Two Men Uncover Mysterious Fate of Flight 980

13. Five Porters

Half way into the trip the two explorers ran out of the road. Their path up the mountain blocked, they finagled their way into hiring a team of five local porters, who would help them carry their gear up the mountain as they searched. So they stripped themselves of the gear they knew they wouldn't need and began again to climb. The ascent was rough and it seemed at times that Isaac and Dan might give up the ghost altogether.

14. Contraband

As they began to stumble across plane parts, however, the boys found themselves reenergized. Though they still had not uncovered the parts they had come seeking, they knew that they were on the right track. As they searched, Dan and Isaac uncovered an astonishing number of contraband items that had likely been smuggled onto the plane for sale in Miami. Items like crocodile and snakeskin handbags, wallets, and shoes littered the trail. But even their newfound enthusiasm couldn't prepare them for what they found next…