Delia D'Ambra

He knew in the back of his mind that the misty, foggy weather likely would keep visitors from traveling to the area, which wasn't a comforting thought because that meant no one would be coming soon to possibly help him and Danny.

As the trio hiked, all of these thoughts were swirling through Jack's mind.

He didn't speak to Danny, though, because neither of the rangers wanted to upset the suspect.

The man holding the gun at their backs barely talked to them, and Jack told me it was obvious the guy wasn't in a good mood.

Jack gathered from looking at him that the man had spent the night in the campground and had gotten rained on because he was donning a rain suit and appeared worse for wear.

The further the group walked, though, into the woods, the more concerned Jack became because he wondered why they were going so far from the road and parking lot.

Then, in a sudden instant, he heard gunshots ring out and felt Danny drop to the ground next to him.

Jack had only a second or two to try and plead with the gunman to spare his life, but the guy coldly ignored his cries and fired a round into the side of Jack's head.

Then the shooter turned to Danny, shot him one more time, and then fired a final round at Jack.

Both bullets that struck Jack were about two inches apart and entered on the same side of his head.

He told me that in total, the offender discharged five rounds and kept the sixth bullet in the gun.

Miraculously though, Jack didn't die or pass out from his injuries.

He just made his attacker believe he had.

For a few seconds, which I'm sure felt like an eternity to Jack, the shooter stood over him and watched to see if he'd move.

When he didn't, the suspect turned around and headed back down the trail.

Now, of the two victims, Danny weighed more.

And according to Jack, after his friend was killed and fell to the ground, the zip tie binding his wrist to Jack's loosened enough for Jack to slip his wrists out and move independently.

Jack paused for a beat to assess his partner, but quickly realized that Danny was dead.

So Jack made the decision to leave Danny on the trail and get out of the area to find help.

Jack told me he was experiencing dizziness after being shot and he was afraid that if he didn't find someone to help him, he would pass out from blood loss.