Now Watching: 127 Hours

I have seen this movie twice already but I still get that kind of feeling that I couldn't explain. Maybe because I can relate in a way, since I (and hubby, too) was once a mountaineer myself. 

Photo Source

It's about the true story of Aron Ralston, portrayed by James Franco in the movie. He is a mountaineer and a canyoneer. The story revolves around his ordeal when he went canyoneering at the Blue John Canyon in the Utah Desert. He traveled alone and no one knows he was up for that adventure. Yes, he didn't inform anyone!

During his adventure, while he was going down thru a narrow passage, he slipped and fell into the canyon. One of the boulders got loose and fell to the bottom with him. It smashed his right arm into the canyon wall, thus he got trapped. He tried so hard to free himself by using a cheap multi-tool (similar to a swiss knife) but the blade was just too dull to chip the rock. He tried to scream for help but since it was so isolated, no one heard his yell. He was there for several days, with very little water and food, and no help. He was already very desperate. He drank his urine when he ran out of clean water to drink. He was dreaming about different things. He was hallucinating and delirious, too. 

In the end, since he couldn't chip off the rock, he decided to amputate his arm instead. His knife was too blunt to cut thru so he intentionally broke his bone and cut thru the skin and nerves. The amputation scene was shown for about a few minutes but it was already too much to bear. From what I read, according to Ralston, the actual amputation took more than an hour. Imagine that. Whew!

Photo Source: James Franco as Aron Ralston

Photo Source: The real Aron Ralston.
Yes, he took photos and videos of himself while trapped in that big boulder.

He was able to free himself after 5 days (127 hours). But the process was so difficult I thought he was going to collapse or something, or even die. But his determination and perseverance helped him to get out of the rocks, albeit with only one hand left. 

He saw a family on a day hike and asked for their help. They went to him. They called for help and got a helicopter to rescue him. 

To date, Aron Ralston still continues his passion for adventure, still into mountaineering and canyoneering. But, he always leaves a note whenever he goes anywhere alone. 

When I started with mountaineering, I have learned so many lessons but one of the most important is to NEVER, EVER go up the mountain alone. And you MUST always tell someone where you're going. You too might have heard a lot of stories or news of some mountaineers who got lost into the mountains and unfortunately, some were already dead when they were found. It's too sad whenever I hear stories like that. 

I admire Ralston's courage to still continue with his passion despite what happened to him. He is an inspiration to a lot of adventurers out there. And oh, he also wrote a book about his experience, entitled "Between a Rock and a Hard Place".

In my case, although I must admit that I sometimes miss climbing mountains, I am not sure if I could ever do it again. Especially now that I have my own family to care about. I may not be able to climb again like I used to, but I am happy and thankful that once in my life I was able to climb quite a number of mountains. I am thankful that God made me experience the thrill, the adventure, the adrenaline rush, the nature's beauty on top of the mountain's peak, the feeling of "walking in the clouds", the people I have met and became friends with, and all else that I had experienced when I was still into that adventure. 

Mountaineering will always be a big part of me and will always have a significant part of my life. If you've read one of my posts before, you would know that it's how Allan (my hubby) and I met. :-)