Ralston's story has motivated, inspired
Associated Press
ASPEN, Colorado. -- As he sawed through the final strands of his own
tissue and skin with a dull blade, Aron Ralston was overcome with
emotion, awash in a wave of euphoria unlike anything he'd felt before.
Malnutrition and dehydration, delirium, searing pain -- none of it
registered anymore. Held captive by a half-ton boulder at the bottom of
a narrow canyon for five days, Ralston freed himself by severing his
own arm, gaining an unexpected second chance at life.
Resigned to death the night before, Ralston felt more alive than ever,
glowing from what he believed to be the close of one life and birth of
another.
And he hasn't stopped living in the two years since.
"At this point, I've got the confidence to know that I'll get through
anything in my life given I have the motivation to do it," Ralston
said. "If it's an act of survival, we've all got a reason to keep
living. It may not be pretty, but surviving is grit and determination
in its highest form. I learned that I've got the capacity to do a hell
of a lot more than I thought I could if I have the proper motivation."
By now, Ralston's survival story is well known.
Heading out on a relatively benign -- at least to an experienced
mountaineer such as Ralston -- hike through a slot canyon in the Utah
desert in April 2003, Ralston became trapped when a chockstone
dislodged and trapped his right arm. With little food, less water and
virtually no chance of being rescued, Ralston used drastic means to
extend his life, from drinking his own urine to rigging ropes and
webbing to support his weight.
Unable to budge the boulder with a makeshift pulley system or break it
with a multi-tool, Ralston escaped by torquing his arm against the rock
to break his bones, then ripping through his flesh with a small, dull
knife.
His bloody stump wrapped in a makeshift sling, Ralston rappelled down a
60-foot drop, then hiked six miles through the desert before an
improbable sequence of events, including stumbling across a family of
hikers and getting to a helicopter just in time, helped save his life.
It was a staggering display of human will and survival, and the tale spread inspiration across the world.
"It really was a miracle that things just worked and fell into place,"
said Donna Ralston, who spent two frantic days coordinating rescue
efforts for her son from her Denver-area home. "I feel like there was a
reason why things happened in the way they did. It wasn't just
happenstance."
She's not the only who sees it that way.
During his darkest moments in the bottom of the canyon, Ralston had a
vision of a young boy. Unlike his previous visions that final night,
Ralston said he was able to touch this one, lifting the boy upon his
shoulder with an arm missing its right hand. Ralston had come to terms
with his death the night before and now this boy, which he believed to
be his future son, had given him a reason to live.
And Ralston has done just that.
Though the first few months after the accident were filled with
surgeries, a kaleidoscope of painkillers and frustrating inactivity, it
didn't take Ralston long to return to what he loves. It started with
hiking and running with friends, and pretty soon he was back scaling
14,000-foot peaks, skiing summits and climbing ice walls.
Using prosthetics he helped develop, Ralston completed a nine-year
project of scaling the highest point in all 50 states, then became the
first person to solo climb all 59 of Colorado's fourteeners
(14,000-foot peaks) in winter, crossing the last 14 off his list after
the accident. In January, he summited Argentina's 22,840-foot Mt.
Aconcagua, the world's highest mountain outside Asia, then climbed and
skied 10 peaks of at least 13,000 feet in the spring.
Ralston also got into ultrarunning, first taking on the Leadville 100
high in the central Rockies, then testing his willpower and fitness in
the diabolical Hardrock, a 100-mile race featuring 66,000 feet of
elevation change. In case that wasn't enough, Ralston tried his hand at
surfing, spent more time mountain biking and did all kinds of hiking
and climbing.
That Ralston's love for the wilderness didn't diminish with his
accident isn't a surprise; he's had a spiritual connection with the
outdoors since he was a teenager.
What did change was Ralston's appreciation for those closest to him.
Content with isolating himself and doing things on his own before,
Ralston now makes sure family and friends are included in his life more
and understands how much they mean to him.
"I think my spirituality is very similar to what it was before. It
wasn't as if I went through some kind of enlightenment and figured out
all the answers," said Ralston, who'll turn 30 next year. "I figured
out what was important to me, but I knew that before. I just didn't
express it as much to the people I appreciate, to my family and
friends, and I've tried to be more practiced in that."
And it goes beyond his inner circle.
As his astonishing story of survival spread, Ralston was inundated with
thousands of letters and e-mails from people thanking him for giving
them inspiration. The correspondences continued and spiked again when
his best-selling book, "Between a Rock and Hard Place," hit the shelves
last fall.
Realizing his story meant so much to so many people, Ralston lifted the
spirits of thousands more by reliving his ordeal in person. Sure, some
of it is for profit, but most of his speaking engagements are for
nonprofit organizations and fund-raisers, with plans to hit a few
colleges later this year.
And while his speaking contracts have expired, Ralston keeps telling
his story, the weight of obligation still too heavy for him to escape.
"We're proud of him because of the person he is and because he feels so
strongly that he has a story that is inspirational, and he's willing to
tell it over and over and share with other people and give people
hope," Donna Ralston said. "I think that says a lot about his
character."
As for the future, Ralston doesn't want to look too far ahead. His
immediate plans include a tour for the paperback release of his book on
Sept. 1, and more writing for magazines such as Men's Journal and
Outside.
Ralston also plans to do more speaking, is in talks for a motion
picture about his life and will continue running Ralstar Enterprises,
the company he created to handle the opportunities that have come with
his newfound fame.
Of course, there'll be plenty of time in the outdoors, too.
Ralston has been invited to climb in New Zealand this winter and will
head to the Himalayas next year to ski a pair of 8,000-meter peaks.
He's also planning to high-point all 50 states again, this time in 50
consecutive days, and would eventually like to climb K2, the world's
second-highest mountain.
Beyond that, Ralston has no specific plans other than to meet the boy in his vision -- when the time is right.
"I think it's out there and it's not something that I treat lightly,"
Ralston said. "At the same time, I realized there's a lot that's going
to have to change in my life before I become a father as far as how I
live, my priorities, where I might live. When the time comes, that's
something I want to be just as passionate about as how passionate I am
in how I live."
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