Just finished watching 127 hours

RRTX2007

RRTX2007

Joined
Jun 18, 2007
Messages
73
This guy should be given an award for stupidity though I have to 'hand' it to him it took balls to cut it off. Note to self: if ever canyon crawling carry a busse knife. It would have made quick work of that sandstone boulder...or his arm..either way he would have been free much quicker.
 
RRTX2007 said:
if ever canyon crawling....
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tell someone where you are going and include your ETA back home! Gear aside, having a friend or family member be your 'flight control center' is 101 for me.

Interesting movie though, kept thinking 'what would I do?' It would take some serious stones, will power and pain tolerance to do what he did.
 
If you are off alone, in addition to telling someone where you are going, maybe carry an Emergency Locator beacon.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
If you are off alone, in addition to telling someone where you are going, maybe carry an Emergency Locator beacon.
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Exactly. That's where my 'award for stupid' was directed. In the day and age of emergency beacons and sat phones shows such as 'I shouldn't be alive' would have a lack of story material. Even when I went on mountain biking day trips alone I would tell a minimum of three friends/family where I was going and to come looking for me if I wasn't back by a certain time.

I did break an ankle once riding alone and miles from the trailhead. That was an excruciating hike but I did manage to come out of it with all of my limbs still attached:).
 
Ask the guys who went back for his hand how they feel about it! The search and rescue crew where he got stuck is first rate, but they can't do much if they don't know you're missing. When we go out to play in the desert we call the sheriffs office with our plans, then when we're done we give them a shout and let them know we're out. Quick and easy, and gives a little peice of mind.
 
I read his book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place"

I suggest EVERYONE here do the same

He was VERY experienced.

He made a mistake and paid dearly for it.

No Knife--Busse,Siegle,etc would have made it easy to get free from his situation.

He did not "cut" his arm off.

He cut through the skin and then Broke both the bones in his forearm using body leverage and torque.

A knife would not have allowed him to chip away the rock.

Again--read the book then decide how you would have handled the situation.
 
Anybody know how well the GPS or PLB will work in deep slot canyons? I've played around in them some, and they are amazing. Just no idea of any tech limitations...
 
That was one unusual circumstance - bolder trapping his arm.

A whistle might have helped and letting people know where you are going and will return. I think a couple of girls passed by and did hear something but, didn't do anything - if I remember correctly.

Some plb are better/stronger than others. I have this.

http://www.rei.com/product/791972
 
WILLIAM.M said:
No Knife--Busse,Siegle,etc would have made it easy to get free from his situation.
Again--read the book then decide how you would have handled the situation.
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+1:thumbup::thumbup:

Besides, it's soo easy to judge someone else..........
 
RRTX2007 said:
Note to self: if ever canyon crawling carry a busse knife. It would have made quick work of that sandstone boulder...or his arm..either way he would have been free much quicker.
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I have done a fair amount of solo wilderness treks (mostly because I don't know anyone else locally that is into that kind of stuff). I always expect to make it back in one piece, but I have encountered conditions tougher than I expected on a few occasions. I have been thinking about it more recently, and wondering if my luck is going to run out, and I really get stuck alone in the wilderness. I have resolved to rent a satellite phone or bring a PLB on any future treks of that kind. As we used to say in Boy Scouts, "Be Prepared!"
 
Given that Aron Ralston was a Search & Rescue volunteer and experienced climber, his lack of judgment appears inexplicable.

A further example of his judgment and character may be observed by the threat he made to Doug Ritter and the Equipped To Survive Foundation, detailed here.
 
Use to go on solo hikes a lot in my younger single days. At the very least my roommate knew where I'd gone & when I was coming back. He made a mistake and paid the price for it.

Part that boggles my brain is how the public would rather applaud & sensationalize his ordeal when there are far more worthy people out there.
 
When I go solo, I leave a flight path with the familia, and leave a route map in my carseat, face up, so it can be seen through the window. The only thing I don't like, is it tells folks how long I'm gonna be gone from my Pathfinder, so I have to take all my important stuff out before I go.

I read the book. Gruesome to think about doing it to yourself. I also saw the spot he did on national TV too. Said about a dozen times, he should have left a route and alerted someone that he was goin out. But, he did say, he was at a point where he just wanted to get away from people.

I've felt the same way, and done the same thing.

Moose
 
I've read stories about the Spot Satellite Messenger and people have used it and the signal didn't get out. This was with the first ones and maybe they've changed them but there was no way to tell if your signal was getting out or not. Apparently they don't work well in areas of poor visibility.

Even if he had one, chances are that down in a slot canyon a PLB wouldn't have done much for him.

Also, if you change you plan at all it it doesn't matter if you leave a note or map. I remember one time when I decided to make a detour to a spring to fill up my Camelback. Instead of going back the way I came I thought that if I took a short cut up a hill it would save time. Well the "shortcut" ended up going through a bunch of downed pine trees that I had to scramble over. The branches on the trees were all broken off leaving jagged spikes all over each tree. At one point I slipped off a tree and twisted my ankle.

I was able to make it up the hill and finally find the trail again. But I was thinking that if I had fallen on a broken branch and impaled myself, I would have been a goner. Since I deviated from my path they might not have found me.

Even if you do everything like you are supposed to things can still happen and you can be stuck by yourself in a life or death situation. That's probably why people are interested in him. Not because he screwed up, but because he had the courage to break the bones in his own arm and cut it off with a dull knife. I don't know if I could do that even if I were going to die if I didn't.

Chad
 
It is easy to be critical of the mistakes he made.Did he make some mistakes? Yep. Haven't we all? ( I have...alot)Honestly, think about how many boneheaded things you have done that COULD have turned out to be very bad but instead you were lucky and everything went ok Again, that is a long list for me. Especially when I was young. Hopefully age is bringing better judgement. Ralston made some mistakes, he admits to that. Unfortunately, in his case those mistakes caught up to him. Instead of bashing him maybe we should thank God that it wasn't one of us in that situation and try to do better about making dumb decisions.

As for cutting off my own arm ( I know he didn't really do that but still) given the choice of never seeing my swife and son again or amputating my arm....call me lefty.

PLB are great. Not fool proof but still good insurance. I have my doubts how much they would have helped Ralston in the slot canyon.
 
AeroNautiCal said:
Given that Aron Ralston was a Search & Rescue volunteer and experienced climber, his lack of judgment appears inexplicable.

A further example of his judgment and character may be observed by the threat he made to Doug Ritter and the Equipped To Survive Foundation, detailed here.
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The only thing that resembles a threat or questionable character in that link was stated by Doug himself:
So, to be blunt, stick your ridiculous cease and desist demand where the sun don't shine. If you'd like to look like the fool, along with your client, the Foundation would welcome the considerable national publicity generated by any further attempts by you to try to enforce your absurd demand.
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There was no threat by Aron or his attorney. Simply a demand to stop using HIS name to endorse products he did not use. Yes, it threatened legal action, but that is/was totally reasonable in light of Ritter's group using a well-known name to shill his organization/whatever.
 
None of us are perfect, as much as we like to think. I know there are things I do and places I have been a thousand times that I can get complacent with. I won't BS anyone, I have been out dozens of times with out telling anyone my plans, stupid? hell yes, selfish? Absolutely!

I like to think of myself as well prepared for anything, so sometimes I take unnecessary risks. This guy did just that. He was very experienced canyoneer and guide. He had been there hundreds of times and felt invincible. Yes he made a stupid complacent mistake in which he paid for. However, he was resilient and over came a situation in which I don't believe I would have. I have to respect that.

How many here have ever repelled a 100' cliff? He did it after snapping his arm off, being severely dehydrated, and starving.
 
tonym said:
How many here have ever repelled a 100' cliff? He did it after snapping his arm off, being severely dehydrated, and starving.
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How many here have been so stupid as to place themselves in this situation?

This was all as a result of his own carelessness.
 
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