Article on the guy who cut his hand off

[Hobbitling]

recovering idiot? Temporarily foolish? intermittently dumb?

I guess my point is, doing a foolish thing does not necessarily make you a fool forever, or else everyone who was once a teenager would be considered "an idiot" for the rest of their lives.. I don't deny he made foolish decisions, but he paid for it with his hand. give the guy a break people.

although that cyborg ice axe prosthetic is pretty badass.

 

[ferrisjrf]

...I try to limit [idiotic things] to areas of my life that are unlikely to get me killed or maimed i.e. driving, climbing or mountaineering, drugs, "lifestyle choices", picking fights with big ugly guys at bars...etc.

This seems to be at the root of our difference in opinion. I enjoy idiocy in all aspects of my life...especially drugs and lifestyle choices. Those are two of my favorites, actually.

...I know stuff happens, that's all the more reason to take 5 minutes to do a bit of "just in case" preparations.

I'd never criticize anyone for doing so. Wouldn't criticize those that don't, either.

No big deal. We'll agree to disagree on this one. You know what they say about arguing on the internet...

Jason

 

[cbcbd]

ferrisjrf, giggy, & Hobbitling:

He admitted that he was an idiot in the article. He ignored basic precautions that he normally took and went into the canyon underprepared. Doing that, along with not grouping up with the other people he saw on the trails and not leaving an ETA with someone, certainly looks like idiocy to me. So, I'll call him an idiot for acting like one.

I've done (and will most assuredly continue to do) idiotic things. However, I try to limit it to areas of my life that are unlikely to get me killed or maimed i.e. driving, climbing or mountaineering, drugs, "lifestyle choices", picking fights with big ugly guys at bars...etc.

I am impressed with Ralston's willpower and determination, just not some of his choices. He did an admirable job of getting out of a bad situation, but it was also his own fault that he got in that situation to begin with. Ferrisjrf, I'm not suggesting he should have brought a bowie knife (there's a funny quote about this in FOTH) and stolen a trauma kit out of an ambulance, just that a decent knife and a small first aid kit. And when you mention it, mommy would be a great person to leave a hike plan with, because she'd actually follow through and make sure we got back safely and she'd be on the phone if we missed the hard deck time and didn't contact her.

Also, I love your brilliant description of a hiker you've never met.

Hobbitling, I know stuff happens, that's all the more reason to take 5 minutes to do a bit of "just in case" preparations.

giggy, Ralston is an accomplished mountaineer, but that doesn't mean he always used his head. Also, I don't get the mt. Willey reference. What's in the AMC guide?

Woods, I think what gets me is not just saying "he's an idiot", it's the combination of "Ralston was an idiot. He went on a solo hike without a first aid kit, without a decent knife, without leaving a trip itinerary with anyone, without telling anyone that he was hiking, much less when or where."
You can't pull that "10 essentials are mandatory" and "taking stupid risks" crap with people - refer to the "don't leave your pack at the col" thread. I fail to see how a better knife or first aid kit would've really helped him in that situation.
And talking about stupid risks? Geez, let's start another thread on that and see all the predictable responses rolling in.

Like Gig said, shite happens. No one goes for a hike in Franconia expecting to have a falling boulder kill them either.

 

[Snowflea]

Thanks for posting the article. I thought it and the accompanying 5-minute video were interesting. But then, I kind of like "where are they now?" stories.

True, at the end of the video he does call himself an "idiot." But this doesn't sound very "idiotic" to me:

“Before the accident, he had quit his job as an engineer and moved to Aspen to be in the outdoors and do what he loves,” Elder, his sister, said. “It’s just that what happened to him has vindicated this choice about doing what you love and not being defined by other people’s expectations.”

And, FWIW, I did meet him briefly - at the 2005 Hardrock 100.

Sue
(who must be an idiot because she rarely carries a knife or first aid kit while hiking and frequently goes solo)

 

[Craig]

...

I wonder what really drives him.

I'd be willing to bet it is repressed anger left over from a childhood filled with a persevered lack of love and supportive encouragement. Thus this anger manifests itself as acting out as an adult the way he wished he could have as a child. The fact he acts out in seclusion further bolsters this theory.

Just my .02

 

[Neil]

I'd be willing to bet it is repressed anger left over from a childhood filled with a persevered lack of love and supportive encouragement.

I believe that. I also believe that the ensuing bad vibes he was surely emitting are what made the boulder fall and fall right on him.

Maybe we should merge this thread with the one about the guy with the 85 pound training pack and no compass.

 

[woodsxc]

Woods, I think what gets me is not just saying "he's an idiot", it's the combination of "Ralston was an idiot. He went on a solo hike without a first aid kit, without a decent knife, without leaving a trip itinerary with anyone, without telling anyone that he was hiking, much less when or where."
You can't pull that "10 essentials are mandatory" and "taking stupid risks" crap with people - refer to the "don't leave your pack at the col" thread. I fail to see how a better knife or first aid kit would've really helped him in that situation.
And talking about stupid risks? Geez, let's start another thread on that and see all the predictable responses rolling in.

Like Gig said, shite happens. No one goes for a hike in Franconia expecting to have a falling boulder kill them either.

A better knife would make it a helluva lot easier and less painful to cut through his arm. A first aid kit would have pain meds (same purpose) as well as something other than dirty shorts and a belt to hold the wound closed.

Big thing though, is that a partner could help lift the rock or go get help. Either way, he's got a much better chance of having two hands today. Leaving a trip plan with someone would have gotten an SAR effort mobilized and also might have saved his hand.

I'm not saying 10 essentials, more like 3: knife, compass, and first aid (optional on some hikes). And if you don't want to bring a partner, leaving a trip plan with a responsible person would be a smart move.

Just my .02 though.

 

[Tim Seaver]

That's IT!

A better knife would make it a helluva lot easier and less painful to cut through his arm.

Note to self: Bring "better knife" for more comfortable potential DIY amputations.

And they say you can't get great info on the Intertoobz!

 

[Steve-o]

Idiot ? Perhaps...
I must commend him tough, on his will to survive.
He kept his cool, improvised, adapted and overcame.
Most, would of probably curled up and died in his situation.

 

[leaf]

A first aid kit would have pain meds (same purpose) as well as something other than dirty shorts and a belt to hold the wound closed.

Wow! What kind of pain meds do you carry in your first aid kit? Bet it beats the hell out of Advil! I should go hiking with you!

 

[Gwynna]

I've read his book, and while I found it interesting, I'm actually kind of sad to read this article. It reminds me very much of the war vets who cannot move on. He lives his whole life defined by those three days. People saying this was good for him because it gave him something to do, someone to be? Who knows what his life would have been like without those three days, but at least his life would have been much more his own to live.

Then again, I'm not much for mental masturbation anyway. Philosophers creep me out, too. Get outta yer head, dude, and stop overthinking this. Move on.

 

[Chip]

Who knows what his life would have been like without those three days, but at least his life would have been much more his own to live.

He IS living his own life. No one is forcing him to write books, take speaking engagements, do interviews or produce a movie. He's milking it ! Good for him !

 

[J.Dub]

I've done (and will most assuredly continue to do) idiotic things.

Lemme see if those of us playing the home game are following along correctly.

While many (all?) of us may do idiotic things...you're only "an idiot" if you:

A) Get injured
B) Get killed
C) Get caught
D) Get arrested
E) More than one of the above
F) All of the above

Interesting....

I'd be willing to bet it is repressed anger left over from a childhood filled with a persevered lack of love and supportive encouragement.

"Mommy didn't hug me -- ergo, I free solo 14ers"

I always subscribed to the Freudian model of mountaineering: the bigger the peak you climb the more you're making up for...oh, never mind...

 

[dr_wu002]

He IS living his own life. No one is forcing him to write books, take speaking engagements, do interviews or produce a movie. He's milking it ! Good for him !

Yeah, dude could be like, sittin' at home collectin' disability or sumthin'. Seems ok to me. Actually, I don't really care what he does with his life, even if he puts friends at risk because you gotta figure they known what they're getting into hanging out with this dude.

I have to say, I was amazed when I heard the story originally... guy cut his arm off to save his own life. Hey, he was doin't something risky and his number came due but when push came to shove, he cut his arm off to avoid dying! Wicked awesome! Plus, he did it with like a cheese grater. I read a few articles about it and I've heard some other stuff but I ain't gonna buy his book. But I guess it's cool that he wrote one and that people buy it. Better that (choice to pay his book or not) rather than freakin' disability (no choice -- tax payer covers that) so he's cool wid me. I don't care if he's sad or weird of f'd up in the head; whatever... someone else's life, he chose his own direction, tough luck about the arm dude.

-Dr. Wu

 

[cbcbd]

Hey, he was doin't something risky and his number came due but when push came to shove, he cut his arm off to avoid dying! Wicked awesome! Plus, he did it with like a cheese grater.

Uh oh... if he indeed did cheat death, and if there's anything we learned from Final Destination, then he's in for a pretty spectacular ending... unless he cheats death again, this time with a better, sharper knife.

 

[Chip]

Hey, we all cheat death every day, it's just more "speaking engagement worthy" if you've had to hack off your own hand in the process. Not many movies about the morning commute and paying the mortgage on time out there.

I just noticed how this thread has been "tagged". One tag is "DIY Amputation" that has, I believe, Dr.Wu written all over it. The other is "Picayune" . Turns out a lot of threads are tagged "Picayune". I'll assume they're not referring to the Spanish coin or the city in Mississippi. Does someone actually have the energy to catalog the threads they feel are not worthy ?

 

[dr_wu002]

Hey, we all cheat death every day, it's just more "speaking engagement worthy" if you've had to hack off your own hand in the process. Not many movies about the morning commute and paying the mortgage on time out there.

I just noticed how this thread has been "tagged". One tag is "DIY Amputation" that has, I believe, Dr.Wu written all over it. The other is "Picayune" . Turns out a lot of threads are tagged "Picayune". I'll assume they're not referring to the Spanish coin or the city in Mississippi. Does someone actually have the energy to catalog the threads they feel are not worthy ?

DIY Amputation is only when there's an accompanying gender reassignment. This guys case is simply body modification -- kinda like piercing.

-Dr. Wu

 

[David Metsky]

I think we're done here.