Trapped hiker speaks of severing own arm - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

sixate · 05-08-2003, 06:34 PM

LINKY

I know ART already posted the story about this man, but here's what happened in his words.

Quote:

Trapped hiker speaks
of severing own arm
Man discusses 5-day ordeal in canyon, explains how he broke bones to free self

Posted: May 8, 2003
6:00 p.m. Eastern

By Ron Strom
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

Aron Ralston, the man who severed his right arm with a pocketknife to save his own life after being trapped by a boulder, talked about his ordeal for the first time today.

Ralston, 27, was pinned for five days by the 800-pound rock in a remote, narrow canyon in Utah. He told reporters although he ran out of water on Tuesday, April 29, he sensed a renewal of his strength on Thursday, May 1, a day he pointed out was the National Day of Prayer.

"I may never fully understand the spiritual aspects of what I experienced, but I will try," he said. "The source of the power I felt was the thoughts and prayers of many people, most of whom I will never know."

Flanked by his parents, Ralston explained he set out on his one-man hike on April 26, having gathered his supplies, including "three liters of water, four candy bars and two burritos."

His day began with a windy two and a half hour bike ride. He began hiking around noon, traveling with two young women. Later, Ralston set off on his own.

He described having to climb over a "serpentine" set of large rocks in a narrow canyon and how his right hand became trapped by a falling boulder.

"I was then pinned," Ralston said, approximating the time at 3 p.m. He says he still had one liter of water left.

"The next essentially five days until I was rescued I spent going through each option that I had," he explained. He spent time working on each option, which initially included waiting for rescue, chipping away at the rock and trying to use a pulley system to move the rock.

He said he never got the boulder to budge – "even microscopically."

Ralston said Tuesday, April 29, was the first day he seriously considered the option of severing his arm. He realized that was his only option left if he were to have enough strength to get to where a search crew could find him.

Preparing what he called his "surgical table," including a tourniquet, Ralston got his gear ready to carry out once he was free.

"I applied the knife to my arm … and it didn't even break the skin. The knife was still dull at that point," he said.

That night, Ralston says he then settled back in and drank the remainder of his water.

He said he made other attempts to sever his arm, but had difficulty doing so.

"I got so far as to puncture the skin and then found that I couldn't cut the bone," he said, "knowing that you can't cut the bone without a bone saw."

Ralston said the pocketknife he used to sever his arm was not a high-quality implement. He said it was "essentially what you would get if you bought a $15 flashlight and got a free multi-use tool."

By Thursday, Ralston realized he would have to break the two bones in his forearm to extricate himself.

"It occurred to me I might be able to break the bones," he explained. He said after a few minutes of applying the right torque, he was able to snap the bones at the wrist.

"From there, I had the knife out and applied the tourniquet and went to task," he said. "It was a process that took about an hour."

After freeing himself, Ralston found a pool of water at the bottom of the canyon and had his first drink in over 48 hours. He stocked up on water and set out for what he believed to be about an eight-mile hike.

He came upon some hikers from Holland who helped him carry his gear and gave him two Oreo cookies. A helicopter then plucked him out of the canyon and brought him to a hospital in Moab, Utah.

Ralston says the courage to do what he did came from "beyond me and my capacity."

"I felt that there was a greater presence than just me in that canyon," he said. "I felt the presence of several of my friends, my family. … There were visions I was having that were sort of like dreams."

Said Ralston: "The courage became more a matter of pragmatics than of 'could I withstand the actual actions I had to take.'"

He says he prayed for inspiration to come up with new ideas during his five days in the canyon.

Reflecting on the possibility he might die, Ralston commented, "What I was concerned with the most was leaving people behind in my life without the real opportunity" to express appreciation for them.

Ralston said when he's released from the hospital, he's looking forward to "a big, tall, fresh, tasty margarita. I thought a lot about margaritas while I was in there," he said.

I just don't think I could ever do what he did.
I'd love to buy this dude "a big, tall, fresh, tasty margarita."

Shokan · 05-08-2003, 07:19 PM

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=2708805

Hardcore.

JStrider · 05-08-2003, 07:27 PM

thats crazy...
i do quite a bit of rock climbing and hiking and mountaineering stuff in general... its rare to have large moving boulders... but theres a large about of risk in that kind of stuff...

Boner · 05-08-2003, 08:37 PM

I found the article hard to read (I can't image the sort of pain he was going through). This guy is something else.

oane · 05-08-2003, 09:18 PM

That guy makes me look like a pansy.

rogue49 · 05-08-2003, 10:00 PM

The closest I ever could get to this is when I dislocated my kneecap and then shoved it back in, then limping home to put it up.

But this...this is just beyond human.
Everytime I think I've seen it all...someone blows my ideas away.

I've got a very high tolerance for pain, and have been in some interesting acts.
But this is just amazing.

He deserves to live for 100 years more just for the pleasure of seeing it all.
You know what I mean?

This puts all my "pain" and "woe" into perspective.
I have no right to bitch.
Sometimes you just have to do, what you have to do.

World's King · 05-08-2003, 10:45 PM

Some people will do anything for a good meal.

mrsandman · 05-08-2003, 11:29 PM

Just imagine yourself in that situation for a moment.

Sparky · 05-09-2003, 07:57 AM

Wow, I can't imagine being in that same situation. Wonder what I would do, would I die out there or would I (could I) cut off my own arm?

gov135 · 05-09-2003, 09:01 AM

He deserved to loose both arms.

He obviously lost some brain cells in early childhood. Think for a second, I'm going to do some extreme climbing. I will not bring a cell phone, I will not tell anyone where I am going, even though I am an "expert" at this, and I will go all by myself.

One more pint of blood and this genius would have earned a Darwin Award.

Prophecy · 05-09-2003, 09:05 AM

the only words that come to mind are...Damn...
Thinking of just sawing off his own arm is bad enough, but to have to break his arm and rip it out is even worse...

Arock · 05-09-2003, 03:50 PM

Sure he went out on his own. I'm not going to say he's the brightest crayon in the box (although he was an engineer for Intel). He should have left information with someone in case of this kind of emergency. Truth is, for those of us that enjoy that kind of adventure, he's given us an excellent reminder of the consequences of not taking precautions. A boulder fell on him, that's a million to one shot. That's bad luck on top of some poor decsion making. I'm impressed with his thought process and his determination to unfuck himself.

He sounds like kind of a flake in the quotes that I've read. He's only 26 though. I'm sure we've all done equally stupid things at 26 that didn't result in us having to cut off an arm to live.

He was trapped in an avalanche a few years back too, so maybe this guy just has a black cloud following him. I

krwlz · 05-09-2003, 05:51 PM

again, i nominate him for an honorary iron man award

Pojaco1337 · 05-09-2003, 05:54 PM

i read something about his knife initially being too dull to even cut the skin, but somehow he severed his arm

tito-1337 · 05-09-2003, 05:58 PM

I have the utmost respect for anyone with the brass ones to do what he did...

That being said, the picture of him in the Reuters article isn't doing a lot for his case against idiocy:

javascript

hotoPopup('newsPhotoPresentation.jhtml?type=topNews&imageID=1000499527')

bundy · 05-09-2003, 06:50 PM

this man is incredible!
what a phenomenal will to live.

gov135, a cell phone?
i can't say that i know how good american outback phone coverage is, but in Oz, you'd have a snowballs chance in hell of getting reception out there unless you were at the top of a mountain.

i think what you meant was a GPS radio beacon or another safety device like that. problems with those mainly centres around price over here, plus a lot of people just don't bother with the extra weight.

that being said. going out alone, and not leaving estimated return times and such, is stupid.

but still, i tip my hat to this guy.
incredible will to survive.
inner resilience like this is something i find in most experienced climbers and mountaineers.

monster · 05-09-2003, 06:52 PM

that's crazy. i could never do that

gibber71 · 05-10-2003, 07:08 AM

I can't even imagine how after breaking his own arm,then cutting it off and walking eight miles with his gear after 5 days,he managed to survive the shock,exposure,trauma,loss of blood,exhaution and fatigue.Wonder how the movie will play out.

crewsor · 05-10-2003, 07:23 AM

Can't imagine being in that situation, but to hack off your own arm, repel one handed down the cliff then hike to safety just boggles the mind. I think thats one tough dude. Hats off to him.

As far as stupidity, I don't think so. So he went out on his own. I'm sure hes done it many times without consequense. You know what they say. Shit happens. You can't plan on bad stuff happening.

jmf1234 · 05-10-2003, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gov135
He deserved to loose both arms.

He obviously lost some brain cells in early childhood. Think for a second, I'm going to do some extreme climbing. I will not bring a cell phone, I will not tell anyone where I am going, even though I am an "expert" at this, and I will go all by myself.

One more pint of blood and this genius would have earned a Darwin Award.

How the fuck can you say that?
This guy is a hero.

05-08-2003, 07:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
Shokan Addict Location: Canada	Pinned hiker who cut off arm had to break the bones first http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=2708805 Hardcore.

05-08-2003, 07:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
JStrider Poo-tee-weet? Location: The Woodlands, TX	thats crazy... i do quite a bit of rock climbing and hiking and mountaineering stuff in general... its rare to have large moving boulders... but theres a large about of risk in that kind of stuff... __________________ -=JStrider=- ~Clatto Verata Nicto

05-08-2003, 09:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
oane Insane	That guy makes me look like a pansy. __________________ Make me Mad. Make me Sad. Make me feel Alright.

05-08-2003, 10:45 PM	#7 (permalink)
World's King Here Location: Denver City Denver	Some people will do anything for a good meal. __________________ heavy is the head that wears the crown

05-08-2003, 11:29 PM	#8 (permalink)
mrsandman Addict Location: 3rd coast area	Just imagine yourself in that situation for a moment. __________________ Hail to ALL the troops and shadow warriors.

05-08-2003, 08:37 PM	#4 (permalink)
Boner Insane Location: Plugged In	I found the article hard to read (I can't image the sort of pain he was going through). This guy is something else.

05-08-2003, 10:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
rogue49 Loser	The closest I ever could get to this is when I dislocated my kneecap and then shoved it back in, then limping home to put it up. But this...this is just beyond human. Everytime I think I've seen it all...someone blows my ideas away. I've got a very high tolerance for pain, and have been in some interesting acts. But this is just amazing. He deserves to live for 100 years more just for the pleasure of seeing it all. You know what I mean? This puts all my "pain" and "woe" into perspective. I have no right to bitch. Sometimes you just have to do, what you have to do.

05-09-2003, 07:57 AM	#9 (permalink)
Sparky Crazy	Wow, I can't imagine being in that same situation. Wonder what I would do, would I die out there or would I (could I) cut off my own arm? __________________ "I had never really thought about it before," Det. Dern said. "But obviously, giving an elephant an enema can be a very dangerous activity and not something that should be attempted alone."

05-09-2003, 09:01 AM	#10 (permalink)
gov135 Junkie Location: Midwest	He deserved to loose both arms. He obviously lost some brain cells in early childhood. Think for a second, I'm going to do some extreme climbing. I will not bring a cell phone, I will not tell anyone where I am going, even though I am an "expert" at this, and I will go all by myself. One more pint of blood and this genius would have earned a Darwin Award.

05-09-2003, 09:05 AM	#11 (permalink)
Prophecy Oracle & Apollyon Location: Limbus Patrum	the only words that come to mind are...Damn... Thinking of just sawing off his own arm is bad enough, but to have to break his arm and rip it out is even worse... __________________ La Disciplina È La Mia Spada, La Fede È Il Mio Schermo, Non salti Ciecamente In Incertezza, E Potete Raccogliere Le Ricompense.

05-09-2003, 03:50 PM	#12 (permalink)
Arock Crazy Location: Center Ice	Sure he went out on his own. I'm not going to say he's the brightest crayon in the box (although he was an engineer for Intel). He should have left information with someone in case of this kind of emergency. Truth is, for those of us that enjoy that kind of adventure, he's given us an excellent reminder of the consequences of not taking precautions. A boulder fell on him, that's a million to one shot. That's bad luck on top of some poor decsion making. I'm impressed with his thought process and his determination to unfuck himself. He sounds like kind of a flake in the quotes that I've read. He's only 26 though. I'm sure we've all done equally stupid things at 26 that didn't result in us having to cut off an arm to live. He was trapped in an avalanche a few years back too, so maybe this guy just has a black cloud following him. I __________________ The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win you're still a rat

05-09-2003, 05:51 PM	#13 (permalink)
krwlz Fledgling Dead Head Location: Clarkson U.	again, i nominate him for an honorary iron man award

05-09-2003, 05:54 PM	#14 (permalink)
Pojaco1337 Upright	i read something about his knife initially being too dull to even cut the skin, but somehow he severed his arm

05-09-2003, 05:58 PM	#15 (permalink)
tito-1337 Upright	I have the utmost respect for anyone with the brass ones to do what he did... That being said, the picture of him in the Reuters article isn't doing a lot for his case against idiocy: javascripthotoPopup('newsPhotoPresentation.jhtml?type=topNews&imageID=1000499527')

05-09-2003, 06:50 PM	#16 (permalink)
bundy . Location: Tokyo	this man is incredible! what a phenomenal will to live. gov135, a cell phone? i can't say that i know how good american outback phone coverage is, but in Oz, you'd have a snowballs chance in hell of getting reception out there unless you were at the top of a mountain. i think what you meant was a GPS radio beacon or another safety device like that. problems with those mainly centres around price over here, plus a lot of people just don't bother with the extra weight. that being said. going out alone, and not leaving estimated return times and such, is stupid. but still, i tip my hat to this guy. incredible will to survive. inner resilience like this is something i find in most experienced climbers and mountaineers. __________________ Ohayo!!!

05-09-2003, 06:52 PM	#17 (permalink)
monster Loser	that's crazy. i could never do that

05-10-2003, 07:08 AM	#18 (permalink)
gibber71 Loser	I can't even imagine how after breaking his own arm,then cutting it off and walking eight miles with his gear after 5 days,he managed to survive the shock,exposure,trauma,loss of blood,exhaution and fatigue.Wonder how the movie will play out.

05-10-2003, 07:23 AM	#19 (permalink)
crewsor Women want me. Men fear me. Location: Maryland,USA	Can't imagine being in that situation, but to hack off your own arm, repel one handed down the cliff then hike to safety just boggles the mind. I think thats one tough dude. Hats off to him. As far as stupidity, I don't think so. So he went out on his own. I'm sure hes done it many times without consequense. You know what they say. Shit happens. You can't plan on bad stuff happening. __________________ We all have wings, some of us just don't know why.