Being someone who enjoys the occasional solo outing, even though I haven’t started canyoneering, gives this story an extra grip on me. (Aron amputated his lower arm after a boulder pinned his hand to the wall of a slot canyon in the Canyonlands of Utah). It’s a fascinating survival tale, which Aron tells candidly in fine detail and lucid prose. He manages to make his survival comprehensible, replacing the impression of a superhuman act with one of a strong, but attainable outdoor spirit.

The wake up call for me here is that Aron was usually better about leaving a trip itinerary with his roommates for every outing he did. As a couple, this is difficult for us, and will get harder when we travel. Who do we burden with the responsibility of a potential rescue? We ask our less outdoorish acquaintances to do this for us sometimes, but we’re not too comfortable with that, and it’s not always even an option. SPOT products target this market, but for some reason that system seems to me to add too much cost and complexity to something that should be simple. But maybe I need to give that up until I have a better system.