, skill, discrimination, taste, etc.
Sentence: “He was learning when to apply power and when to apply finesse.” p. 74
Objective- something that one's efforts or actions are intended to attain or accomplish; purpose; goal; target.
Sentence: “...Freddy’s stated objective was to see how far he could go, I broke into a jog and blew by him.” p. 100
Melodramatically- exaggerated and emotional or sentimental; sensational or sensationalized; overdramatic.
Sentence: “What are we doing?” Adam repeated melodramatically. p. 109
Wryly- devious in course or purpose; misdirected.
Sentence: “how about the San Juan River?” Al suggested wryly. p. 110
Usurped- To seize and hold (the power or rights of another, for example) by force or without legal authority.
Sentence: “…Al having usurped the oars and Troy finding himself one of the crew on Freddy’s paddle raft.” p. 126
Vantage- a position, condition, or place affording some view.
Sentence: “The men were running for a vantage point close to the rapid, now that they could see we were going to run it.” p. 153
Tandem- one following or behind the other
Sentence: “Then we floated again in tandem, holding the boats together.” p. 155
Deluge- a great flood of water; inundation; flood.
Sentence: “Before we could even react, the rain came, a raw, primal, take no prisoners deluge.” p. 168
Reprieve-to delay the impending punishment or sentence of (a condemned person).
Sentence: “It was such a reprieve to be away from Pug and Troy, to try to forget for a few minutes that we weren’t okay anymore.” p. 175
Eccentric- Adjective: deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd: eccentric conduct; an eccentric person. Noun: a person who has an unusual, peculiar, or odd personality, set of beliefs, or behavior pattern.
Sentence: “We all got a kick out of picturing Star as this eccentric old lady, covered with beads and bandanas, friendship bracelets up and down her legs.” p. 175
Proverbial- a short well-known saying that expresses an obvious truth and often offers advice.
Sentence: “Pug looked like the proverbial cat that ate the canary…” p.180
Grimacing- a facial expression, often ugly or contorted, that indicates disapproval, pain, etc.
Sentence: “Troy licked his fist, took a swallow or two of tequila and then quickly bit into the lime, grimacing with satisfaction.” p.181
Impervious- not permitting penetration or passage; impenetrable: The coat is impervious to rain.
Sentence: “I’d always thought of him as impervious to pain.” p.187