50 Books Challenge - # 11: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

Title: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Author: Aron Ralston
Story: It started out as a simple hike in the Utah canyonlands on a warm Saturday afternoon. For Aron Ralston, a twenty-seven-year-old mountaineer and outdoorsman, a walk into the remote Blue John Canyon was a chance to get a break from a winter of solo climbing Colorado's highest and toughest peaks. He'd earned this weekend vacation, and though he met two charming women along the way, by early afternoon he finally found himself in his element: alone, with just the beauty of the natural world all around him. It was 2:41 P.M. Eight miles from his truck, in a deep and narrow slot canyon, Aron was climbing down off a wedged boulder when the rock suddenly, and terrifyingly, came loose. Before he could get out of the way, the falling stone pinned his right hand and wrist against the canyon wall. And so began six days of hell for Aron Ralston. With scant water and little food, no jacket for the painfully cold nights, and the terrible knowledge that he'd told no one where he was headed, he found himself facing a lingering death -- trapped by an 800-pound boulder 100 feet down in the bottom of a canyon. As he eliminated his escape options one by one through the days, Aron faced the full horror of his predicament: By the time any possible search and rescue effort would begin, he'd most probably have died of dehydration, if a flash flood didn't drown him before that. What does one do in the face of almost certain death? Using the video camera from his pack, Aron began recording his grateful good-byes to his family and friends all over the country, thinking back over a life filled with adventure, and documenting a last will and testament with the hope that someone would find it. The knowledge of their love kept Aron Ralston alive, until a divine inspiration on Thursday morning solved the riddle of the boulder. Aron then committed the most extreme act imaginable to save himself.
Start: february 26th 2011
End: march 1st 2011
Comment: It's very hard to imagine yourself in a situation like this. He has only four options: trying to push the rock away, making a hole with his knife so he can release his hand, wait for help or amputate his hand. This book tells the extraordinary story of Aron Ralston and it took my breath away. I think it's a miracle that the guy survived it, with just a little bit of water and food and eventually losing a lot of blood. Aron is very lucky to be alive. It's not just a story about a guy who survived a climbing accident. While being stuck he looks back on his experiences as a climber and his life with his family and the people he met along the way. These thought make him stronger and that would eventualy be the reason of his survival. His family and friends gave him the strength to survive. It's an amazing story and I can't wait to see the film version "127 Hours".
Rating: 4,5/ 5