"Take it!" "Hey." "Aron here." "Leave a message." "Hey, Aron." "Sonja here, again." "I know that you're probably gonna be away this weekend." "But listen, just think about what we're gonna play." "Please." "'Cause we have to decide, and we really..." "We need to practice, okay?" "Anyway, it will be fun." "I promise." "And, oh, please call Mom." "Please." "'Cause she worries, which you know already." "Okay." "Later, A. Bye." "Whoa!" "Hey!" "It's Friday night." "April 25, 2003." "I'm just entering Canyon-lands." "Just me, the music and the night." "Love it!" "Whoo!" "Blue John Canyon." "Guidebook says four and a half hours to the big-drop rappel." "I aim to take 45 minutes off that." "Whoo!" "Your face." " You looked like a dog." " I wish I was hiking with anyone else." "I don't know." "I think we go that way." "But we went that way and had to come back." " Hey!" " Whoa." "You're doing Blue John too, huh?" "Uh, no, actually." "We're headed for the dome." " But I think we're lost." " She's lost." "Hang on." " Oh, my God." " God." "Let's see this." "You are... here." " We are?" " Mm-hmm." "Oh, yeah." "I knew that." "I knew that." "And the dome is there." "Oh." "Um, I can take you that way if you like." "Uh..." "I'm sorry." "The, uh..." "Friday the 13th there." "Child-killer look." "I'm only a psychopath on weekdays." "And today's Saturday, so..." "Can't take this off." "It's my face." "Nice." " Aron." " Kristi." "Allow me to introduce you to my friend Megan." " Nice to meet you." " It's an honor." "What do you say?" "You're lost." "I'm a guide." "I'm good." " Why not?" " Sure." "All right." "This way." "You biked from Horseshoe, huh?" "What is that..." "like, 20 miles?" "Seventeen on the odometer." "Oh." "Oh." "I thought it was 17.2." "Uh, 17.3 actually." "Ah, you're one of those." "I'm not one of those." "Do you spend a lot of time out here?" "It's my second home." "Ah, see?" "There's the fork right there." "Aah." "Okay, totally missed that." " Glad we bumped into you." " Yeah." "What are the odds, considering we're all the way out here?" "Exactly." "You go to the one place in America... you're pretty much guaranteed not to run into a weirdo..." "And what happens?" "All right." "So the guidebook says that the route's through here." "But I know a better way... the cool way." "Guaranteed best time you can have with your clothes on." "Although it's better with your clothes off." "It is a bit of a climb." "We climb." " And a bit of a squeeze." " We squeeze." "So you get us all the way back in here... and then you tell us that you are not a guide." "Well, no." "I'm an engineer." "But this is what I really want to do." "Oh, that's wonderful." "I've always wanted to be a supermodel... but I don't think that's actually really gonna work out, you know?" "Jesus, what if these things move?" "They've been here for millions of years." "They're not gonna move." " Oh, sure they will." " What?" " Yeah." "Everything's moving all the time." " Oh!" "Let's just hope not today." "Oh." "Great." "All right." "Now all you gotta remember is that everything will be okay." "Oh, my God!" "Oh, my God!" " What..." " Where..." "Aron!" "Are you okay?" "Aron!" "Aron!" " Listen to the guy." "He's fine." " Yeah." "He's batshit." "You're batshit!" "Come on!" "You gotta come down here!" " Trust me!" " Trust you?" "I'll kill you, Aron Ralston!" "Oh, please." "You love this." "Whoa!" "Whoo!" "Hey!" " Nice job!" " Oh, my God!" " Megan!" "You're missing it!" " Come on!" "It's amazing!" " Fuck." "Fuck." " Just jump!" " Oh, my God." "Fuck." " Just jump, Megan!" "Fuck." "Oh, shit!" "Are you okay?" " Nice jump." " Oh, my God." "I can't believe I just did that." " That's why we have to do it again." " Again?" "Again?" " Camera!" "Camera!" " Camera?" "Camera!" "Camera!" "Whoo!" "So, Blue John is actually named after this guy, Blue John... who was Butch Cassidy's cook..." " Ah." "That's cool." " ...from, you know, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." " The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang." " Yeah." "And they would hide out in these canyons, I guess." "But also what they'd do is they'd run horses... wild horses... into here..." " and they'd trap 'em at the end of the canyons." " Wow." " That's how they'd catch the horses." " Oh, wow." "You wanna take one more picture before I go?" " Yeah." " Okay, cool." "Ready?" "One, two, three." "Blue John." "Blue Cheese." "Well, will I ever see you again?" "That depends." "Do you party?" "Do I party?" "Uh, yeah, sometimes." "Tomorrow night, we're actually, seriously, throwing a party, if you wanna come." "Yeah." "You should come by, have a beer, kick back." "Okay." "Where am I going?" "It's about 20 miles away, near Green River." "You know the old motel?" "It's behind that." "There's gonna be a huge inflatable Scooby-Doo." " You can't miss it." " Really?" "Okay." " Yep." " Cool." " Okay." "It was good to meet you." "See ya!" "Bye!" "Scooby-Doo!" "Yeah!" "Rock on!" "You think he's actually gonna show up?" "I don't think we figured in his day at all." "Oh." "You liked him." "Shit!" "This is insane!" "Fuck." "Move this fucking rock!" "Please." "Fuck." "Fucking save it." "Oh, God." "Kristi!" "Megan!" "Kristi!" "It's Aron!" "Megan!" "Kristi!" "Megan!" "Kristi!" "Think." "Just think." "Ow!" "Hmm." "Yeah." "Fuck." "Oh." "Fuck." "Shit." "Oh, God." "Shit!" "Fucker." "Come on." "Please." "Sweet." "Ah." "Oh." "Nice and dull." "Look at the size of this one, man." "Like, how the fuck did this get here?" "Yes." "Okay." "Hey!" "Hey, buddy." "Here we go." "Um." "It's 3:05... on Sunday, April 27, 2003." "Uh, this marks 24 hours... of being stuck in Blue John Canyon... right where it slots up before the big drop." "My name's Aron Ralston." "My parents are Donna and Larry Ralston of Englewood, Colorado." "Um." "Whoever finds this can keep the..." "the recorder." "Just please try and get in touch with my parents... and-and give them this tape." "I'd appreciate it." "Uh, I was descending Blue John yesterday... uh, when this, uh, chockstone came loose... and rolled onto my arm... and now it's stuck." "Um, the thumb is kind of this gray-blue color." "Yeah." "It's been without circulation for 24 hours." "So, I think it's pretty well gone." "I'm low on food." "Um." "That's about 300, 400 mil... and that's it for water." "I'm in pretty deep doo-doo here." "Hello!" "Please!" "There's someone down here!" "Help!" "I'm in the canyon!" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Please!" "Help!" "Help!" "Down here!" "Help!" "Don't lose it." "Aron." "Do not lose it." "Not bad." "Oh, dinner." "Tomorrow night, we're actually, seriously, throwing a party." "You should come by, have a beer, kick back." "There's gonna be a huge inflatable Scooby-Doo." "Scooby-Doo." "Hmm." "Mountain Dew." "Plastic cup." "Thank you." "Oh." "Might take a beer as well." "Don't mind if I do." "Oh." "Hey." "Aron here." "Leave a message." "Aron, it's Mom." "I was hoping to catch you." "Are you there?" "Hello?" "Okay." "Nothing urgent." "Dad's in New York, so it'll be a quiet weekend." "Call me, okay?" "Lots of love." " Where you going?" " Don't know yet." "Right there, Brion." "Maybe Utah." "Maybe somewhere else." "Have a good one." "Always do." "Always do." "Let's go." "Oh, come on!" "Crap." "This is freaking me out, looking at myself." "Sorry." "I hope that's okay." "Uh." "It's Monday." "Um." "Bummer, all day." "I tried to set up this pulley all morning... but it didn't work." "It was worth a try." "But there's too much friction." "And it's a climbing rope, so there's too much stretch." "What I could really use... is about 20 meters of static wrap rope, 9.8 mil." "Uh, three or four pulleys... a rack of carabiners, a sling... power drill... and bolt kit." "Oh, and, uh, eight burly men to do all the hauling." "That should just about do it." "I have, uh... about 150 milliliters of water left... which should keep me alive till tomorrow night... if I'm lucky." "I peed twice." "Almost pissed my pants." "Uh, I don't know, my body's acting really weird." "The second time, I did it in the CamelBak." "Smells really bad." "But, uh, I'm sure it'll settle." "It's got to be chilled like sauvignon blanc." "No number twos." "Which should disappoint my insect friends." "They'll just have to wait." "Let's see, what else could I tell you?" "Um..." "There's this raven that comes every morning." "Hey." "I clocked it at 8:17." "I'll..." "I'll film it for you tomorrow." "Every morning at, uh, 9:30..." "I get 15 minutes of sunlight." "It's really nice." "I have been chipping away." "More to..." "More to keep warm than anything." "I'm beginning to think that my hand is supporting the rock." "So when I chip away a little bit... it actually settles more." "So..." "I found this great tourniquet." "Oh." "Oh, yeah." "It hasn't been very useful." "Lesson:" "Don't buy the cheap, made-in-China multi-tool." "I tried to find my Swiss Army knife, but..." "This thing came free with a flashlight." "The flashlight was a piece of shit too." "I kept it in my truck for emergencies." "Not that I'm blaming you, Mom." "It was a perfectly great stocking stuffer." "And there's no way you could have ever known... that I'd get in this kind of trouble." "When we watch this later, will the camera have to be on?" "Yeah." "So you have to leave the camera with us... if we want to watch something that you've made, right?" " Yeah." " Good job, honey." " Isn't that great?" " That is quite extraordinary." " So he's filming her now." " Sounds beautiful, sweetheart." " Yes." " We're seeing it now live... but he's going to be able to show this again." "Go away." "To be able to watch it." "We can't just watch it with a..." "So good." "Well done." "Okay." "Way to go, Sis." " Keep playing?" " Yes, honey." "Keep going." "Fuck." "Okay!" "Go!" "Whoo!" "I love you." "So... how do I get in?" "What's the, um..." " You know?" " Combination." "Combination." "If I told you..." "I'd have to kill you." "But already you kill me." "Combination?" "I think I have it." "Fuck!" "Ah, fuck." "Ah." "Ah." "Fuck." "Fuck." "Who's there?" "Aron?" "Please!" "Please!" "Please!" "Good morning, everybody out there." "Steve." " Good morning." " It's The Morning Show with Brian Stephenson..." "Also coming up this half hour.." "Good morning." "This will get you going today. 90 for your high..." "Good morning, everyone!" "It is 7:00 here in Canyonland, U.S.A." "And this morning on the boulder... we have a very special guest... self-proclaimed American superhero..." "Aron Ralston!" "Let's hear it for Aron!" "Hey." "Hi." "Oh, gosh." "It's..." "It's a real pleasure to be here." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Um..." "Hey, can I say hi to my mom and dad?" "Mom and Dad!" "Mustn't forget Mom and Dad." "Right, Aron?" "Yeah." "That's right." "Uh..." "Hey, Mom." "I'm really sorry I..." "I didn't answer the phone the other night." "If I had, I would have told you where I was going, and then..." "Well, I probably wouldn't be here right now." "That's for sure!" "But like I always say... your supreme selfishness... is our gain." "Thank you, Aron." "Anyone else you'd like to say hi to?" "Um..." "Well, Brion at work." " Hi, Aron!" " Hey." "Uh, I probably won't be making it into work today." "Get a load of this guy!" "Oh, wait." "Hold on." "We've got a question coming in from another Aron... in Loser Canyon, Utah." "Aron asks..." "Am I right in thinking... that even if Brion from work... notifies the police... they'll put a 24-hour hold on it... before they file a Missing Persons report?" "Which means you won't become officially missing... until midday Wednesday, at the earliest!" "Ah, yeah." "You're right on the money there, Aron." "Which means I'll probably be dead by then." "Aron from Loser Canyon, Utah." "How do you know so much?" "Well, I'll tell you how I know so much." "I volunteer for the rescue service." "Hmm?" "You see, I'm something of a, uh... well, a big fucking hard hero." "And I can do everything on my own, you see?" "I do see." "Now... is it true that despite... or maybe because you're a big fucking hard hero... you didn't tell anyone where you were going?" "Uh..." "Yeah, that's absolutely correct." " Anyone?" " Anyone." "Oops!" "Oops." "Oops." "Mom, Dad." "I just want to take this time to tell you... that the times we've spent together have been awesome." "And I haven't appreciated you in my heart... as I know that I could." "Mom, I love you... and I wish that I'd returned all your calls, ever." "I love you guys... and I'll always be with you." "Yeah." "Oh." "Ah." "Bone." "It's no Slurpee." "It's like a bag of piss." " Yahoo!" " Nice!" "Come on, Ralston!" "Okay, I'm gonna go up again." "Give me that." "Quick, while he's gone." " Listen." " We could tell him." " I know that." " Okay?" "Tell him." " We're very worried about you." "" " We're worried..." " About your music." "Your musical choices are really rough." "If you keep singing Phish, you're never gonna get a girlfriend." " Never." " You might have one, but I really doubt that you do." " You may be sort of cute, occasionally." " I'm nervous and scared for you." " Okay." "This cannonball's for you." " No one will care." "Okay." "That was a 10." "All right." "I'm going to test your theory... about whether or not it's better to do it..." "Oh, God!" "...without your clothes on." "I'm just gonna swim for a bit." "Don't." "No, no." "Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't." "Oh, please." "Don't." "Don't." "Ralston, rock on." "Whoo!" "Oh, fuck." "You don't even want me here, do you?" "I'm gonna go, Aron." "Is that what you want?" "It is, isn't it?" "Okay." "Come back." "You're gonna be so lonely, Aron." "Forty-six, 47, 48, 49, 50!" "You hear that, Aron?" "I'm coming!" "Um, I'm holding on." "Time's moving really slowly." "My heart's beating really fast." "I swear to God, it feels like..." " It feels like..." " It's beating, like, three times as fast as it should be." "So cold." "So cold." "Oh." "Hey." "Blue John." "I..." "love... you." "There you are." "Rana." "I've been thinking about you, girl." "I've been thinking about you, girl." "I admit it." "I admit it." "I know how I am." "I tried to do everything." " Where I was." " I tried." "Aron?" "Where are you?" "Where are you?" "What are you guys doing here?" "Eddie?" "Tom?" "Hey, you guys." "What's going on?" "Eric?" "Hey." "You look like the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang." "Dorks." "Found you, Aron." "Sis, I'm sorry that I won't be at your wedding." "I know that I promised to play, that we'd play." "I'm sorry." "I know it'll be a good one." "8:15." "There's no raven." "8:20." "8:30." "My raven didn't come." "I've been thinking." "Everything is..." " It just comes together." " You're gonna be so lonely, Aron." " Have a good one." " Always do." "Laters!" " It's me." " Aron, it's Mom." " I was hoping to catch you." " I chose this." "Dad's in New York, so it'll be a quiet weekend." "I chose all of this." "Call me, okay?" "Lots of love." "This rock." "This rock has been waiting for me my entire life." "I hate this rock!" " In its entire life..." " ever since it was... a bit of meteorite... a million billion years ago..." "How the fuck did this get here?" "...up there in space... it's been waiting... to come here... right... right here." "I've been moving towards it my whole life." "The minute I was born, every breath I've taken... every action... has been leading me to this crack... on the earth's surface." "Oh!" "Oh." "Oh." "Oh." "Okay." "Come on." "Don't pass out." "Don't fall asleep." "Thank you." "Easy." "Easy." "Come on." "Oh!" "Help!" "Please!" "Help me!" "I need help!" "My name is Aron Ral..." "Aron Ralston." "This Saturday I was trapped by a boulder." "I haven't had food or water for five days." "This morning I cut my arm..." "This morning I cut my arm off." "Please." "Some water?" "Thank you." " Do you have a phone?" " Yes, but no signal." "You should stop and rest." "No." "I've gotta keep going." "Can one of you run?" "Can one of you run ahead?"