+Stunod Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Maybe a pocket knife in a cache is not such a bad idea. What if this guy only had a McToy?? Colorado Climber Amputates His Arm "Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand." Quote Link to comment
+Confucius' Cat Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Pocket knife is no good to anyone in a cache It's got to be in your POCKET! Don't leave home without one. Caint never did nothing. GDAE, Dave Quote Link to comment
martmann Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 I think I would have died there. _________________________________________________________ If trees could scream, would we still cut them down? Well, maybe if they screamed all the time, for no reason. Click here for my Geocaching pictures Quote Link to comment
+MountainMudbug Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Sounds like a definite 5 star difficulty, don't think I'll be doing that one. Quote Link to comment
+Dread Pirate Roberts' Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 This level 5 cache requires you to bring some type of lever. A very special first finder's prize is located under a boulder at these coordinates. ...YUCKY! I would think you would pass out from the pain and bleed to death. I'm with martmann, may we rest in peace! Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 He must have been pissed when he found out they organized a search that same day. Here is a similar story that had a less bloody ending. I guess this stuff happens more often than we realize. There was a story in Backpacker magazine a few months ago about a guy who was similarly stuck during a solo backpacking trip. He lived over a week, thanks to the fact he had some water and food. Even kept a journal. Sadly, his story didn't have as happy an ending. His body was found by hikers a week or so after his death. [This message was edited by BrianSnat on May 02, 2003 at 07:27 AM.] Quote Link to comment
+Possum Posse Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 quote: I think I would have died there. Ditto. They would have found my skeleton still clutching my GPS. "Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us" - Thomas Paine Quote Link to comment
Abandoned Outpost Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 I've heard of a similar case before, only a man with a pocket knife and a leg. Only problem, when anyone says pocket knife, I imagine a little Swiss Army Knife...and slicing your arm with one of those isn't the best idea, I imagine it would take too long and victim would go into shock from pain and blood loss. A hunting knife, that's something else. I still would have died there, though. Quote Link to comment
bug and snake Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Dread Pirate Roberts':This level 5 cache requires you to bring some type of lever. A very special first finder's prize is located under a boulder at these coordinates. ...YUCKY! I would think you would pass out from the pain and bleed to death. I'm with martmann, may we rest in peace! Wanna get together and do a cache called 'Body Parts'? 'Took nothing, left right leg...' Nah, forget it, the log would just be too complicated... This is ANOTHER post that I wish I had never bothered to start typing but too late, it's up here now! Quote Link to comment
+mogolloyd Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 I may be a bit bigger than most people, and I don't really know what posistion the guy was in, but does anyone else think it wouldn't be much of a problem moving a rock that only weighs 200lbs and is only on the lower portion of your arm? Quote Link to comment
+Stunod Posted May 2, 2003 Author Share Posted May 2, 2003 quote:Originally posted by mogolloyd:I may be a bit bigger than most people, and I don't really know what posistion the guy was in, but does anyone else think it wouldn't be much of a problem moving a rock that only weighs 200lbs and is only on the lower portion of your arm? The latest on the story said 2 rescue workers hiked to the spot to try to recover the limb. They reported the bolder to be over 1000 lbs. "Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand." Quote Link to comment
bcj19 Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 Ok, not to get too graphic here, but how did he get through the bone? I'm hoping the bone was broken into two (or more) pieces and that he didn't have to saw through it... Happy Hunting! ~ bcj19 Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 With all the Idaho Rock Pile caches I've wondered about the rocks shifing just as you reach for the cache. Most of these rock piles are at the base of the rock cliff in whatever position they landed in when they fell. Another reason to not cache alone. Of course it's not my arm I'm worry about. It's my head I don't want squashed. ===================== Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
scooterj Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 quote:Originally posted by bcj19:Ok, not to get too graphic here, but how did he get through the bone? I'm hoping the bone was broken into two (or more) pieces and that he didn't have to saw through it... Happy Hunting! _~ bcj19_ The articles I read sounded like he did it at the elbow. Then he wouldn't have to go through bone at all. Still I can't imagine having the willpower to do that with a pocketknife, it must have taken a long time. Quote Link to comment
+TEAM 360 Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 I am surprised that a 1000 lb. boulder didn't just cleanly break off his arm or squish it into mush when it fell on him. Quote Link to comment
+Duc996 Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 Most of the good swiss army knives come with a wood saw so sawing through the bone would be no problem. I've got a cool Powerpoint slideshow of a friend of mine doing an ankle amputation with a Letherman in Afghanistan. Putting the multi-purpose in a multi-purpose tool. Quote Link to comment
+RangerRick Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 I think a good lesson to learn from this is to always have a working GPSr and cell phone. I'm sure if he had these two items, this hiker would have been rescued much sooner and he would have suffered much less pain. Quote Link to comment
+gebu Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 quote:Originally posted by RangerRick:I think a good lesson to learn from this is to always have a working GPSr and cell phone. I'm sure if he had these two items, this hiker would have been rescued much sooner and he would have suffered much less pain. Unlikely. Regarding the reports he didn´t get lost and knew where he was going so a GPS wouldn´t be of any use. And cellphones usually don´t work in narrow, walled in canyons (do a google search on Blue John Canyon to get an idea of the terrain there). The accident was a combination of rotten luck (you are never completely safe from rockfall) and bad planning on his side (not telling anybody where he went, going climbing/canyoning in spring when rockfall probability is higher, going alone). Quote Link to comment
+Searching_ut Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 A cell phone would almost certainly have been worthless in this case. Being an avid hiker, I've found that cell phones don't work in probably well over a third of the State of Utah. It's also one of those areas where searchers may or may not ever find you, depending on how detailed a trip plan you leave, and how lucky the searchers get. There's an awful lot of nooks and crannies around. Quote Link to comment
+RangerRick Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 quote:Originally posted by gebu: quote:Originally posted by RangerRick:I think a good lesson to learn from this is to always have a working GPSr and cell phone. I'm sure if he had these two items, this hiker would have been rescued much sooner and he would have suffered much less pain. Unlikely. Regarding the reports he didn´t get lost and knew where he was going so a GPS wouldn´t be of any use. Gebu, I didn't think he was lost, but if his gpsr worked and his phone worked, he would have been able to notify searchers of his location, maybe. Quote Link to comment
+georgeandmary Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Searching_ut:A cell phone would almost certainly have been worthless in this case. Being an avid hiker, I've found that cell phones don't work in probably well over a third of the State of Utah. There's an awful lot of the state of california where cell phones don't work either. I can ride my bike up a local canyon that starts on I-5 and within a mile or so of I-5 and I couldn't call anyone to save my life. george Wanna go for a ride? Quote Link to comment
+smithdw Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 There's a lot of areas around here where caches are hidden that have no cell phone coverage too. You could travel .1 miles and get from a place that had digital reception to nothing at all. Lots of large earthen piles in the way - aka mountains. Quote Link to comment
Swagger Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 The hiker's on CNN right now, giving his story to a panel of reporters. -- Random fortune: Quote Link to comment
the Ice Age Travelers Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 The guy was on the morning news today - he said he twisted his arm around untill the bone broke Quote Link to comment
+Stunod Posted May 9, 2003 Author Share Posted May 9, 2003 quote:Originally posted by the hangman:The guy was on the morning news today - he said he twisted his arm around untill the bone broke I saw that...he said he broke his ulna and radius bone, one at a time, by twisting his arm. Then sawed thru the flesh with a dull (his word) pockt knive. Then rapelled down 60 feet and walked 4 miles to help. Yup...another vote for "I would have died" "Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand." Quote Link to comment
+Marky Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 My diary would have read: Day 1: I'm pinned under this boulder. No cell signal... Day 2: Dang, still no cell signal. Day 3: Man, this cell phone is useless. Day 4: I should have brought a pocket knife instead of a cell phone, what was I thinking. Day 5: Even if there was signal now, my batteries are dead. Dang it. --Marky "All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr" Quote Link to comment
CacheNCarryMA Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Love the quote from the park spokesman,"Obviously we didn't want to leave [the arm] out there for other people to run into," said Henderson. "It would probably have ended up on e-Bay," Does this fall under Nat'l Parks Service guidelines as 'abandoned property'? Somebody could have turned it into an interesting travel bug. Text of story follows: Heroic story of climber increases interest in remote canyon By Associated Press, 5/9/2003 03:57 CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK, Utah (AP) The incredible experience of climber Aron Ralston is transforming Bluejohn Canyon from a hidden gem into a much asked-about destination among canyoneers. Since news of Ralston's story of survival, the National Park Service has seen a surge in inquiries about Bluejohn, said Paul Henderson, a spokesman for Canyonlands National Park. Ralston, 27, had to amputate his left forearm to escape after it was pinned under an 800-pound boulder. Bluejohn's scenic, narrow sections had already made it a favorite for those with the skills and technical gear to negotiate rugged canyons. Henderson said many callers aren't familiar with the desert southwest and fail to grasp the enormity of the area and its remoteness. Once they learn that the trailhead for Bluejohn Canyon is more than 25 miles off the nearest paved road, their curiosity erodes. A park service crew retrieved Ralston's hand and lower arm, and the boulder that smashed it was stabilized. ''Obviously we didn't want to leave it out there for other people to run into,'' said Henderson. ''It would probably have ended up on e-Bay,'' Henderson said. Quote Link to comment
+Zartimus Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I can see the guy's reasoning. After a few days with no blood circ, the limb was probably all squashed and useless. Why keep it and die when you can lose it and live. Takes balls to saw it off though. I guess there' opposite sex 'Coyote Ugly', and then there's boulder 'Coyote Ugly'. [This message was edited by Zartimus on May 09, 2003 at 10:55 AM.] Quote Link to comment
+Choachy Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I just caught the tail end of his interview on CNN yesterday... But when you say no blood circulation, would that have made the arm numb, and allowed him to break the bone easier? I just know I would have had a hard time doing what he did. My time, your time is limited, but time itself is unlimited. Quote Link to comment
+Hiemdahl Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Seems to be a good reason for not caching alone, or at least telling someone where you are going and when to expect you back. Quote Link to comment
+GeneralBracket Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I think I'm going to start carrying a bone saw. Heeeeyyyy... maybe that can be my sig item. Quote Link to comment
+TEAM 360 Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I wonder if he would have been rescued had he waited another day.... Quote Link to comment
DudeZilla Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Okay, I feel really guilty. The last time I was hiking in Colorado - I left a southeast Asia Monkey Trap with a cache of children's toys... If this guy had just let go of the toys -his arm would've been freed. Quote Link to comment
+Duc996 Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Of course he could have been wearing one of these Emergency Watch but my luck the boulder would be on top of the watch. Quote Link to comment
+Uplink Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I hear that personal EPIRB's are going to be available some day. Similar to this boaters model. Of course, if your stuck down in a canyon and your batteries only last 24 hours, you are still gonna need a lucky satellite flyby... Quote Link to comment
+Searching_ut Posted May 10, 2003 Share Posted May 10, 2003 quote: Uplink said: I hear that personal EPIRB's are going to be available some day. Similar to this boaters model. Of course, if your stuck down in a canyon and your batteries only last 24 hours, you are still gonna need a lucky satellite flyby... The latest I heard, they're supposed to be available in the US in July. I was looking forward to getting one. Seems the older I get, the harder it is to find hiking partners that are up to the trip, and can get the same days off that I do. I hadn't really thought about the transmitter not being able to reach a satellite. Now that you mention it, it's quite common to not be able to get a fix with a GPS for as much as a third or more of some of the more scenic hikes. It probably would be just about as difficult for the signal to get out. Bummer..... Quote Link to comment
+the england's Posted May 11, 2003 Share Posted May 11, 2003 If I had the guts to start cutting, I would have just cut through the elbow joint. Wouldnt have to go near any bone. "Before beginning a hunt, it is wise to ask someone what you are looking for before you begin looking for it." Pooh Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.