Escape from the canyon

Early in the morning of April 26, 2003, Aron Ralston left his home in the city of Aspen, Colorado, and headed west across the desert in his truck.

A passionate climber, 28-year-old Ralston was making for the Canyonlands National Park in the neighbouring state of Utah, where he'd planned a day hiking alone in the Blue John Canyon.

Five hours later he passed through the town of Moab, known locally as 'the end of the world'. He was about to enter one of the remotest parts of the American West.

With the magnificent desert landscape stretching for miles all around, he parked the truck and continued on his bike until the track ended.

For many it would be difficult terrain for hiking, but the experienced Ralston leaped confidently over the smooth rocks. For him it was an easy day's outing.

He was just starting to climb down into the canyon when he put his hand on a boulder and it came loose. He lost his balance for a second and slipped down to the bottom of the canyon. The boulder came crashing after him and landed on his arm. In a few seconds the outing had turned into a nightmare.

Above, a sliver of blue sky was all he could see of the world outside. He knew that shouting for help would be pointless. To make matters worse, he had no mobile phone and he hadn't told anyone where he was going. All he had was 350 ml of water, two sandwiches and a small knife.

It didn't take him long to realise that he wouldn't be able to pull himself free or move the rock, which was later weighed at 360 kilograms. His only chance of survival would be to do something almost unthinkable: he would have to cut off his own arm. But there was no way his tiny knife could cut through the bone.
The nightmare continued for five days as he tried to keep his spirits up and think of a solution. But by the fifth day the situation was clearly hopeless. His arm was decomposing, and he knew that without medical attention he would soon die.

Certain that the end was coming, he carved RIP in the wall of the canyon and made a goodbye video for his family.

Then, on the sixth day, he had a brainwave: he realised that he could use the weight of his body to bend his arm until the bone broke. He could then cut through the flesh with his knife and he'd be free.

He later said that this was the most beautiful moment of his life. The knowledge that he'd soon be out of the canyon gave him strength to tolerate the appalling pain. In an hour he was free from the rock. But it was still a thirteen-kilometre walk back to his car and he had lost a litre and a half of blood. He knew he could survive for half an hour at the most.

Amazingly, he managed to rappel down a 20-meter cliff one-handed and get out of the canyon. He then started walking towards the road, but he was getting weaker by the minute. For all his bravery and determination, it looked as though he was going to die in the desert after all. But at this critical point luck intervened, and a Dutch family who were hiking nearby saw him and raised the alarm. Minutes later a rescue helicopter arrived and took him to the hospital in Moab.

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Aron Ralston made a complete recovery, and in 2011 a film was made about his adventure - 127 Hours. He has praised the film's accuracy, saying it was 'as close to a documentary as you can get and still be a drama.' Ralston is now married with a young son and lives in Boulder, Colorado. He continues to hike and climb.