Chapter 17 15／The Covenant of Destiny

It's like making love to death. Berry.Blanchard's team leader said while climbing the 4,500-meter-high Rupal Ice Wall on Pakistan's Naked Mountains * The time is Thursday, May 1, 2003, at eleven thirty-four in the morning.I put the knife on top of the rock and put the partially severed limb in the junk bag that had been stuffed between my right arm and the wall.I undid the yellow sling around my neck, wrapped it around the pack, and tucked it into my pack.I then tightened the straps of the backpack and threw it over my head, using it as a makeshift sling to support my amputated right arm.It didn't occur to me to take off my bike pants for padding, the only thing on my mind was to get out of here.

I cleared two carabiner carabiners from the pulley rigging, hooked them to my safety harness, and threw the few necessary items into the pack empty water bottle, nearly full urine can, camera and multitool clamp.When I picked up my digital camera, I paused and a hunch told me to turn on the camera.Within five seconds, I took two close-up shots of the severed arm.Then came the sentimental farewell.I turned off the camera, stuffed it into the backpack, and tightened the strap around my waist. I quickly checked the surrounding area to make sure that all the important items were in place, then grabbed two bundles of climbing ropes with my left hand, and Climb down the canyon.

In the beginning, at a distance of fifteen meters, I kept shuttling between various rocks.Then, I told myself I had to stop and regain my composure.My heart was racing, nearly three times as fast, but my blood pressure was lower than usual: I was in a state of near-shock. (Calm down, Ellen! You can't fall down just yet!) Acting recklessly will only exhaust one's physical strength, which is even more detrimental to the current situation.First, I must find water. I inhaled deeply, then exhaled, and then continued after three times of exhaling to regain my composure.It took about 20 minutes and I covered a distance of 130 meters.The glare of the daylight shining on the sky two hours ago is nowhere to be seen now, but luckily my eyes are getting used to the darkness and I don't need to turn on the headlights just yet.The snake-like slot canyon was barely a shoulder's width across, and I scooted through the trail carefully, avoiding hitting my right arm.I had to single-handedly perform a complex series of climbing maneuvers, first throwing ropes down each narrow and winding passage in the canyon, and then scrambling through each narrow and winding passage.I descended, butt-first, onto a toilet-bowl-shaped rock at the bottom of an S-curved valley where water erosion had carved a hole.

Thank goodness!It's a hollow pit, and there's a rocky ledge at the exit that you can climb out of.I was worried for a while, because even if this smooth rock hole is not deep, it may be a difficult obstacle for me to climb.My emotions were tumbling, I tried to move fast, but at the same time the adrenaline and endorphins started to affect my thoughts.The 90-meter fluted trail became very long, as if it had doubled the distance.After four or five misconceptions that I had reached the end of the trail, I finally stepped out of the dark rocky path and into the sunny ledge.I stepped out of the path, into the center of the ledge, and looked around.This place offers a great view, just like in the movie "Indiana Jones", Indiana Jones is sitting on the railroad car, after driving out of the underground mine, half stuck on the cliff above a difficult rock wall.Luckily, I had anticipated this situation, so I had harnesses, descent gear and ample length of thick rope.I fastened two bolts to the rock on the left, a sling that went through the sight hole for the bolts, and a floating rope hanging down about a meter from the edge of the ledge.Here the large fault seated descent method is required.

It was the first time I stood in the sun in the six days I was trapped, and I felt a little dizzy.I staggered towards the front of the ledge, which was about the size of a queen-size double bed, and looking out from it, I found that right below the big fault, at the bottom of the circular flat ground, there was a shallow pool the size of a bathtub, and there was water in it .Seeing the long-awaited water, I flew into the sky happily. I almost rushed forward to the edge of the cliff and almost fell. At this critical moment, I quickly stabilized myself and kept my balance. (Wow! Ellen, don't worry! Don't ruin things by being reckless.)

Immediately I fastened myself to the anchorage with the sling chain and started trying to untangle the 50 meters of tangled part of the original 60 meters of rope.Relying on his left hand and mouth, he tried to untie the knot that he unintentionally twisted to fix his thigh when he was trapped five days ago.I dully repeated the work of untying each knot, which lasted for 20 minutes. I pulled the untied rope to the left rear, and one end of the rope slipped down inadvertently, until the rest of the entangled rope was pulled to the edge of the ledge in an instant. I suddenly heard the rustling and slippery sound of the rope, and turned my head to see the rope slipping down the ledge and disappearing in a blink of an eye.Instinctively, I stepped on the end of the rope with my left foot, trying to hold the sliding rope firmly with my jogging shoe.If the rope fell like this, the whole escape plan would be over.This rope, which has a radius of about one centimeter, is necessary for my escape from Blue Eyed John Canyon.Without this rope, I would have been forced to take an escape route up and out of the canyon, knowing full well that there was no water above that canyon, and with my current injury, it would be four hours of walking in that barren area, Only then can I walk to the dusty maze road, and then wave my hand to intercept and let passers-by provide assistance. The premise is that I can live for such a long time, but it is actually impossible.If the rope had fallen, I would have thrown myself off the ledge too, into a free fall, swooping down like a self-destructing swan, falling nineteen meters into that little pond that was only shin deep middle.

(Don't let the rope drop, Alan. Don't make this fatal mistake.) I tied a figure-of-eight knot in the middle of the rope, and then tied the figure-of-eight knot to the fixed point. I almost made two fatal mistakes in five minutes. pool. I was getting hotter and hotter with every minute devoted to untying the knots.In full sun, my dehydration seemed to have tripled; the gritty rope grazed my lips, gradually turning my tongue, palate, and mouth into sandpaper.There was a knot about fifteen meters above the rope, and I had to bite into it about thirty times before I finally found a good way to put my mouth on the knot and let the rope go back through the loop.I still bit the rope with my lips, trying to fight the urge to lick it every few seconds.My breathing seems to be draining the last drop of water from my body. Although it only takes five minutes to climb to the pool below, I am now on the verge of the bottom line, and I must drink some water to quench my thirst immediately.

Spitting out the rope that was in my mouth, I clamped it between my knees, then swung the pack over my left shoulder, and carefully removed the straps over my injured right shoulder.Inside my backpack is a water bottle, three-quarters full of my urine.In the past, I only chose to sip the orange liquid every time I poured it out for emergencies, but this time, within ten seconds, I gulped down 90ml, 140ml, and 200ml of urine , and then the strong, pungent smell of urine made me nauseous.Nevertheless, the thirst and the feeling of being dried in the sun on the ledge gradually disappeared, and I was finally able to continue the work I had just untied.

After fifteen minutes, I split the rope into two piles, so that I was ready to slide down this cliff. I checked the knot carefully, fastened it to the shackle of the purple sling at the anchor point, and dropped one ball at a time from the cliff.Generally, I choose to remove the knot and let the rope hang naturally from the anchor point.This way, when I get to the bottom, I can pull the rope straight down.However, I chose not to use this method today. After all, after using the rope this time, I don’t need it anymore. In addition, now that I am injured, it is not the focus of my consideration not to litter.

As a standard procedure, I'm supposed to add a second shackle to the anchor point as a backup, but I'm not worried about the shackle accidentally opening or breaking.The shackle is so strong that I can even hang two trucks with it.The sling was just purchased this month and I'm pretty confident in the sling; it hasn't been rubbed, bitten, rubbed, or visibly deteriorated or weakened by exposure to the sun.If the sling wasn't secure enough, I could just snap the line from the carabiner directly to the sight hole, but I believe the original gear was enough to support my weight and allow me to descend safely.

Next, I took out my brake ① climbing device, folded the rope and threaded it through the two holes in the device.With the main shackle on the loop and the lock on the shackle opening fastened, I was finally ready to descend.After untying the webbing chain from the anchor point, I stepped back until my weight was on the rope and anchor point system.After checking the safety harness, I realized that I forgot to fold the waist belt in half so that it goes through the D buckle where the belt is secured.In theory, the belt could be pulled through the D-ring so that my entire weight rests on the loops on my legs.If I could be ambidextrous and not in the middle of a bleeding process, I might consider folding the belt in half to buckle it into the D ring, but given the circumstances and the water I've longed for is down there, I'd rather take the risk, Omit this action. ①Brake: Air Traffic Controller, abbreviated as ATC, is a securing/descending tool. Looking down at my feet, I backed up, staggering, threading fifteen centimeters of rope through my brake mechanism with each step.When I got to the edge of the drop, I looked down dizzily between my legs and saw that the drop was about six stories high, and besides, the ledge I was on jutted high out of the cliff face.If I miss the rope or accidentally let go of it, there is no backup device to save me; it is possible that I will accelerate down the rope and fall, although not as fast as pure free fall, but this The speed will send me falling hard on the edge of the pool, possibly breaking my leg or seriously injuring myself.So I should handle this period of decline with caution. (Relax! Take your time. Yes! Stay like this, Ellen. Step down on that rock. No, left foot first. Good! Stay steady. Now switch to right foot. Very good. Stay back Rope. Keep confidence. Sit your hips down! Straighten your feet. Now slowly pull the rope out. Slowly! Slower. Good! Now hold on to the rope.) I am more worried when I am descending the upper part of the height, because the rope will add additional weight to the descending device, so I have to pull hard on the rope to fix it, and then pass them through the device bit by bit. This is a labor-intensive effort The work almost exhausted my remaining physical strength, and it didn't take long before I slid down the rope and lost my balance.This kind of process is like driving a car, trapped in a stop-and-go car array with a speed of only eight kilometers per hour, while stepping on the accelerator at the bottom, and at the same time using the handbrake to control the speed of the car.I should have let off the handbrake to keep going, but that's risky, and if I let it off too much, I could stall and lose control. The one-handed controls meant that I didn't have any extra hands to reach out and balance my body when I started wobbling around trying to step on an uneven front end on a ledge.My fear was that if I let the rope down too much at once, I might fall off the leading edge, hit the rocks, hurt my shoulder or my head, and let go of the rope. Under the sun, the water in my pores seemed to be sucked dry as the air evaporated. For three full minutes, I was tortured, trying to make a series of extremely small step adjustments, and trying to make my body able to Descend below the ledge.Finally, I let go of the rope a bit more through the brakes, and stepped off the lower edge of the ledge, away from the wall, and hung alone on the rope, now about twenty meters above the ground.Hanging in mid-air, I rotated my body to see the circular flat land below, and the joy in my heart replaced the anxiety in my heart.Sliding down the rope, I moved as fast as I could toward the ground, and the only sound I could hear was the sound of the rope slipping over the brakes echoing down the canyon. As soon as I hit the ground, I pulled the end of my six-meter rope through the descent gear, and without stopping for a moment, I rushed towards the muddy pool.Out of the sun and in the shade, I jerked the pack off my left side, then carefully pulled it away from my right arm, and took out my water bottle again. After opening the bottle cap, I poured out the urine inside and sprinkled it on the sandy ground on the left, then put the bottle into the pool, and at the same time picked up the fallen leaves and insect corpses in the pool, and the aroma of the water overflowed.Because the pool has been baked in the sun for a long time, I can feel the humidity near the pool as soon as I get close, and this feeling stimulates my desire even more.I stirred the water in the pool and rinsed the bottles. As I filled the bottle with brown water, I held the rim to my mouth and struggled whether to sip slowly or gulp, and finally I decided: sip first, then gulp. The first drop of water touched my tongue, and I felt as if I was in heaven happily, imagining that the choir began to sing melodious music.The water was cold and, better yet, tasted sweet of brandy, more like a glass of sweet wine after a meal.In just four sips, I drank a whole liter of water, completely immersing myself in the pleasure of quenching my thirst, and then I filled the bottle with water and sipped happily.I drank the second liter in the same way and then refilled the water bottle.At this time, a question arose in my heart: Will people who are generally dehydrated drink this water, like me, feel that it is a fine nectar?If this water is really that delicious, what ingredients make it so good?Is it the sun shining on the fallen leaves on the pool that makes it so delicious? I sat by the pool, feeling the joy in myself with all my heart, right now.Since dehydration is the pressing issue at the moment, once the desire is relieved, the whole person is immersed in relaxation and pleasure.At this moment, nothing beats the joy of finally getting water, and I even forget the pain in my arm.I was daydreaming, imagining myself going to a picnic, finishing a leisurely lunch, eating all the food, sitting in the shade of a tree, and watching the sky with white clouds drifting by. But I know it's just a thirst quencher.Feeling relieved, I had to pull myself together when I remembered that I would have to walk another 12 kilometers of sand to reach the truck stop.At this time, I found some animal footprints on the sand in front of the left.It may be that when the last storm hit, someone or a group of people rode here for shelter, and then left after the storm passed.My heart skipped a beat as I imagined a bunch of cowboys I might encounter on the way back.My mind is still clear enough to scream for help, or to take such imaginations seriously.Dried horse manure scattered around the canyon indicated that the horses had been here for at least a day.Moreover, travelers who come here on horseback cannot spend the night here. This time I restrained myself a bit, drank the third liter of water, and put the plastic water bottle on the sand in the middle. I stayed for a minute or two, reached into my backpack and rummaged through it, trying to find something I didn’t need to take away.I decided to leave the CD player and two scratched CDs and take the rest.I pulled out my digital camera and took a photo of the rappel down the big fault, then held the camera in my left hand and took a selfie with the pool in the background.The time is twelve sixteen noon.I am very happy that I have worked hard to get here. In the photo, I not only have a beard that has been messed up for several days, but also have blood stains from the operation on my face, and a face that seems to have been frightened by a ghost.After placing the camera and video camera in the mesh bag of the backpack, I filled the water bladder with two liters of water that tasted delicious like syrup. I continued to drink water, then opened the photocopied map from the guide book, calculating the distance between the next journey and the first landmark, the confluence of Blue-eyed John Canyon and Horseshoe Canyon.I figured it would take a full three kilometers to reach the confluence.Then walk 800 meters and arrive at the border of the canyon land, and after another three kilometers, you can pass the large mural. The title below the photo of the large mural says that this is the best stone mural attraction in the world.Then walk about 1.6 kilometers, and you will reach the first seepage point at the Drainage of Wall Creek.That meant it would take at least two hours before I could get to the next potential water pick-up point.I'm not sure if the site will have water or not depending on the water table and whether it rained before I arrived in Utah last week.Either way, I'm going to need to rehydrate by then. In order to make the best preparation for the next journey, I filled the water bag and water bottle with water and locked the cap tightly.It was the most stern moment I've ever had.I stood up and felt the water I drank flow down my stomach.I hope to rest a little bit to let my body absorb water, but the wound is still bleeding, and I may only last another three or four hours.About an hour and forty minutes ago I amputated my own arm and at this point I decided to follow through on my will, complete my plan and get back to the truck and seek medical assistance, or if I couldn't get medical help, at least I would find a phone number for help . Walking into the sandy bottom of the canyon, with the open sun shining above, I started the twelve-kilometer trek.The heat outside immediately sucked away the water I had just replenished at the pool, and I had to take a sip after only one hundred and eighty meters.Having trouble finding the water bottle in the backpack, I decided to remove the last unlocked carabiner from the gear loop on the harness, thread it through the bottle cap loop, and snap the bottle to a strap hanging from the left side of the belt. I continued on, passing several clumps of cottonwood and a dense clump of willows, proving that the runoff was indeed passing through the floor of this part of the canyon.After advancing ninety meters, the bushes became less and less.Walking with a backpack, with the lanyards and sling chains hanging from the backpack to the front of my thighs, was exhausting.So I shook my thighs and removed the loops, one by one, until the entire harness and above gear fell off my back to the ground like a dead snake in the sand.Think of it as a little prize for someone!I wonder.The spoils of canyoneering! Trekking through the first twists and turns of the canyon, I was traversing the 45m wide canyon floor, trying to follow the shade at the edge of the area to reduce exposure to the sun.Even at a moderate walking pace, I felt parched again within a minute of walking after drinking water.After walking 1.6 kilometers, I was almost dry, and I had already drank a liter of water during the journey, which was almost a third of the water storage capacity. Less than ten minutes after leaving the pool, my bowels finally woke up for the first time since last Sunday morning. I knew the physiological reaction was coming, and I rushed to the alcove next to it, where there was intermittent flooding in the river I did not hesitate to undo the belt on the top of my trousers, and took off the shorts, bike pants and underwear in time, thus desecrating the smooth rock. (Oh man! My God! This is so scary!) Come on, isn't my situation bad enough?Now I have to work hard to clean myself up.The thought of wiping myself clean felt out of reach, since I had nothing at hand to do so except my clothes, which I still had use for.I put on my underwear, but took off the outer bike pants, tucked them over the top of the pack, and put them back on the blood-stained shorts.Without the bike pants, the temperature seems to drop ten degrees.Time to go, no time to linger; this event ends here. Continuing my journey, just at the big U-turn, the canyon turned sharply to the right, and I turned left into a side canyon, thinking it was the main river system, but after about forty steps, I suddenly felt my weak There was an inexplicable pressure on my body, and I realized that I was going in the wrong direction, going upstream by mistake, so I turned around quickly. (Stop making stupid mistakes, Ellen! Focus on the road. You know this isn't Horseshoe Canyon. Once you get there, it's easy to spot. Just follow the map signs. You can do it!) Suddenly, I felt a wet fluid run down my lower back.My water bag actually leaked.I stopped, knelt down and slid the backpack behind me in front of me.That's right, water leaks out of the bite valve at the bottom of the reservoir.The bite valve wasn't designed to handle the pressure, so I pulled the tube off, opened my empty water bottle, twisted the bite valve to the opening, and poured half the water from the bag into the bottle.What now?I hesitated.If you leave the rest of the water in the water bag, the water will leak out before you reach Horseshoe Canyon.I decided to drink the water in the water bag first, and drink the water in the water bottle for the rest of the journey. This arrangement should be the most sensible approach at present. Here's the current situation: I drank five liters of water in one hour, but only covered 1.6 kilometers in the canyon.I still have nine kilometers to go, but with only one liter of water left, the weather will get hotter and my health will get weaker.I should find a way to solve this problem, otherwise I might not be able to survive halfway to the canyon of the Great Mural. At this moment, I thought of a story I saw in a magazine a few years ago about a legendary Mexican Indian tribe, the Tarahumara.What impresses me the most in the story is that apart from the fact that the Tarahumara people can run 80 kilometers in one day barefoot and across the scorching desert, there is also the fact that they don’t need For any resupply they don't need food or water.The trick is to hold a sip of water in your mouth at the beginning of your run, and run with that water in your mouth without swallowing it. This saliva can increase the humidity of the air inhaled into your lungs during the run.I decided on this method and walked to the parking lot with sixty milliliters of water in my mouth. This method really worked immediately.Although I still feel thirsty, my breathing is smoother, and the feeling of being dry after drinking water has greatly improved, and this method may be the best way for me to allocate water next. After walking for three kilometers, it was 1:09 in the afternoon. I arrived at the confluence of Blue-eyed John Canyon and Horseshoe Canyon. Without missing a step, I turned left here and continued to the big mural.After walking for five minutes, I noticed that there seemed to be so much sand in my left shoe that I had to stop to deal with it.The sand on the soles of the shoes kept grinding my heels, and the pain was so painful that I couldn't stand it anymore.The damage to the left foot seems to be more serious than the right foot, because the remains of the left sock I left at the scene of the accident.Emptying the sand out is easy after taking off your shoes.I still can't tie my shoes with one hand though, so all I can do is pull them tight.Very good.For the rest of the journey, I walked carefully, avoiding the sand as much as possible. On the one hand, it was easier to walk, and on the other hand, I did not let the sand run into my shoes. At a distance of about four kilometers, I passed a barbed wire fence that spanned the valley, held up by thick steel cables buried deep in the rock on either side of the river bed.As I looked down through the lower part of the fence, where the boards were looser, I thought to myself that this should be the national park boundary.Just as I crossed the fence line and entered the Horseshoe Canyon section of Canyonlands, my stomach began to ache and my sphincter contracted.I dashed to a suitable spot under the shelter of another ledge, and leaned aside to begin my bowel cleanse.Diarrhea is not as major a life-threatening factor as blood loss, but persistent diarrhea can cause me to become severely dehydrated.After my second bout of diarrhea, I pulled up my plaid boxer briefs and shorts and continued to stride forward.Hiking with water works really well, so I can walk fast with the minimum amount of water I can drink.I still have about 700ml of water in my water bottle so far, although I still drink every five to ten minutes. At the six-kilometer walk, to my left, there is a ninety-meter-high canyon wall with large drawings in dark brown and maroon, the subject of two dozen broad-shouldered figures.This is the stone mural of the great mural, but for me at the moment it is just a landmark in my journey.Down the canyon, in a patch of grass, I stepped into a swamp covered in soft, dense grass.After going deeper into this swamp, I waved some sedges away with my hand and found a pool of water.Thank goodness it was awesome!The time is one fifty-five in the afternoon. I bent down and bent over a muddy creek that was fifteen centimeters wide and five centimeters deep, trying to fill my water bottle.The job was frustrating for me, but well worth the effort; there was about 150ml of water left in the water bottle, which I now had to refill.I had to dig a small pool in the muddy water first so that I could scoop water out of the mud with a water bag.I accidentally caught two tadpoles, but why bother getting them out?So far, I may have drunk thousands of microorganisms that cannot be recognized by the naked eye!What about these two more tadpoles?Just because they're big enough to be seen with the naked eye? Although a tourniquet and hook and loop were used to temporarily stop the bleeding at the amputation, the wound is now dripping more quickly.When I was at the water's edge and tried to fill it, I saw dozens of red blood droplets appear on the muddy floor.The pain around the tourniquet on my arm was getting worse, and even though I tried to ignore it, it somehow got worse.With the stimulus of pain, my brain received the message: Your arm is badly hurt, and you need to find a way to make yourself comfortable.The pain created an urge to stop, rest and recover, but I knew I had to bear it, at least for now I had enough water to keep going. I found more tracks along the way, so I knew exactly how to cross the sand dunes and cottonwood groves in this canyon.Conical stone piles appeared along the road, so it was determined that this area was more traveled, because this is the way to the large mural. But I couldn't tell when those tracks were made, and with the lessons I've learned from being trapped, I decided not to call for help.If there are people in the canyon, they must be found. The most important thing is not to over-magnify your expectations. After walking nine kilometers, I decided to turn left and walk towards a depression on the rock wall. This depression is about 90 meters wide and high, and the deepest part of the depression extends upwards to a height of about 30 meters.Approaching the huge, most angled section of the overhang, the river bed turned right, and then a sudden sight forced me to shut down the entire powertrain, as if the main circuit breaker had snapped a fuse box in my brain.Just sixty meters ahead of me, at this spot, were three climbers walking side by side, one of whom was smaller than the other two. someone!I can't believe it!Before this moment, I didn't dare to hold any hope of meeting anyone in this canyon.I swallowed the water in my mouth and shook my head in disbelief, trying to figure out if they were coming towards me.For a split second I wondered if my vision was wrong. They seemed to be getting further and further away. (Come on, Alan, call them for help. They can help you.) I have to send some signals before they go too far.I tried to yell, but my throat seemed to be stuck and I couldn't yell.I tried it once or twice, and ended up just rinsing out the remaining water in my mouth.At last I cried out faintly.Help!I then took a deep breath and yelled again, this time in a loud, firm voice: Help! The three men stopped and turned to look at me.I continued walking towards them and called for help again.Help!I need help! The three climbers started sprinting towards me and I was almost on the verge of tears. I am not alone anymore. This thought was a great consolation to me, and besides, I had sufficient physical strength, and my confidence in my ability to survive suddenly doubled.I'm almost there.These people can help me.I'm almost there. The distance between us was getting closer and closer, and as I guessed, they were a family: a man, a woman, about forty years old, and a little boy.They all wore shorts, T-shirts, and high hiking boots.The lady wears a thunderbolt fanny pack on her waist, and two water bottles are hung on the side pockets.The man was carrying a medium-sized backpack, about the size of my backpack, but his backpack looked light and probably empty. When we were close enough to talk, I began to say to them: My name is Alan.Roston, I have been trapped in the crevices since last Saturday. I have not eaten or drunk for five days. I cut off my arm this morning and I lost a lot of blood.I need medical assistance. After I finished speaking, the two sides looked at each other and did not speak to each other.The right side of my body was covered in blood from the collar of my shirt to the front of my shoe.I looked at the little boy in front of me, who was no older than ten years old, and began to worry that my appearance might traumatize him for the rest of his life. The man spoke at this time, and his short answer woke me up from a fog of my mind.His accent has a special accent, I try to decipher the six words he said They say you are here! It took me about five seconds to figure out what he meant, and the next thing I realized I was yelling at this innocent family to come with me: We must keep going.We walked and talked.Do you understand what I'm saying? The man nodded, but then retorted: You should stop and rest. I repeated my insistence: no, we have to move on, and then I started asking them a series of questions.Who are you referring to?Who told you I'm here?Do you have any communication equipment, can you make calls from here? The family trotted to try to keep up with me when the man replied: There are police over there in the parking lot.They asked me to keep an eye out for you by the way. Do you have a phone with you?I asked again, but no.But he had a satellite tracker hanging around his neck.Do you know how far it is from the trailhead? Er, the distance is about three kilometers. God?How is it possible to be so far away?I took out the map and checked it. It seems that the distance is not that far. The map shows that it takes about 1.6 kilometers to leave the bottom of the canyon, and then there is still 1.6 kilometers to go on the dangerous slope.are you sure? He pointed to the already positioned route on the satellite locator screen. The screen showed that we are currently 2.91 kilometers away from the trailhead, about 220 meters below the trailhead.Altitude is the biggest test for me.When I was about to go to a high place, cross a three-meter-high sand dam, and when the climbing path cuts through the bend in the river valley, I could clearly feel the considerable pressure on my body.I began to wonder if I really had the strength to walk back to the trailhead.There are rescuers at the climbing point, and they can come out to help me. Maybe this kind of thinking made me want to walk back to the climbing point, but the current actual situation is that I am seriously injured and have lost a lot of blood.Even the smallest mountain obstacles take a toll on my body, often causing my heart to beat too fast. Thinking about the fastest way for me to seek medical treatment, I first asked the names of each member of the family, then told them my plan, and asked them to help me. I'm Eric, this is Monica and Andy, and Eric is introducing his family.We are the Meijer family from the Netherlands.I haven't spoken to Monica and Andy yet, but I assume they're as fluent in English as Eric. All right, Eric, your fitness looks good.Ask one of you to run to the trailhead first and notify the police over there to send rescue.What I can confirm is that there are personnel stationed at the trailhead. They are not policemen, but just now Eric called them policemen.Ask them to help provide a stretcher and a crew to carry me out of this place.Because of my current physical condition, I may not be able to walk to the trailhead.Can you guys help me with this? Monica can do the job, she's a fast runner. I looked at his wife and she nodded.Do you understand the rescue I need?I asked. understand, you need a stretcher and I cut her off.Wait, are the police at the trailhead equipped with radios and telephones?Eric and Monica nodded.OK, then please ask them to send a helicopter to rescue. Why didn't I think of this method sooner?Maybe it's because I'm too tired, but the helicopter rescue is better than the stretcher rescue. I just need to find a place where the helicopter can stop and wait for rescue.這個方式最適合目前的情況。我看著莫妮卡。 拜託妳了，請妳盡可能跑快點。 莫妮卡以慢跑速度匆忙離開，安迪跟著她一起跑。我當時幾乎想要求男孩留下來陪我，這樣莫妮卡可以跑得更快，不過當時還有更迫切的事：我詢問艾瑞克是否有食物。他想了一下，叫住莫妮卡。我們還剩下一些餅乾，在莫妮卡身上。 艾瑞克向我解釋著。我們繼續往前走，他喊住莫妮卡，要她留下餅乾。她拿出裝著餅乾的塑膠袋，一邊向我道歉，因為她和安迪剛剛已經吃掉大半的餅乾。接著，莫妮卡和安迪轉身繼續向前跑。 雖然塑膠袋裡只剩下兩片餅乾，不過這就像是天賜的食物，我一次吃下一整片大口咀嚼著。吃完第一片後，我停下來扭開水瓶蓋，豪飲了一口我的蝌蚪水，順了順口。當我大口吃完第二片餅乾後，艾瑞克遞給我一瓶未開封的半公升礦泉水。這水並不像大斷層水池的水那樣美味，不過，相較於我水瓶中的泥沙水來說，飲水品質上有大幅改善。我向艾瑞克道謝，問他是否可以幫我揹背包，他一口答應，於是我馬上卸下背包，瞬間將負重減輕。 沿路上，艾瑞克一直和我聊天，他問了我幾個問題，想了解事情發生經過。我想試著含水走路的策略，但是我每次只要回答了艾瑞克的問題，口中的水就會順便吞下去。當我簡短地回答完問題後，我就會倒幾毫升的水，含在嘴裡。我們來來回回問了五、六個問題後，我和艾瑞克說明，我必須停止交談，專注在走路上。 莫妮卡和安迪離開後大約五分鐘，我和艾瑞克遇到一位年約五十出頭、和我們反方向的登山者，隨行的女士似乎是他的媽媽。他問我們是否需要協助，我問他：你有手機或衛星電話嗎？他身上並沒有攜帶任何類似的通訊裝置，但是他提及他受過醫療訓練。 這讓我很高興，因為我那稀少的醫學常識都是透過一些搜救行動學到的，現在終於遇到一個醫學常識比我豐富的人。我詢問他是否可以和我們一起走，而他媽媽則繼續登山的行程。他是韋恩，我請他稍微幫我檢查一下，是不是還有其他方式可以讓我的傷勢得到更好的照料。我們繼續走著，穿過漫長的檉柳林，柳樹枝條打在我的手臂上和臉上，我邊問韋恩：我的狀況現在可以進食嗎？可以一下子喝這麼多水嗎？，而韋恩則說如果不會讓我噁心或想吐，就不用擔心。 我想像莫妮卡和安迪已經跑了很遠，抵達登山口請求派遣直升機救援，但是大概已經過了十分鐘的時間，仍不見他們的蹤影。當我們走過另一段漫長的、被灌木叢覆蓋、樹木零星點綴的攔砂壩時，我必須停下腳步將鞋裡的沙都倒出來。沙礫嚴重摩擦我的腳，疼痛的程度讓手臂截肢的痛都遜色了。這種情況的確有點諷刺，我的腳痛讓我不再專注於斷臂的痛。 但更諷刺的是，當我跟艾瑞克說我要停下來時，他卻不表贊同：不，你必須繼續往前走。 我現在想要坐下來，把鞋子裡的積沙清空，清完後，你得幫我把鞋帶綁緊。我知道疲倦和疼痛會讓我情緒失控，脾氣變差，說話像個混蛋，不過艾瑞克馬上輕鬆地幫我解決問題。找到一棵倒下的樹幹後，我坐下來脫下鞋子，將裡面的積沙都倒出來，接著艾瑞克便幫我把鞋帶繫緊。 步行距離已有十一公里，時間是下午三點過後。炙熱的陽光無情地照在沒有遮蔽的地方，和這馬蹄鐵峽谷兩百四十公尺深的谷底。艾瑞克、韋恩和我才剛通過峽谷的一個大彎處，我看到一條路的起始點，猜想這就是回到停車場的出路。這條小路彎彎曲曲地蜿蜒在左邊峽谷，往險峻的山坡延伸而去。大約在距離谷底兩百一十公尺高的上方，就是救援人員所在的地方。ah!多希望我能像隻烏鴉，展開雙翅、粗聲嘎叫兩下、乘著空氣中攀升的熱氣流，兩分鐘內飛出峽谷抵達登山口！ 如果選擇用健行的方式走出這峽谷，我肯定沒命的。我已經失血過多，現在處在一種接近死亡衝擊的邊緣。我思考著是否要請艾瑞克也去尋求救援，但我還沒來得及說出我的想法，一種又快速又深沉的機器響聲迴盪著，打斷了我的思緒。 躂躂躂躂躂躂 在我前方一百八十公尺處，有一隻沒有翅膀的、金屬材質的黑鳥出現，它飛過峽谷山壁而來。 這景象讓我吃驚得停下所有動作，接著一股澎湃的情感湧入心中。 在難以置信中，我試著想像莫妮卡和安迪如何一路奔回登山口，要求救難人員在如此迅速的時間內派出直升機。接著我懂了，或許這架直升機原本就已經在這裡了。我的驚訝漸漸轉化為一股極大的安心感，而我這一刻能做的就是停在這沙地中，靜靜地站著。 韋恩、艾瑞克和我一樣，震驚地站在原地動也不動，接著他們兩人高舉起雙手，用力揮舞著，好讓直升機看到我們。我們在峽谷中央一座平坦開闊的攔砂壩上，攔砂壩上面只零星被矮草和金花矮灌木叢覆蓋著，不過儘管如此，我還是不能確定直升機上的人員是否能夠看到我們，直到直升機傾斜著低空飛行，畫了一個圓弧從我們頭上再度飛過一次，我搜尋著四周，評估哪裡會是最佳停機處，最後推測應該就是我們前方的河谷。 我快步走了四十五公尺到前方的攔砂壩邊緣，這時直升機又做了一次Ｕ型轉彎，在乾枯河床上方六十公尺盤旋著。艾瑞克趕上我，站在一旁，我們一起看著直升機降落。我快走了十步往河床走去，轉過身背對著停機處，心想直升機旋轉時氣流會捲起一大片沙塵，我運用全身剩餘的力氣來穩住雙腳。我的膝蓋有點搖晃，一股衝動讓我想跪下來親吻大地，讚揚這拯救的到來，我很清楚我已經厭倦了肉體的疼痛、厭倦了幫助我撐過這一切的自制力。有一股想要鬆懈下來的衝動驅使著我，但是我堅持不鬆懈，在抵達醫院之前都不能。 引擎的嘎嘎聲減弱了下來，我身後的狂風停息下來變成微風。我轉過身來，看到一個雙腿僵硬的乘客從直升機後座困難地跳下來。那位乘客對我示意，我朝那站在直升機門旁的男子走去。他大喊著：你是艾倫嗎？ 我點點頭，在他邊喊著，是！你可以載我一程嗎？ 我轉頭，看見一位穿著某種制服的警員，坐在全皮座椅後座的另一邊，目瞪口呆地看著我。飛機上並沒有醫務人員拿著輸液袋、沒有人戴乳膠手套，放眼望去沒有任何醫療設備。我並沒有期待一架傷兵撤退的軍用直升機來救援我，但是我也沒有料想到會是一架全皮座椅的直升機。 不知道為什麼，儘管我的傷勢嚴重需要緊急就醫，但是我卻希望直升機駕駛或是警員能夠花點時間在皮座椅上鋪上一塊布或外套，避免我的血漬污染了皮椅。在引擎聲和旋轉翼轉聲中，我對他們任何一個人喊著，我正在流血可能會把你的後座皮椅弄髒！ 一個低沉有力的聲音喊著：上來就對了！ 我吃力地爬上雙排後座椅，在中間椅子坐下。同時朝艾瑞克點頭示意，他手上拿著我的背包，站在直升機前方大約二十公尺的地方。直升機的隨行人員朝艾瑞克飛奔過去，接過我那幾乎是空的背包折返回來。背包裡現在只剩下一些塵土、水瓶、水袋、頭燈、多工刀具和兩臺相機，總重量不過兩公斤多，但是在我巧遇梅傑一家人前的兩公里路，這背包卻讓我感覺沉重，彷彿是實際重量的五倍之多。既然背包已經陪我走了這整段路，也沒有理由把它拋下不管。全部人員登機後，我們繫上安全帶，駕駛員將直升機馬力全開攀升著，擾動的氣流捲起地面沙塵。 有人遞給我一副耳機要我戴上，接著其他幾位人員協助我在棒球帽上戴住耳機。駕駛問我是否可以聽到他的聲音，我回答是，一邊坐定在皮椅上，擡高我受傷手臂越過頭。擡高後，那持續的疼痛感似乎比較沒那麼劇烈。我看著血滴沿著手肘吊帶一路向下流。一滴接著一滴，滴落在我那已經被血液浸濕的襯衫上。 我們飛離峽谷，我的注意力從襯衫上轉到窗外的峽谷。我們愈飛愈高，我心中充滿感謝，這種感動幾乎讓我掉下眼淚。但是我的淚腺因為脫水過多而關閉了，因此沒有眼淚流下。儘管我夾坐在後排兩名乘客中間，窗外的景象仍舊清晰可見。凝視著前方，我看到韋恩和艾瑞克兩人黑色的身影慢慢縮小，變成壁壘溪礫石河床上的兩個黑點，接著消失在我的視線之外。 當我們爬到峽谷邊緣的峰頂，我的思緒翻滾著，試著從快速變化的地平線和視野中找到脈絡。 過去六天來，我的世界被限制在極度狹小的範圍內，困在一個令我恐懼的幽閉空間中，但是在短短片刻間，我的世界就跳了一百六十公里遠，我的恐懼漸漸縮小，藏身在那峽谷地宏偉的景色後面，變成一陣薄霧環繞著東邊的拉薩爾山，我的視線天旋地轉。 直升機引擎的震動聲不斷增加，變成一種無意義的咆哮聲，只能透過耳機稍微遮蓋。還要多久才會抵達格林河？我問，音調因為過度緊張而顯得高亢。 （堅強點，艾倫。已經快到醫院了。撐著點。） 耳機傳回駕駛的聲音，儘管背景噪音很吵雜，他的聲音卻十分清晰：我們會直接飛到莫亞布。飛行時間約十五分鐘。 Wow!真是太棒了。請問有水可以喝嗎？ 兩位制服警員愣了一下，我的問題似乎終於把他們從震驚中喚醒過來。我沒有任何責怪的意思。如果我的身旁突然坐了一位身上沾滿鮮血的傷患，我可能也會震驚好一下才想起要給他水喝。坐在左邊的男士拿出一瓶旋轉式瓶蓋的礦泉水，遞給我。拿在手上，我瞪著瓶蓋有點恍神，他才明白瓶蓋仍鎖著，於是他拿了回去旋開瓶蓋，再遞給我。我右手邊的制服警員拿了一件夾克墊在我的手臂下，吸著流下來的血液。 兩分鐘後，我們已經飛到大河上方，從河水的顏色和我們的位置來看，我很確定這就是格林河。駕駛員透過耳機向大家說：讓他保持在說話的狀態。 我回答：但是我現在還在喝水。 我真是不敢相信我的胃還可以裝下這麼多水。或者應該說，我居然還覺得口渴。如果把手上這瓶水也算進去的話，過去三個小時內我已經喝下兩公升半的水。 別讓他昏過去，駕駛員在耳機裡對另外兩個警員說。我不擔心我昏過去，因為手臂的劇痛讓我無法平靜下來，不過終究我最想的還是盡快就醫。 我們還要飛多久才會抵達？我問，聽起來就像是個跟家人一起出遊的小孩，在半路吵著要上廁所。 再十二分鐘左右，駕駛說。我們沿著河流往北飛，有一、兩分鐘的時間大家沉默著，我繼續喝了兩大口的水，一瓶水就這樣喝光了。當我們轉彎飛向右邊的時候，我看見一條蜿蜒的泥土路由山谷壁向下延伸至河邊。你們有看到那條路嗎？I asked. 坐在我右邊的男子看出窗外，點點頭。have. 那就是白色輪框車道的起點，呃，也叫作礦底（Mineral Bottom）。幾年前我和一群朋友騎著自行車挑戰這條路，全長超過一百六十公里。警官聽到後，似乎花了點時間才能消化我剛剛所說的話。因為我感覺像是在做旅遊導覽。我們目前正在峽谷地天空區的島嶼上方，繼續往東北方飛行。我非常熟悉這區域，因此可以判斷我們飛到哪。我問駕駛：我們經過莫尼特和莫里馬克了嗎？ 我不知道你說的兩個地方，駕駛回答。 右手邊的警員問我為何提起這兩個地方？於是我開始娓娓道來我這週的遭遇。我扭動著身體，將左邊口袋的地圖取出。我指著地圖說明我的受困地點，還解釋了意外如何發生、巨石如何移動、我如何被困住、如何顫抖著身子捱過五個寒冷的夜晚等等。我甚至告訴他飲用水喝光後，我喝著自己的尿，最後我如何想出截肢脫困的辦法。 敘述這些故事時，我不得不開始思考著一件事。那就是在我最需要協助的時候，直升機出現、在峽谷中找到我的巧妙時間點。如果時間慢了一個鐘頭，我可能會等不及救援，結果在抵達車子停放處前就因為失血過多而死，更別說是看到格林河。 我大約花了六分鐘的時間說完了我的遭遇，這時看到前擋風玻璃窗外有兩個瘦長的孤峰，岩石的形狀像極了兩艘戰爭中的潛水艇，所以我大聲說：你們看！這就是我剛剛說的莫尼特和莫里馬克。我知道我們很靠近目的地了，但是我們似乎又向右轉了一次彎，直覺告訴我市鎮是在我們直直的正前方。我們還有多遠呢？ 不到五分鐘，我們即將飛過險降區，然後抵達鎮上。 心中有個問題困擾著我。你們怎麼找到我的卡車的？我的意思是說，我有可能去任何地方。 你媽媽昨天打給我們的調度員，請我們搜查所有的登山口。 四分鐘後，直升機倏地飛過周邊岩石，將峽谷地遠遠拋在後面，前面展現一片綠意盎然、生機蓬勃的山谷和田園，以及一片樹林，其中穿插著上千棟的建築物。我們橫跨過科羅拉多河，在接近猶他州莫亞布鎮中心時，飛行速度減慢，緩緩飛過一排排整齊的房子、街道、球場、商店、學校、停車場和公園。 再盤旋了一圈後，我看到一片開闊的綠色草地，顯然這就是我們暫時停放直升機的地方。駕駛讓直升機緩緩停在強風吹動的草地上，我注意到草地右手邊的建築物就是醫院。 （天啊！你成功了！） 一位管理人員站在直升機右邊的柏油車道上，身邊有兩位穿著白袍的護士站在擔架旁。駕駛示意後，我右邊的警員便打開直升機艙門，跳出門外幫我拉住艙門，讓我可以隨他下機。我解開安全帶，讓耳機自行滑落，接著也跳出門外至草地上。縮著頭，我在直升機旋轉翼下，往柏油車道邁開大步走了五、六步。我走向車道上的管理員，他一點也沒被我的慘況給嚇到，似乎一切都在他的意料中。我省略了自我介紹，以一種緊急的口吻簡潔地說明我的情況：我必須先讓你知道我已經大量失血，我受困六天沒有食物和水，最後我選擇在今天早上切斷手臂來脫困，截肢處已經綁上止血帶。 這位先生折服於我的自我診斷，他只說：我們現在先進去醫院，同時向兩位推著擔架的護士示意。我一屁股坐上去，接著躺了下來，把雙腳舉上床。太幸福了。這六天來，我都沒有躺下來過，我馬上開始放鬆自己，要不是因為手臂上的疼痛，我可能會睡上七年。 護士推著我穿過急診室入口的自動門，停在空無人的接收區。另外一位女醫護人員來回送著醫療補給品，很驚訝地看著我，彷彿我的模樣很不得體。看到她那震驚的眼神我才意會過來，我終於明白為何櫃檯和座位區都空無一人。 這家醫院不算是大型的市區醫院，不像大型醫院那樣，每隔幾分鐘就會有些傷重病人送進來。這是家安靜的郊區醫院，星期四下午算是比較清閒的時段。醫院的創傷小組目前可能處在緊急待命狀況。就目前幾張面孔來看，醫院人員可能是在飛機停在草坪前幾分鐘，才收到有傷患要送進來的通知。醫護人員要管理員隨我們進急診室，接著我被推到急診室手術檯邊。急診室天花板中央有一個大型的圓燈罩。站在我床頭的護士詢問我是否可以自己移動到左手邊的手術檯，我試著將右手臂固定胸前，然後往另一張床移動。 除了管理員，其他人都走開了。一分鐘後，一位女護士回到房裡，通知另一位正在準備醫療用品的護士，麻醉師五分鐘內會到。護士們於是開始脫掉我的鞋襪衣帽，幫我蓋上一條長袍。接著管理員對我說：我是史帝夫，負責停車管理工作。不知道你有什麼事情需要我代為處理的？ 我沒有預料到他會問我這個問題，不過我首先想到的是我媽媽。可以請你聯絡我媽媽，讓她知道我安然無恙？我失蹤六天應該讓她心急如焚，擔心不已，想到這裡，我的聲音變得哽咽。 沒問題，我們有她的電話。這邊處理完，我會立刻聯絡她。 Thank you.我停了一下，平復情緒後繼續說，我把很多東西都留在峽谷裡。我的登山繩、ＣＤ播放器、安全吊帶、還有很多其他東西。是不是可以請你派人上去清理？ no problem.he answered. 有些物品我留在受困處，有些物品在下降口。還有我的腳踏車我停頓了一下，手伸到長袍下，翻了翻口袋。在伯爾通道南邊一點六公里，馬路東側約九十公尺遠的一棵樹下。 我把地圖交給史帝夫，接著我的手再度伸入口袋翻找，拿出腳踏車鑰匙，此時他試著在血跡斑斑的地圖上找到方位。這是我的腳踏車鑰匙。我把鑰匙圈遞給史帝夫。我只有鎖腳踏車，沒有鎖到樹幹。當初想說這樣如果腳踏車鑰匙掉了，車子還可以拿得回來。不過你還是得把鎖打開，比較方便騎。 可以請你在地圖上指出你的腳踏車停放地點嗎？史帝夫問著，把地圖拿到我面前。 no problem.我說，稍稍轉身讓左手可以伸出來。啊，不會吧！這地圖居然沒有涵蓋這地點。不過腳踏車就在我剛剛說的地點，在伯爾通道南邊一點六公里，馬路東側約九十公尺遠的一棵樹下，剛好就在地圖這方向的一個隆起坡地。 可以請你在地圖上指出你的受困地點嗎？ 嗯，就在大斷層下降口上方，大約是峽谷東西向橫切線上。你有看到那邊嗎？我指著地標，上面寫著大斷層下降口。 還有什麼要交代的嗎？ 麻煩你留心一下我放在直升機上的背包，裡面有很重要的東西。此外，還有我的車和隨身物品。thank you very much.我仍然很清醒，只是因為精疲力竭，我很想閉上眼睛，但我知道我還不能睡。接著，一位穿著白色袍子、臉上戴著面罩的醫護人員走進來，說明她是麻醉師後便詢問我事發經過。我簡潔地說明後，她便馬上去準備藥物，穿過急診室側門匆匆離去。 史帝夫說：艾倫，我想請教你一些問題，請你盡可能給我詳盡的資訊。那塊石頭有多大呢？ 我想大概有九十公斤那麼大的一顆石頭。這顆石頭掉落，壓到我身上後，我稍稍將它往右推動一點，但是我還是沒辦法用繩索將它移開，所以我想應該至少是這樣的大小。 石頭砸傷你是什麼時候發生呢？ 大約是在星期六下午兩點四十五分。 事情是如何發生的呢？ 我當時想拉鬆它。它是個卡在峽谷縫裡的巨石。我踩到它上面，想爬下石頭離開，因踩踏導致石頭移位而墜下，巨石來回撞著，先稍微擦撞到我的左手臂，接著又壓上我的右手，我曾試著要把卡住的右手從石頭下面拉出來。我幾乎不敢相信我現在正描述著事發經過：歷經六天的脫水和失溫考驗，接著選擇截斷手臂，然後做下降並走了十一公里穿越沙漠，最後遇到搜救直升機，終於脫困。我能活著回來，這簡直就是奇蹟。 就在史帝夫要提出更多問題時，麻醉師回來了。這次她拿著注滿藥水的注射器和針頭，用量之大，好像是要幫一匹馬進行注射。我知道她接下來要做的事，因此我出聲提醒。我對針頭過敏，我曾經在注射時昏倒過，有一次我抽完血後從椅子上摔落。醫生建議我在注射前應該要先知會其他醫師我的症狀。就我目前的狀況來說，我不知道等會兒會發生什麼事，我有可能休克 醫生聽完我的話後，便停下來冷靜地看著我，試著理解我所說的。她雙眼睜大著，一副難以置信的樣子，接著驚訝地說：你意思是說，你現在不是休克的狀態嗎？ 臨床治療上，我不知道我這樣算不算，或許吧！我也不 她打斷我的回答，明確地問我：我手上已經替你準備好麻醉的嗎啡。你只要告訴我：要不要注射？ certainly!這是無庸置疑的！我大聲說著。幫我打針吧！不過要是我開始不穩地滑動扭著，記得把我固定在手術桌上。okay? 麻醉劑注入靜脈時，一種輕微的灼熱感迅速在手臂上擴散開來，但是我還沒失去意識。史帝夫和我繼續低聲談話，我說明我的登山路線，從迷宮路一路往下到馬蹄鐵峽谷登山口，通過藍眼約翰峽谷，越過大斷層，最後行經馬蹄鐵峽谷折返停車處。我也再次說明岩石大小，並且和史帝夫說明我是如何在站著的情況下受困的，儘管如此，我試著弄出一套固定系統讓我可以靠坐。我盡可能在嗎啡開始生效前，按照時序來描述我這一趟遭遇。我大概描述出一些時間點：水喝光了、食物吃光了、我如何想到利用折斷手臂骨頭的方式來脫困。接著，我感覺到有人拉扯著我的懸腕帶、聽到史帝夫管理員的聲音愈來愈小，我感覺自己的世界彷彿走入幽暗的隧道般開始昏沉起來。就在此刻，二〇〇三年五月一日下午三點四十五分，這一場歷經一百二十七個小時、毫無間斷的意外事件，畫下句點。 史帝夫管理員拿著我提供的地圖和註解，走到醫院的病人等待區，他試著先整理思緒，接下來他的動作便是取下腰間掛著的公務手機，打電話給我媽媽。響了兩聲之後，我媽媽便接起電話。 我是史帝夫管理員，我想跟妳說個好消息，不過也有個壞消息。好消息是我們找到妳的兒子了！他還活著，而且生命跡象很正常。史帝夫停頓了一下，接著宣布比較難以啟齒的壞消息。受困當時，他為了保命因此選擇切斷手臂來脫困。他現在人在莫亞布鎮上，不過我們很快會將他送往格蘭莊遜。 我媽媽大大地喘了好幾口氣，好像把過去這兩天憋在心中的氣都吐出來。真是感謝上天。瞬間，一股安心的感覺湧上心頭，她終於卸下好幾天來心頭上的重擔。上天聽到了她真誠的祈禱，讓她的兒子還活著，而且沒有生命危險。 手裡還拿著電話，媽媽轉向在廚房的蘇，宣布這好消息：蘇，他們找到他了！他活得好好的！她這一生中，沒有比這一刻更快樂的了。她激動的情緒稍稍平復下來後，她快速地對史帝夫說，真的非常感謝你。謝謝你們找到他，讓他重回我身邊。我們現在馬上出發去醫院。 good.另外還有什麼需要我協助的嗎？ 如果有進一步消息，請隨時與我保持連繫。 no problem.Is there anything else? 第二個請求在心中慢慢成形，媽媽接著提出。如果你需要撰寫報告或是和媒體說明艾倫的情況時，請你盡可能客觀。 史帝夫管理員花了幾分鐘時間，整理著內容，試著找出肇事原因和促成因素。他本身也是一個熱愛戶外活動的人，他試著回想，有多少次他自己一個人獨自外出健行或划獨木舟。這事情的意義到底為何呢？我也常常自己一個人外出從事具有風險的戶外活動，而且是在我太太不知情的情況下。今天在峽谷地發生的意外正是如此。 史帝夫知道我是個經驗豐富的登山者，加上藍眼約翰峽谷一直都不是個危險等級很高的峽谷。史帝夫認為，意外的嚴重程度與地形的險惡程度成正比！極端嚴重的後果通常肇因於極為惡劣的環境，但是相較於我這次登山地形的輕鬆程度，後果竟是如此慘烈。這是五分級中第一級登山等級，沒有比這一等級更輕鬆簡單的了。登山健行時，我們總是不停地在移動著石頭。我們戴上攀岩手套和峽谷一起舞著，就像我們戰戰兢兢地走在雞蛋殼上，而這就是攀岩登山者的任務。我們總是想著：該移動這顆石頭嗎？還是該移動那顆石頭呢？ 史帝夫透過門上的玻璃窗瞥見急診室內，醫生和護士在我麻醉後的身體上來回奔忙。他繼續思索在一趟戶外活動裡，人們可能需要做出上千個決策，但這些決策之間的差異何在？大部分的時刻，我們認為我們的決定是正確的，但有時候，我們認為這是錯的。他整理著思緒，當我們覺得做了錯誤的決定時，往往後果都已經超乎邏輯所能解釋。有時候，結果決定了一切。史帝夫為我的意外下了個結論，這個事件只能解釋成：某個人在錯誤的時間、出現在錯誤的地點、而且運氣太差所以遇到很倒楣的事情。對，純粹是運氣太差。 和艾卡隊長通完電話後，朋友瑞秋打給艾略特，瑞秋的聲音充滿興奮。跟你說，他們找到艾倫了！你現在是坐著的嗎？ 嗯，我坐著，不過艾略特說謊，因為講電話的同時，他在臥室裡來回踱步著。 艾倫活得好好的！不過他把自己的手切斷了。 艾略特的肌肉在聽到這令他吃驚的消息後，倏地停了下來，我的天啊！這消息讓我跌坐下來，太意外了。 登陸後，直升機駕駛泰瑞馬上打電話請求格蘭郡的搜索隊派出一部燃料補給車。公共安全部門在莫亞布區的救援飛行次數相當頻繁，因此當地的搜索與拯救小組都有小型油罐車可以提供補給。其中一個救援小組的隊長比果．吉哈特便開著油罐車到醫院來，因為直升機燃油不足，泰瑞無法飛回距離鎮上十六公里處的機場。 幫直升機加油時，史帝夫管理員請警官葛瑞格和米區協助將醫院的保冷袋裝滿冰塊。而葛瑞格和米區的下一項任務則是飛回藍眼約翰峽谷，找到我受困地點，並將我被截斷的右手臂找回。不過米區不想再參與這趟任務，於是，泰瑞對比果喊著，你想不想出去晃晃啊？ 比果興致勃勃地爬上直升機後座加入任務。直升機飛了十五分鐘後抵達馬蹄鐵峽谷，尋找著我受困的峽谷縫。他們拿著我給史帝夫的地圖，加上比果對這區域的熟悉程度，他們很快就找到了。 等他們都進入峽谷後，泰瑞變得有點外行，還好具有豐富登山經驗的比果沿路提示並教導泰瑞。他們辛苦地做下降，快速穿過曲折的岩縫，五分鐘後，三個人來到一處留有繩