Between a Rock and a Hard Place
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Product Description
"One of the most extraordinary survival stories ever told -- Aron Ralston's searing account of his six days trapped in one of the most remote spots in America, and how one inspired act of bravery brought him home. 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. (For their part, his family and friends had instigated a major search for Aron, the amazing details of which are also documented here for the first time.) 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. Between a Rock and a Hard Place -- a brilliantly written, funny, honest, inspiring, and downright astonishing report from the line where death meets life -- will surely take its place in the annals of classic adventure stories. "
Spotlight Customer Reviews:
Summary:
Aron Ralston meet Timothy Treadwell
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Comment:
I've a feeling we have not heard the last of Aron Ralston, but it won't be long before we do.
His narration of the nearly fatal idiocy that cost him his right hand is interspersed with flashback stories of even greater follies accomplished during previous wilderness "adventures." We are regaled with accounts of running barefoot through the snow with a bear in pursuit, leaping fully clothed into a raging Colorado River for no apparent reason, rock climbing (in sandals, no less) over, and then falling into, a patch of prickly pear cactus, having his footwear fall apart midway up the face of a 2,000-foot sheer granite wall - these apparently recounted in hopes of showing what an accomplished (or at least, passionate) outdoorsman he is - are not the stuff of legend, or inspiration, or courage; they are the tales of a bonehead in search of a Darwin Award. An Hero.
I continually found myself wondering why anybody who suffered such an unbroken string of disasters brought about by poor decision-making, unpreparedness, naivete, or downright pigheadedness would be set up as an inspirational character (or why anyone would seek to publicize their own stupidity thus); but then I remember Timothy Treadwell and his ardent supporters and followers.
In any event, the straw that broke this camel's back was Aron's reviling us with an event he saw as amusing and clever: he and his friends composed a "joke" distress note and put it in an empty vodka bottle which they then threw into Havasupai Creek, to flow over Mooney falls, to perhaps "be found by a jet skier in Lake Mead." Right. More likely broken glass discovered by the waders barefoot downstream.
Oh, I could go on and on.. and Aron does. A litany of grief and stupidity haunts this guy and anyone who does business with him. He manages to lose not only his ice axe on one winter ascent, but the team's only map as well, resulting in abandonment of their summit bid in lieu of an emergency hunt for a way off the mountain.
I think of the disaster that befell the Everest climbers in Krakauer's "Into Thin Air", or the mystery of what happened to Irvine and Mallory detailed in "Ghosts of Everest" and innumerable other actually heroic stories, of excruciating ordeals, unbelievable fortitude and character displayed by many climbers and outdoorsfolk, and then I think of this clown losing his team's map while traipsing around on a 14,000 foot mountain, for cripe sake.
I think about this jamoke going out in the wintertime to scale Colorado's mountains without proper clothing or food, or common sense or respect for the nature in general and mountains in particular. He hikes up mountains in the wintertime but has not the sense to put his chocolate bars or water in an inside pocket where they won't freeze, then bemoans the fact as if it were some giant life lesson Gaia bestows only on hardy souls (who venture forth thus unencumbered with brains).
Feh. Do yourself a favor and skim the tripe. There are perhaps 100 readable pages in the book, and don't swallow any of Aron's stultifying psuedo-religious gobbledygook or cerulean blue prose-poems; it's mostly blather perpetrated by a not-too-bright adrenaline junkie who very well could be the next famous bear scat.
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Summary:
Just get to the good stuff already
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Comment:
I think readers would be better served by skipping every other chapter in this book or just searching online for Aron Ralston, you'll find it. A reader above mentioned he doesn't come off as bragging about his exploits, I found exactly the opposite.
On one hand, Aron and I have been in many of the same places, (probably around the same time) and in a way, reading about his adventures in various places brought back great memories for me. On the other hand, If I wanted to read about his memoir, I'd have bought that book. Halfway through the book I found myself saying, just cut it off already!
While I do respect his accomplishments in his winter solo ascents, I simply don't respecting his risky backcountry decisions. He is redeemed though by calling himself out, recognizing that he's lost friends over his past irresponsible backcountry recklessness. In a sense, the book is a primer for what not to do in the winter backcountry.
I thought it was interesting how with Ralston's considerable experience, intelligence, engineering rigging skills and strength none of it mattered in the end. Just a guy with no more options that did what needed to be done.
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Summary:
Between a Rock & a Hard Place - Inspires beyond the imagination
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Comment:
Aron is an inspiration to all of us and an incredible writer. He fully acknowledges his flaws as a human being which makes this book all the more powerful. He loves life to the limit and paid a high price to do so.
My son was seriously injured in the Iraq war and I purchased a copy for him. It takes courage to make a good life...and Aron has no shortage of that.
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Summary:
not a jerk
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Comment:
Like many I heard about this in the national media and read some about it in Outside. Like many I thought what a jerk! This guy is an idiot. Well he is not. In this book he comes off as a very capable thoughtful adventurer. He managed his "problem" very well this book is highly entertaining. Even though you know what is going to happen it is still riveting. There is none of the jerk seen at the post press rescue press conference. Turns out he was high on painkillers for most of the presser. Luckily for readers he was not when he recorded this book. Excellent work of a most interesting life. Strong recommend for adventurers of both the outside and arm chair variety.
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Summary:
A wonderful true adventure
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Comment:
I couldn't put this book down, as the saying goes, but it was true in this case. I have been a hiker for 30 years and I don't always tell people where I'm going, it seems pointless. But in this hiker's experience it would have been appropriate. The vivid detail of what he went through and how he ultimately saved himself is truly spell binding. I recommend it to anyone who likes survival stories.
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