Aron Ralston...
"An Aspen man is alive, but only after doing the unthinkable to save his own life -- amputating his arm with a pocketknife. Aron Ralston, 27, was trapped in a remote slot canyon in Utah for five days. He was solo canyoneering on Saturday afternoon in Blue John Canyon, adjacent to the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park in Utah, when a 800-pound boulder fell on him, pinning his right arm, according to the sheriff's offices in Emery and Wayne counties in Utah. Ralston, who had only planned for a one-day hike, was unable to move and was trapped. After three days, he ran out of water.
On the fifth day -- Thursday morning -- Ralston realized that his survival required drastic action and that no one was going save him but himself, so he amputated his arm below the elbow using his pocketknife. He than applied a tourniquet and administered first aid from a kit that he had in his backpack.Then, with one arm, he rigged anchors and fixed a rope to rappel about 75 feet to the floor of Blue John Canyon where he then continued hiking downstream into Horseshoe Canyon, rescuers said..." - from the Denver Channel
I'm sure you've heard the news about the guy who amputated his arm after he got it stuck climbing in Colorado... well I had the good fortune to cross paths with Aron almost three years ago while following Phish in Japan. I'd see him at different shows from time to time. He's a great guy with a great smile... and I hope to see him back on Phish tour very soon. Latest word is that he's recovering, but still in critical condition. His story is slowly gaining momentum as it makes it's way across the globe.
Zobo sent me this e-mail: "I am not sure how many of you saw this article, but Aron was over in Japan with us three years ago. Interesting story of how he survived a hiking accident... Climber Aputates Arm, Hikes to Safety.
Dan from San Fran wrote this:
Subject: RE: Colorado Climber is part of Japhamily
I myself am in shock. Aron is one of the kindest persons I have met in all my musical touring days. I tape traded with him regularly for several years before finally meeting face to face in Japan, where he credited me as responsible for at least half of his tape collection. Afterwards we kept in touch and always had a great time together when we met up at shows. One memorable occasion was String Cheese in Vegas at the Alladin. The show was on my birthday and Aron joined me and some other friends at our seats during setbreak for a celebration with a cake that we smuggled into the show.
I just heard from Erik that he is still in serious condition, but is expected to recover nicely. I wouldn't expect anything less from Aron. He was always the kind of guy to push the limits in everything he did. He graduated top of his class, excelled at work, and pushed himself in all aspects of his personal entertainment and spiritual quests. I am certain that he is pushing himself even now to recover and get back to exploring the world he loves and being with the people he loves.
My thoughts and prayers go out to you Aron. I love you, buddy!
Dan
If you would like to get in touch with Aron... here's some info sent to me from Chris:
St. Mary's Hosital
2635 N. 7th st.
Grand Junction, Colorado 81501
ATTENTION: ICU C/O Aron Ralston
Don't send anything with dirt. Cut Flowers only. No phone calls.
Here's some other articles about his amazing story:
1. The Denver Channel
2. Aspen Daily News
Here's a bit: "It's official: Aron Ralston is a badass. With his eyes set on becoming the first person to climb all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks alone in the dead of winter, the gutsy 27-year-old was bound for mountaineering fame before he lopped off his own arm. But now the waiting is over. Ralston is a legend."
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