Death Mountain: Chapters 6–11

by Sherry Shahan
On a hike in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, thirteen-year-old Erin Rowe makes a new friend when they both get lost and must rely on each other to survive.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–11, Chapters 12–18, Chapters 19–28
40 words 5 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. engulf
    flow over or cover completely
    The trail was almost impassible, engulfed in a muddy torrent.
  2. whinny
    make a characteristic sound, of a horse
    Erin saw the horse raise its head and whinny, then drop its muzzle in the raging water.
  3. glaring
    shining intensely
    Mae hesitated, then followed, shrinking at every glaring flash.
  4. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    Another kid was sprawled face down in the gushing trail, his arm twisted at a weird angle.
  5. stricken
    affected by something overwhelming
    Terror- stricken, she turned and saw Jake for the first time.
  6. bluff
    pretense that your position is stronger than it really is
    "Bears like to charge," Gram had said, "but it's usually a bluff. If a bear charges, make yourself look big by opening your jacket and raising your arms. If that doesn't work, drop face down, tuck in a ball, and clutch the back of your neck."
  7. gait
    an animal's manner of moving
    The buck bolted in a stiff-legged gait and disappeared in the trees.
  8. lush
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass
 is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.
  9. weary
    physically and mentally fatigued
    Erin set a steady pace in spite of being cold, wet, and weary.
  10. chafe
    become or make sore by or as if by rubbing
    The waistband of Erin's wet shorts chafed her skin.
  11. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    Finally, Erin spotted Mae through a sparse stand of foxtail pines.
  12. crevasse
    a deep fissure
    "Look down in those rock crevasses for dry pinecones," Erin said.
  13. smolder
    burn slowly and without a flame
    She pushed a burning branch further into the smoldering embers.
  14. resin
    a viscous substance obtained from plants or simple molecules
    Erin sat by the fire, poking at coals with a long stick. In the resiny glow she imagined the bus rolling into Camarillo.
  15. rustle
    make a dry crackling sound
    Mae rustled on the garbage bag.
  16. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    Pools of water surrounded their meager campfire.
  17. tract
    an extended area of land
    Above the green tract, massive plugs of granite formed the peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
  18. expanse
    a wide and open space or area, as of land, sea, or sky
    The vast sand-rimmed expanse of a meadow below contrasted with the dark green forests around it.
  19. saute
    fry briefly over high heat
    Mushrooms seemed to have popped up everywhere overnight, perfect little caps studded with dirt and pine needles. Erin licked her chapped lips. Mushrooms. Sautéed in olive oil, marinated in Italian salad dressing.
  20. ravine
    a deep narrow steep-sided valley
    Erin led the way into a boulder-choked ravine, then half-crawled up a steep slope littered with shavings of thin rock, weathered and broken.
  21. dismal
    causing dejection
    She shook away her dismal thoughts.
  22. sweeping
    taking in or moving over a wide area
    The sun bathed the landscape in a glow that made everything—the sweeping boulders, the irregular outline of pines, and the wispy clouds sailing by—look like a postcard.
  23. wispy
    thin and weak
    The sun bathed the landscape in a glow that made everything—the sweeping boulders, the irregular outline of pines, and the wispy clouds sailing by—look like a postcard.
  24. incline
    an elevated geological formation
    Erin stared unsteadily down the incline they had just hiked up.
  25. prominent
    having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
    "We've gone too far north. Too far west. We should've been looking back more often. Keeping track of meadows, prominent ridges."
  26. desolate
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    Mae stared at the desolate-looking landscape, her eyes wavering between fear and self-pity.
  27. vista
    the visual percept of a region
    The vista was far-reaching, the rocks solid sculptures. Millions of trees. But no smoke from campfires. No sign of trails.
  28. cascade
    rush down in big quantities
    She leaned over the cliff edge. Dislodged pebbles cascaded in a rocky stream down the wall.
  29. pinnacle
    a lofty peak
    Mae turned toward the massive pinnacles, then stumbled backwards as if the worst thought in the world had just slugged her in the gut.
  30. clammy
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    Erin trembled as a light wind blew past, her clothes clammy with sweat.
  31. gully
    a deep ditch cut by running water
    It was impossible to count all the times they'd backtracked to get around thorny clumps of brush and impassable gullies.
  32. straggle
    go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way
    Erin followed Mae's gaze over a group of straggly treetops.
  33. erode
    remove soil or rock
    The tree had fallen into the river, its roots weakened where water eroded the bank.
  34. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    She huddled in her ragged clothes, willing herself to think about anything except Lannie. All she could conjure up were images of food.
  35. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    "Raccoons forage along rivers. Maybe we moved into a den."
    "They're vegetarians, right?"
  36. maul
    injure badly
    "I'd rather die of starvation than be mauled by a wild animal," Mae muttered.
  37. matted
    tangled in a dense mass
    Mae used her brush to pull burrs from Sequoia's matted fur.
  38. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    Erin watched the haze of thin, high clouds billowing in from the west.
  39. grim
    not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
    "Then we'd better hurry."
    The grim urgency in Mae's voice gave Erin new energy.
  40. prod
    urge on; cause to act
    "Hey, who am I going to tell?" Mae prodded her.
Created on Tue Apr 25 10:18:32 EDT 2023 (updated Tue Apr 25 13:12:48 EDT 2023)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.