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On a Sunday afternoon in April 2003, Aron Ralston, a 27-year-old outdoorsman, set out for a hike in a remote area of the Utah Canyons. An experienced mountain climber, Ralston planned a trip that, for him, was so easy he didn't bother to tell anyone where he was going, let alone pack enough provisions that would last more than a day.
When he came across an 800-pound boulder wedged in a tight crevice, Ralston executed a routine move in which he climbed across the boulder and began to slide down to the floor below. But for no apparent reason, the boulder dislodged, sending him crashing down and crushing his right hand against the canyon wall. Eight miles from his truck in an area few ventured into, Ralston soon realized he was completely trapped with little hope for a quick rescue. What he didn't know was that five days later he would have to make the toughest decision of his life: amputate his own arm or face certain death.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Atria Books; September 7, 2004; $26.00) is the astonishing and unforgettable story of Ralston's accident, self-amputation, rescue, and recovery. Told in his own words, Ralston recounts his terrifying ordeal, providing compelling day-by-day details of how he managed to survive long enough only to do the unthinkable in severing his own arm, rappelling down a 60-foot wall, and then walking for several hours to find help. Combining the powerful narrative of Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air with the stunning survival tale Icebound, Between a Rock and a Hard Place is an extraordinary account of Ralston's life, revealing how one man's incredible will and determination became an inspiration to people around the world.
After becoming trapped, Ralston knew he had few options to free himself. He helplessly chipped away at the boulder with his knife, he made a makeshift pulley and rope harness hoping he could pull the boulder off, and with nothing more than pure adrenaline he tried to push the massive rock aside—all to no avail. Worse, he knew it would be a few days at least before anyone would come looking for him. "I am irreversibly trapped, standing in the dimly lit bottom of a canyon, unable to move more than a few inches up or down or side-to-side," Ralston writes. "Compounding my physical circumstances, no one who will suspect I am missing knows where I am. I violated the prime directive of wilderness travel in failing to leave a detailed trip plan with a responsible person. I am alone in an infrequently visited place with no means to contact anyone outside the 50-yard throw of my voice."
With only 22 ounces of water and two small burritos, Ralston had to carefully ration his supplies. Hallucinating throughout the day and shivering from hypothermia at night, Ralston spent his time alternating between hope and despair, flailing at the rock in anger one moment then quietly reflecting on his life and slipping into dreams of freedom the very next. After four days, Ralston was convinced he would not survive the night, going so far as to videotape his last requests and carving "RIP" above his name and birth date in the sandstone wall above. "I understand that this is the end, that I won't survive the night, and the thought does not stir me because I have stopped fighting for control," Ralston writes. "Letting go of my desire to dictate the outcome of my entrapment releases a disconnected feeling of light-heartedness that vaguely approximates bliss."
But Ralston survived the night only to make the decision he somehow knew would come--he would have to amputate his arm and free himself of his already decomposing right hand. Ralston broke the bones in his wrist by twisting his arm and then methodically cut through his muscles, tendons, and arteries. "I leave behind my prior declarations that severing my arm is nothing but a slow act of suicide and move forward on a cresting wave of emotion," Ralston writes. "Knowing the alternative is to wait for a progressively more certain but assuredly slow demise, I choose to meet the risk of death in action. For all the more surreal it looks to have my arm disappearing into a glove of sandstone, it feels gloriously perfect to have figured out how to amputate it."
Once free from the boulder, Ralston then began a 60-foot rappel down the canyon in a desperate search for water. Despite his tourniquet, he was bleeding critically and though dazed and suffering immense pain, he walked several hours back toward his car when he finally came across a family of hikers. On the verge of collapsing and lapsing into shock, Ralston at last heard the whirl of a helicopter that whisked him off to a hospital. But new challenges were ahead including several agonizing surgeries, bone infections, and the crush of the public and media fascinated with his story.
"The challenge in the canyon had been severe but straightforward," Ralston writes. "Once I was out, the challenges became more complex and at first, I felt unprepared to adapt to my new circumstances. I wanted to get my life back, but that meant I had to learn how to cope with my frustrations and turn them into motivation for action."
Since then, Ralston has made a remarkable recovery. Now equipped with an artificial limb, he's hiking, skiing, and climbing once again--performing even better than before his accident. He's appeared in countless magazines and on television and has gratefully accepted a wealth of support from people around the world. He speaks to select groups about his ordeal and, with his amazingly upbeat and positive attitude, has become an inspiration to all who meet him.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place is more than an adventure tale. It is the story of one man's remarkable fight for survival and an example to us all that true strength lies deep within the human spirit, there to guide us through even in the most harrowing of circumstances.
About the Author:
Aron Ralston grew up in the Midwest before moving to Colorado when he was 12, a place where he became an avid climber, canoeist, and skier. He gave up a career as a mechanical engineer at Intel in 2002 to return to the mountains as a sales associate at the Ute Mountaineer in Aspen. Ralston has climbed 111 Colorado peaks of more than 13,000 feet, and since his accident has returned to the mountains to continue his life of adventure and discovery. This is his first book.
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