Climber grateful: Colorado hiker felt power of prayers

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — In the darkest moments, when he thought he might die, 27-year-old adventurer Aron Ralston prayed for inspiration.

Partially pinned by an 800-pound boulder for five days in a remote southern Utah canyon, "I prayed for the decisionmaking," Ralston recalled. "I prayed for signs."

"The source of power I felt was the power and prayers of many people, most of whom I will never know."

At a Thursday news conference at Grand Junction's St. Mary's Hospital, Ralston thanked "the thousands, perhaps millions" of people who kept him in their thoughts and prayers. With the remainder of his right arm bandaged and resting in a sling, he relayed the harrowing details of a solo hike that ultimately forced him to cut off part of his arm with a dull pocketknife and to snap the bones in his forearm to pry himself from the rock.

The Aspen, Colo., resident admitted he was at fault for failing to notify friends and family of his trip, which would have made the search for him easier. But he said traveling with a group or leaving detailed trip plans would not have saved his right arm.

"I discussed this with my surgeon, and he reiterated that due to the immediate soft tissue damage and loss of circulation, the hand and arm would have been unrecoverable," he said.

An excursion

Saturday, April 26, was supposed to be the last of a short three-day excursion for Ralston that included hiking in the Colorado mountains and biking the Slickrock Trail outside Moab.

He began the day outside remote, narrow Bluejohn Canyon, adjacent to Canyonlands National Park, with 3 liters of water, four candy bars, two burritos, compact discs, ropes and a harness. He biked about 2 1/2 hours and locked up his bike at the head of Bluejohn shortly before noon.

For the first two hours he hiked with two young women from Moab whom he met that day. At a fork in the canyon, the women went west. He stayed along the main trail, which is scattered with big rocks and hills that Ralston had to climb.

He described the hike as "semi-technical, very giving of its solitude. I was very alone there."

He found himself standing on an area of chalkstone, which he had to descend to continue on.

While scrambling down, one of the rocks shifted, pinning his right arm against the canyon wall.

He grabbed pinch points behind the rock and tried to push his body off.