How strong is the survival instinct? I don't even know if that's the right question. But some sort of survival question lingers after a week of hearing reports about elite soloist Aron Ralston of Aspen Colorado. You've probably heard the story of how Ralston was pinned by an 800 pound rock, cutting off his own arm to save his life.

That has to take a very strong survival instinct. I kept hearing of how he used a dull knife to methodically hack through the muscle and flesh. What really weirded me out was finally realizing that he first had to break the bone in his arm. Ouch!

I've read a few survival manuals and some related magazine articles. Ralston broke a few fundamental hiking rules. The big one is to let someone know where you are going and when to expect your return. Second, I guess, would be to carry a sharp knife. May I recommend something with ATS34 steel..........
7:28:42 AM    comment []