Maybe it has something to do with the fierce, distinctly human ability to adapt to anything, or the reminder that the Earth can be a gruesome yet abundant place, but wilderness survival stories are always some of the most gripping. These five stories detail a few of the most frightening and life-altering encounters with nature, whether it is on the face of Everest or in the open ocean.
If you’re preparing to embark on an adventure yourself, make sure that you’re well-prepared for any scenario with proper gear, including camping and water filters, and plenty of food and shelter.
1. Aron Ralston and Canyonlands
Does the title “172 Hours” ring a bell? It might—because it was the title of a film detailing outdoorsman Aron Ralston’s canyoneering accident in Canyonlands National Park in 2003. His memoir, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” tells the story of how Ralston found himself alone, descending a slot canyon, when an 800-pound boulder smashed his left hand and pinned it to the wall. Since Ralston had been hiking alone and had no way to call for help, he was stuck there for five days.
Ralston slowly consumed all of the food and water he had brought along on his journey but was eventually forced to drink his own urine. On the fifth day, he was so resolved to death that he carved his name, date of birth, and presumed date of death into the sandstone wall and videotaped his goodbyes. After waking up with an epiphany, he realized that he could self-amputate his arm in order to free himself from the rock. Using a multi-tool, Ralston amputated his forearm in just under an hour.
2. Jan Baalsrud and the Norwegian Coast
Norwegian World War II soldier Jan Sigurd Baalsrud found himself in quite the predicament during the German invasion of Norway. He and a group of soldiers successfully destroyed a German air control tower on the evening of March 29, 1943. The morning after, their fishing boat was destroyed by the Germans, leaving the crew to swim ashore in Arctic waters. While his fellow soldiers were all captured, Baalsrud managed to evade capture for two months, but let’s be clear: It was no picnic.
During these two months, Baalsrud suffered from extreme frostbite and snow blindness. Although he had some assistance from Norwegian Patriots, resources were limited, and Baalsrud was eventually forced to operate on his legs using a pocket knife. Later, he was forced to amputate nine of his toes in order to prevent the spread of gangrene. Eventually, a group of native Scandinavians transported Baalsrud to neutral Sweden using sled and reindeer. For his bravery, Baalsrud was awarded the St. Olav’s metal from Norway.
3. Norman Ollestad Jr. and the San Gabriel Mountains
Norman Ollestad Jr. was always an adventurous kid, so much so that his father, Norman Ollestad Sr., planned to take him to a skiing event in his Cessna when his son was 11. But the two never made it to the competition. In Ollestad’s 2009 memoir, “Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival,” he details the harrowing events that occurred on that fateful day in February of 1979. During their journey to Big Bear Mountain, they were caught in a winter storm and crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains.
Unfortunately, Ollestad’s father didn’t survive the crash, leaving the 11-year-old boy and his father’s girlfriend, Sandra, alone to survive at an altitude of above 8,200 feet. Although rescue helicopters were dispatched, the pair was forced to descend the mountain. Ollestad watched as Sandra slipped down the chute to her death, making him the sole survivor of the crash. Once he reached the bottom of the mountain—after nine hours, by the way—he was taken in by a family and immediately hospitalized.
4. José Salvador Alvarenga and the Pacific Ocean
There are few things quite as scary as the vast, open ocean, and no one knows that better than Salvadorian fisherman José Salvador Alvarenga. Between 2013 and 2014, Alvarenga spent 438 days adrift on the Pacific Ocean after he and his fishing partner, Ezequiel Córdoba, became disoriented and lost due to a failed motor and treacherous weather. The pair were forced to float at sea with minimal resources, with only a small, fiberglass fishing boat for respite—but this is only a partial story of survival, as Córdoba died after several months.
It was the death of his friend that caused Alvarenga to lose all hope—there are reports that he spoke to the decaying body for weeks, á la Tom Hanks and Wilson in “Castaway”—but his survival skills kept him alive for every one of the 438 days he was unaccounted for. During that time, he survived on sea turtles, sharks, seaweed, birds, and rainwater, and was forced to drink his own urine and turtle blood for hydration. Eventually, Alvarenga reached a small inlet of the Marshall Islands and swam to shore, where he was taken in by a local couple.
5. Beck Weathers and Mount Everest
You don’t have to look too far to find a slew of amazing (and distressing) stories of climbers scaling Everest, but it’s Beck Weathers’ tale that’s perhaps the most hard-hitting reminder that the landscape is littered with decomposing bodies for a reason. Weathers, a Texas-based pathologist, traveled to Nepal in 1996 to go on a guided tour with a company called Adventure Consultants. But Weathers had recently undergone optical surgery, which caused him to become blinded by the effects of high altitude and UV exposure.
Weathers and 10 other climbers on the tour decided to descend the mountain, but a blizzard and a dwindling oxygen supply left eight of the climbers—including Adventure Consultants’ leader, Rob Hall—dead. Due to his inability to see and the poor conditions, Weathers went into a deep hypothermic coma, and, by the time rescue workers reached him, his wife was told that he had died. After his helicopter evacuation, doctors amputated Weathers’ right arm, all five fingers on his left hand, his nose, and part of his feet.
Weathers’ story was chronicled in the 1997 book “Into Thin Air” and was then adapted to film in “Into Thin Air: Death on Everest” and the 2015 film “Everest.”
Phil is originally from California, where the need for water filtration equipment is vast. After college, he dove into the growing problem of clean water both nationally and worldwide. After many years in the industry, he found WaterFiltersFAST.com and aligned his knowledge of the industry with theirs to help educate and inform consumers. He is also an avid outdoorsman and tech enthusiast. An oxymoron for sure, but he makes it work.
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This piece was edited and posted onto SEVENSEAS Media by Giacomo Abrusci