Trapped by a Boulder in a Canyon Five Days Alone

A visual reconstruction of the narrow Utah canyon where Aron Ralston became trapped beneath a massive boulder. (Digital Illustration: GoBeyondLocal)

Trapped by a Boulder in a Canyon Five Days Alone

Aron Ralston entered Bluejohn Canyon in southeastern Utah alone on April 26, 2003. He expected an eight-hour outing through the narrow sandstone passages.

He had food and water with him. He also had climbing equipment and a small multitool.

Inside one of the tight sections of the canyon, a large sandstone boulder moved as Ralston climbed around it. The rock struck his left hand before crushing his right hand against the canyon wall.

His right arm was trapped beneath roughly 800 pounds of stone.

The space around him gave little room for movement. Ralston tried pushing against the boulder, pulling at his arm and working at the rock with the tools he had.

The stone stayed where it was.

He had entered the canyon alone, and nobody knew his exact location. He had also failed to leave word about his plans before setting out.

His first supplies lasted only a short time. Ralston had two burritos and several litres of water when the accident happened, yet the trapped position made the food and water difficult to manage.

He rationed what he had and spent long periods trying to create space around his arm.

The canyon offered little protection from the cold that came with the night.

For days, Ralston worked at the boulder. He used a pocketknife and other tools to chip away pieces of rock, hoping the gap around his arm could become large enough for him to pull free.

The effort consumed time and energy. His water supply fell, his food supply fell with it, and the possibility of somebody finding him grew smaller.

He also began recording video messages for his family. The camera gave him a way to speak to people who were far beyond the canyon walls.

During the hours alone, Ralston considered the possibility that nobody would reach him in time.

His attempts against the boulder continued, yet the rock still held his arm.

By the third day, Ralston had started considering a decision that carried a physical cost far beyond anything he had prepared for on the hike.

He tried cutting into his trapped arm with the small blade. The knife could penetrate skin, yet the bone stopped the attempt.

He still had to get through the bone if he wanted to leave the canyon.

The next two days brought further dehydration and exhaustion. Ralston used the little water he had left and ate the remaining food in small portions.

His body was weakening inside a space where his position gave him almost no freedom of movement.

At some point, survival depended on what he could do with the tools already in his hands.

On the fifth day, Ralston prepared to cut through the trapped arm below the elbow. He used the multitool and worked through the bone after breaking the radius and ulna.

The process took about an hour. Once the arm was free, he fashioned a tourniquet and prepared to leave the canyon.

Freedom created another problem immediately.

Ralston still had to descend from the place where the boulder had pinned him. He set anchors, fixed a rope and rappelled roughly 60 to 75 feet towards the canyon floor.

He was bleeding heavily and severely dehydrated, yet he had reached open ground.

Ralston started walking through the canyon system. The route towards help covered several miles, and his physical condition made the distance difficult.

He kept moving across the desert terrain while searching for a place where rescuers could see him.

A search had started by this point. Authorities had learned that Ralston was missing, and rescuers were looking through the surrounding area.

High above the canyon terrain, a helicopter crew eventually spotted a figure moving along a trail.

The aircraft guided rescuers towards Ralston. He was found alive, dehydrated and badly injured after five days alone beneath the boulder.

Medical care followed, and the surviving part of his right arm was treated.

Ralston later spoke publicly about the accident and wrote about the experience in his book Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

The Utah canyon where the boulder trapped him became closely associated with the account of the climber who cut through his own arm, descended from the rock and walked out in search of help.