A man with balls made of brass.

[Lavindathar]

Originally posted by Marty4: I think that, were I to face that situation, I would use the knife on my neck and end it all rather than cut off a limb. I wonder what kept him going?

It's easy to say that, but if I was in his situation I would have done the same....I think.

Everyone would rather cut off their own arm rather than die....and you'd know this when it was you sitting there...

[Larry_OHF]

Remember that nobody knew where to look for him, and he was miles from any help. The way he had to get out took him further away from his truck...in other words...he was lucky to be found so quickly or he would have bled to death. He certainly had run out of energy by the time they found him and would not have made it much further.

[Ladyzekke]

About two weeks ago on the Discovery Channel (or A&E, one of em anyways) they had a program about this guy's ordeal. The show was 2 hours long and he went through the entire story step by step, from when he decided to go hiking, to the boulder falling and pinning his arm, to the days of him surviving on nothing but water and a burrito, trying to strategize how to get out of there, to the inevitable arm cutting. If you ever get to see his story, you should because it really was something to listen to. He also videotaped a lot of the time he was trapped (for his family if he didn't make it) and they also showed some of that footage as well (not the arm cutting off though). Uggg the worst part was him describing how he did it. First he had to break his two wrist bones, as his knife was not sharp enough to cut through bone. He said the worst pain was actually right when he was almost done cutting his arm off, when he had to cut the "spaghetti like strings" that were the nerves. Uggg! Again you had to see the show to really get a feel for what this guy went through, and the bravery it took for him to do that. No doubt if he had not, he would have died, as he was faar below ground, no sound carried, and I doubt anyone would have found him in time, his body was shutting down and he probably would not have made it another day if he had stayed.

[ 06-10-2005, 12:38 PM: Message edited by: ladyzekke ]

[Timber Loftis]

Remember the lessons he learned the hard way:

1. Hike/climb with a buddy -- always.
2. Whether or not you're with a buddy, and especially if you're not, tell someone your travel plans, where you will be, and when you expect to return.

DUH!!!! I'd rather be a wise man than an iron man, anyday.