127 Hours Between A Rock And A Hard Place

Posted In: 127 Hours

Michal Mokriski says...

Aron Ralston is a gifted writer and a very adept and prolific climber/mountaineer/canyon explorer.

It was impossible to put this book down, once I got my reading underway. Ralston alternates between his BlueJohn Canyon mishap, and his vast prior experiences in the wild. There are many stories of Ralston being out in the wilderness and he is careful to include all sorts of details. Sometimes - if you were to ask my opinion, he includes way too many technical details ... not every person reading this exciting book will appreciate all the dry techie details but it's doable.

He does include a special mountaineering glossary in the rear of the book, which is very handy.



What I was interested in most however, was understanding the inner psyche of Aron - I wanted to understand the mental process he had to undergo in order to sever his right forearm....once he was trapped deep within a slot canyon, with no chance of somebody coming along to help. He being right-handed, his right hand was the more valuable of the two hands he could have lost.

Fate dealt him this hand, and with great stamina and stoicism, he had to do the deed.

And he had to do it with a very dull knife - which was a gift given to him by his own mother. So, on one hand - she should have splurged and bought him a top of the line knife, not a cheapie.

But on the other hand, had she not have given him this cheapie knife, he would have died at the hand of the rock. So it is seen that his mother handed him back his life - during a very dark hour of choosing.

The woman who birthed him 27 years earlier was the same woman who inadvertently handed him back his life, when it hung by a fragile balance. Oh, the irony of it all!



Nurses would attempt to understand his psyche by assigning him a self-mutilation nursing diagnosis, as approved by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Assocation of America.

Self mutilation related to right hand pinned by 800 pound (immobile) boulder while canyoneering,as evidenced by (self) amputation of right distal forearm.

The goal would be that he would not place himself in any other similar area of risk ever again - but we all know that Mr. Ralston is out there still; engaging full-heartedly in mountain climbing and whatnot. The question is, is he full-hearty or fool-hearty? The jury's still out on that one.



I am glad that Mr. Ralston survived this terrible ordeal. Why he didn't join up with his two angel friends of Blue John Canyon, Meghan and Kristi, when they met on the trail earlier on that fateful day - I will never understand - but I do beleive they were sent there by God to intervene with Ralston, but he stubbornly clung to his lonely pursuits.

I guess all things happen for a reason, but I fail to find any such reason to justify the sacrifical offering of ones' right hand?

The price was too high.



I just feel so sorry for the man, but he's alive and well and he's loving his life, so that's really the most important thing of all.



I hope he does all he can to protect the rest of his 3 surviving extremeties.



I highly recommend this interesting book; I also saw the movie, 127 Hours and I highly enjoyed the visual journey of the beautiful, otherworldly Utah Canyon Wildnerness. The red rocks are so gorgeous, and their spooky names add a frightful dimension to the experience of being out there in the desolute rock valley. The ancient maroon-colored pictographs etched on 300 foot-tall canyon walls add to the mystery of ancient peoples who once inhabited this desolate region. And to think that the 800 pound chokstone rock was around to silently witness all of that...but it remains to this day - motionless and aphasic.



Both versions of Ralstons's story are excellent stories - the book is able to explain vastly more vital information in it than the movie. I love both equally because they are unique ways to spin the yarn.



I wish Mr. Ralston and his family all the best.

Thank you, Mr. Ralston - for sharing your story and hopefully many young men will hear it and take precautions and tell someone WHERE they are headed before they leave the house, tell them WHEN they will be back and WHO they are going with. Most importantly, it's always best to hike withbuddy or 3 or 4. Hiking solo is really asking for trouble, so - take a friend, people!!!!

Take a friend, take alot of food and water, and remember to pack that Swiss Army Knife in your pocket!!!

Guess what my 2 sons are getting in their stockings this Christmas? SWISS ARMY KNIVES!!!! Yes!

That's the most popular gift under the tree this year. Merry Christmas to all!!!

Posted on March 20, 2011

Shaun Mcclaskey says...

Why are so few people willing to speak bluntly, and point out what a dumbf..k this guy was? If he didn't operate with half a brain he wouldn't be missing half an arm.



He made about every dumb mistake available, and according to his accounts of past misadventures, was in the habit of routine stupidity in his outdoors endeavors. For example, in this case, no itinerary, didn't tell anyone his route or schedule, didn't bother with a satellite phone or locator beacon. No flares, radio, mirror, light, or any other comms or distress signal ... not even a $1.99 whistle.



Heck, he didn't even carry a decent first aid kit or knife!



Stupidity; no question. However, consider the incredible selfishness and arrogance. He COULD have included basic info in his book explaining the mistakes he made and how other people should learn from his near-disaster. You know: serve the reader a little. At least a little bit. But nope, the whole book is a self-indulgent attempt to make himself into a hero.



And, btw, although it's pretty grody to lop off your own arm, quit making him out a resolute hero for doing it; it was necessary, and by that time the arm was "dead" so there was no pain.

Posted on March 31, 2011