Between a Rock and a Hard Place

In the early hours of Thursday morning, Donna calls multiple Utah agencies, and a dispatcher sends out a statewide notice based on her description. Meanwhile, Adam Crider of the Aspen Police Department reviews Ralston’s bank and credit card records, which show no activity since April 25. Around the same time, Steve Patchett corresponds with Captain Kyle Ekker of Emery County’s sheriff’s office, who then places a call to a ranger station near the Maze District. Answering, Ranger Glenn Sherrill positively identifies the vehicle at the trailhead to Horseshoe Canyon. Kyle calls for an incident response team as well as helicopter support.

As news of the discovery spreads through Ralston’s network of friends, several of them plan to travel to Utah to assist in the search. After receiving the news, Donna abandons her work on a missing person poster, knowing that there’s nothing else she can do.

Under the direction of National Parks Ranger Steve Swanke, a team sets out with a goal to “locate, access, stabilize, and transport Ralston” (295). By eight o’clock that evening, an Emery County team under the direction of Chief Deputy Doug Bliss assists as well. Terry Mercer, a helicopter pilot for the Department of Public Safety, flies south from Salt Lake City to pick up the county team. With another helicopter on the way, Mercer agrees to scan the north half of the canyon, accompanied by Detective Greg Funk and Sergeant Mitch Vetere, who hates flying but agrees to ride out of necessity, since regulations bar federal officers from flying on the helicopter. After an initial pass up the canyon at two o’clock in the afternoon yields no discoveries, Terry drops his crew off at the trailhead and refuels in Moab.

Following the amputation, Ralston prepares a makeshift sling and takes a photo of his severed wrist before heading down the canyon. Lightheaded, he struggles to pace himself properly. Twenty minutes later, he arrives at the 65-foot “Big Drop” rappel. Ralston nearly drops his rope over the edge but catches it in time and works to undo the knots he created over the last few days. Desperately thirsty, he takes another drink of urine before continuing. Bypassing some of his usual safety precautions, Ralston attaches his rappel device and harness and then slowly descends, controlling his speed with his single hand.

Back on the ground, Ralston rushes to a nearby puddle, where he rinses out his bottle and then drinks the brown water, which tastes remarkably sweet to him. With eight miles still to go to reach his vehicle, Ralston resumes his course through the canyon. After pausing to defecate, he realizes that he’s consuming water too quickly; a leak from his CamelBak worsens the situation. Employing a trick attributed to the long-distance runners of the Tarahumara tribe, Ralston holds some water in his mouth without swallowing, which seems to help.

Two and a half miles further, Ralston enters Horseshoe Canyon and pauses for another bowel movement. Further down, he passes through the Great Gallery, which features ancient pictographs. Around two o’clock that afternoon, he stops to refill his bottle from a muddy puddle, even as the pain and bleeding from his arm intensify.

Six miles into his hike, Ralston spots a family of three hiking and calls for help. They introduce themselves as Eric, Monique, and Andy Meijers, from Holland, and explain that rangers are looking for him. After giving him some Oreos, Monique and Andy run ahead to call for help, while Eric supports Ralston. He keeps his conversation with Eric brief to avoid drying out his mouth. They encounter another hiker, Wayne, who is a medical professional, and he accompanies them.

Feeling that he’s nearing his physical limit, Ralston is surprised by the appearance of a helicopter, which picks him up and sets a course for Moab. Shocked at his condition, the officers listen as Ralston explains his experiences. At the hospital, as medical staff administer morphine, Ralston asks Ranger Steve Swanke to retrieve some items he left behind and then loses consciousness.

Steve calls Donna, who is relieved to hear that Ralston is alive. She asks that Steve not be too judgmental in describing the incident to the media. Reasoning to himself, Steve acknowledges that Ralston’s experience was “an extreme case of bad luck” (328). At the surgeon’s request, Mitch and Greg locate Ralston’s trapped arm, but the boulder is too heavy for them to retrieve it.

Overnight, Ralston is transported to the hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. There he enjoys a loving reunion with his mother.

As news of Ralston’s rescue makes headlines around the world, he undergoes several surgeries and receives gifts and letters, including one from a woman whom his experience dissuaded from death by suicide. He spends much time with his parents and celebrates with his friends, who send him a hand-shaped cake.

On May 8, Ralston participates in a brief press conference. Afterward, he meets his friend Dan Bayer, who returns Ralston’s rappelling equipment, which he retrieved from Bluejohn Canyon; he mentions a dead raven in the pool at the bottom of the Big Drop rappel.

Ralston is released from the hospital but continues to take various medications. On May 15, he’s readmitted following the discovery of a bone infection. After receiving intricate instructions for the administration of antibiotics, Ralston and his parents attend his sister’s graduation in Texas the next day. Back in Denver, Ralston undergoes one more surgery to transfer flesh from his thighs to the stump of his right arm; the hours after regaining consciousness are the most painful and difficult of Ralston’s recovery.

On May 25, after 17 days in the hospital, Ralston is released from his last in-hospital stay, though he continues to receive intravenous antibiotics for weeks. At home, he’s dependent on others, which—along with the excessive media attention—proves a burden for his family. To regain his independence, Ralston decreases his use of painkillers and turns his attention to learning to live with one hand—and learns to ask for help when he needs it.

Over the next few months, because of a comment he made at the press conference, Ralston receives much mail that includes supplies for making margaritas. He gets to meet one of his musical idols, while another of his favorite bands holds a benefit concert for the search-and-rescue teams that found him. In addition, Ralston appears on the David Letterman show. At his sister’s August wedding, he gives a reading about love.

Meanwhile, he enthusiastically resumes his hiking and climbing activities. In September, he watches the videos he recorded in the canyon with his mother, drawing them even closer together. Six months after his entrapment, Ralston returns to Bluejohn Canyon with several friends and a team from NBC. During the winter, he checks off two more solo fourteeners from his list and plans to complete the rest in upcoming seasons. Overall, he feels that he’s at the same or an even higher level of fitness than before his entrapment.

In concluding the memoir, Ralston explains that despite the difficulties, he wouldn’t change or trade his experiences in Bluejohn Canyon even if he could. He describes them as “the most beautifully spiritual experiences” of his life (342), reaffirming his commitment to live life passionately.