55 Years Later, Alcatraz Escapee sends this note.

Time to Play Catch Up!

Learning about the success of the breakout and seeing that the other three people had managed their escape convinced Allen West to join his friends. Once his hole had grown to be large enough, he tried to crawl through it to catch up with his friends on the other side of the coast. He couldn't travel across the lake though; he lacked a raft.

Having reached the coast, he had to decide whether to swim and risk his life or turn around and return to his cell. Imagine being both so far away from having the freedom you have always yearned for and so near to achieving it. You can almost sense this.