TORONTO — Aron Ralston knows the true meaning behind the word survival. In April 2003 he hiked into a remote area of Utah’s canyon country and what happened next was unthinkable.
“I was on a 15-mile journey that day, through Blue John Canyon,” says Ralston.
“About halfway through it, I dislodged an 800 pound boulder that pulled loose as I was climbing off of it. It fell and entrapped my right arm and I ended up being stuck there in the bottom of the canyon.”
After 127 hours of entrapment, what happened next is still difficult to fathom.
“I quickly ran out of options as far as being able to get free and ultimately as people know me as the guy that cut his arm off.”
With a dull multi-tool pocketknife, Aron amputated his own right forearm in order to free himself.
“What you probably don’t know is that I am the guy who was smiling when he cut his arm off. When I stepped out of my grave and into my life again, it was the greatest moment of my life,” he said.”
“Not the horrific moment that I think people focus on or imagine that it might be, but truly something that was euphoric.”
After Aron cut himself free he climbed out of the canyon and began to hike back to safety.
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“I had almost eight miles to go from where I was to get back to my vehicle. I was still bleeding despite the improvised tourniquet,” he said.
“Fortunately, I came across a family and they helped me for another hour or so and made it far enough to where this miracle occurred.”
The miracle was the search and rescue helicopter, orchestrated by his mother- which arrived just in time, or this story could have a different ending.
Aron has written an internationally bestselling book entitled Between a Rock and a Hard Place- which was the subject of the 2010 film 127 Hours.
“It’s been one of the greatest honours of my life since my experience, that such luminaries, Danny Boyle himself the director and James Franco that they put their artistry to work at the highest level and they knocked it out of the park,” he said.
Today, Aron is living life to the fullest and sharing his story of survival around the world.
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