Book twenty-nine: The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz

This book recounts the journey of a group of prisoners who escape from their Siberian work camp and head south to India on foot. On foot.

Favorite excerpt:

"I'll get it for you," shouted Zaro, and hared off after it. We saw him stoop to pick up the moccasin before he had checked his forward impetus. Where the slope ended, as far as our view from above showed, Zaro slapped his behind down to try to brake himself. The next instant, sliding on his seat, he had disappeared from our sight.

Running more carefully than Zaro had done, I was first at the spot where he had vanished. The ground fell away in a long sweeping curve and at upcurling end of it was Zaro, roaring with laughter and beating the snow off his trousers. Paluchowicz came down last to join us, hopping on one foot, to wave and call across to Zaro three hundred or more yards away.

"Try it," bawled Zaro. "It's the easiest way down."

I sat myself down in Zaro's track and let go. It was an exhilarating slide down with the wind whistling past my ears. I finished up like Zaro, bellowing with laughter. One after another, Kolemenos, Mister Smith and Paluchowicz came whizzing down.
The incident remains with me because it was the only part of the whole long journey we covered other than on our feet.

26 down, plus 3.