Trapped Beneath the Canyon

While reading the article Trapped by Aron Ralston, I learned about his survival story, and I was astonished by its captivating circumstances. This article was about Aron’s survival as his hand was trapped under a bolder for four days. He was hiking alone in a dangerous canyon, and he miscalculated his attempt to belay down the cliff; he ended up stuck there for four days without enough food or water. I chose to read this article because I too am interested in the outdoors and trying new adventures. After reading this, I realized the importance of planning ahead, being prepared, and to have someone know where you will be going at all times. Aron’s fatal mistake was not telling anyone where he was, and being ignorant of his own abilities. He assuming he could do something outside his capabilities. This article connects with me through my experiences in outdoor ed, a program I took here at riverside. We learned the importance of planning ahead to make sure everyone is safe that was similar to the theme of this article. The imagery in the novel was very vivid through explaining the canyon he was in, and through the “sick grayish colour” of his fingers. It offered insight into our lives by urging us not to complete his same mistakes through his own experiences. There are countless stories on the news of people going off trail and need rescuing by search and rescue that are similar to this article. Sometimes we become proud and don’t think that we need to take the time to be safe and use caution, but if we don’t use caution we could end up injured or lost. I was interested in this article because of its effective story telling, and the incorporation of an important life lesson.