# Did the hiker amputee have no choice? Is there something odd about this story? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051 "2003-05-09T04:21:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/81 "2003-05-10T13:44:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wendell Wagner \* > \*\*For those of you who have been asking why people are skeptical about this story, the answer is that that’s what we do here on the SDMB. We’re skeptical about everything. Granted that in this case it probably means that we’re being absurdly nitpicky about an honest story, that’s still what we have to do if we want to be thorough in our skepticism. \*\* It’s one thing to be skeptical. It’s another to delve into bizzare conspiracy theories. I mean really, the guy CUT OFF HIS OWN ARM. Conspiricy theorists here would have you believe he could move it aside, superman-like, with one arm. What ever happened to Occam’s Razor? ---
**Author:** ![J\_String](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@J\_String](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_String)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/82 "2003-05-10T14:41:39Z")
> [@](#): > > What ever happened to Occam’s Razor? Would’ve been quicker than a dull knife. 😉 o.k., o.k., I’m going now. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/83 "2003-05-10T15:57:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zuma \* > \*\*It’s one thing to be skeptical. It’s another to delve into bizzare conspiracy theories. I mean really, the guy CUT OFF HIS OWN ARM. Conspiricy theorists here would have you believe he could move it aside, superman-like, with one arm. > > What ever happened to Occam’s Razor? \*\* That’s not a conspiracy. A conspiracy would involve more than one person. You know, so they could _conspire_. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/84 "2003-05-10T16:23:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > There’s nothing bizarre about the skepticism here. We weren’t there, so we’re skeptical about things. It would be bizarre if we were there and were still skeptical. Hey, it’s not the skepticism in and of itself I find weird… it’s the _extent_ of it. I mean, sure, ask why he was out there alone and stuff, ask what the eff happened, but cripes, if he said he tried for days to move the boulder and couldn’t I believe him. I mean, _most_ people don’t casually slice off their arms. Even most crazy and/or stupid people don’t do that. Self-mutilator? Get a grip - there are a lot easier ways to cut your arm off, like an accident with a circular saw. ---
**Author:** ![Fuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fuel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuel)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/85 "2003-05-10T16:53:11Z")
**Four Questions:** , that I didn’t see answered. 1. Was his voice raspy/gone when he arrived to civilization? If I were him, I would have lost my voice easily, trying to scream for help… 2. Also, how do we know for sure he was stuck for 4 days? What other source do we have for this information, besides him? 3. What was determined to be the cause of the bolder falling? Was it natural or did he accidentally cause it? Who made this determination? 4. What was his bodily position this whole time? Not doubting him, he’s a champ. I’m just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/86 "2003-05-10T18:00:45Z")
All I can say is, stay tuned for a hella funny South Park episode, featuring “The Dude Who Cut His Arm Off.” I can’t wait for another season… ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/87 "2003-05-10T20:21:48Z")
I don’t have any problem with hiking alone. I just wonder why he didn’t tell anyone where he was going. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/88 "2003-05-10T20:45:41Z")
No. Thanks for the other explanations, but I’m going with **smam** and the sex-with-the-rock theory. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/89 "2003-05-10T23:13:03Z")
Maybe this whole thing was just an excuse to get a BODY-POWERED PROSTHESIS WITH DORRANCE #5X STAINLESS STEEL HOOK!!! ---
**Author:** ![djf750](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@djf750](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/djf750)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/90 "2003-05-11T00:18:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lieu \* > \*\*I do hope he’s more careful in the future. I’d hate to see him get caught between another rock and a hard place. \*\* He will probably become the spokesperson for “Rolling Rock Beer”. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/91 "2003-05-11T00:58:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JillGat \* > \*\*I don’t have any problem with hiking alone. I just wonder why he didn’t tell anyone where he was going. \*\* Sorry I don’t have a cite handy for this, but a couple of articles I’ve read about it said that they were starting to search for him (I think including a helicopter search) when he was hiking out. So obviously someone knew that he was out there and sent out the alarm when he didn’t come back after a certain date/time. Like Broomstick said, > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Broomstick_ **Is that going to be a big help if, on a 10 day trip, she falls into a ditch on day 3? No.** ---
**Author:** ![summerbreeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@summerbreeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/summerbreeze)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/92 "2003-05-11T02:54:58Z")
Tying knots one-handed – sure, campers, sailors & scouts can do it. So can seamstresses, tailors, needleworkers, crocheters, knitters, medical students, etc. I just tied a loop around my left arm with my right hand (I used ribbon – don’t want to hurt myself :)) – & tightened it somewhat using a Dove Bar stick. If the stick had been longer, I could easily have tucked one end under my arm after tightening the knot, & it would have stayed in place. Several years ago, I had bone surgery on my right foot. I was in advanced pregnancy & my doctor didn’t want to give me a general anesthetic, so a tourniquet was used, with a local anesthetic, & the combination made the surgery relitively pain-free. I wouldn’t have _wanted_ to perform that surgery on myself – but if it had been a matter of life-or-death… ---
**Author:** ![Rhino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a5b964/32.png) [@Rhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhino)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/93 "2003-05-11T04:11:27Z")
Courge yes, survial skills no. The question I have is that if he was such a intrepid outdoorsman why didn’t he tell someone where and when he was going? One story said that a rescue party did set out. If he had waited he would have been rescued and now would have two arms. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/94 "2003-05-11T04:14:54Z")
And, yes, there was just a “The Hiker Who Had to Cut Off His Own Arm” sketch on _Saturday Night Live_. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/95 "2003-05-11T06:29:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **Rhino** > … One story said that a rescue party did set out. > If he had waited he would have been rescued > and now would have two arms. … no cite too. remember reading that he had waited as long as possible (4-5 days) and the rescue team praised his decision saying they would not have found him in time… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/96 "2003-05-11T11:22:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by djf750 \* > He will probably become the spokesperson for “Rolling Rock Beer”. Naw… Mike’s Hard Lemonade: “Ooo, I bet that stings!” > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by djf750 \* > If he had waited he would have been rescued > and now would have two arms. After several days squashed under a boulder, it’s extremely unlikely his hand would still be salvagable. Between trauma and lack of blood flow most of it would have died by then. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/97 "2003-05-11T12:38:26Z")
The subtext of the sceptics here seems to be that he is an attention seeker. There are people who amputate their own body parts for whatever reason, but they are extremely unusual. if the bloke had really wanted his fifteen minutes of fame Jerry Springer et al could have provided it with no long term physical effects. I make SenorBeef right: self preservation is not heroism… Smam: I know there’s not much to do in Scotland, but… Well, we don’t do that sort of thing down here… ---
**Author:** ![BlueMoonofKentucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8dc957/32.png) [@BlueMoonofKentucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueMoonofKentucky)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/98 "2003-05-11T14:13:40Z")
I have no doubt that this is one seriously tough sumbitch, but I feel that he IS showing a pattern of needlessly putting himself in dangerous positions. Maybe not gloryhounding, but certainly being very reckless. Could he be an extreme risk junkie? From the \*\* Time Online\*\* 12 may 03 article [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030512-449493,00.html](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030512-449493,00.html) he’s reported to have been inspired to take up his mountaineering lifestyle after seeing the IMAX film _Everest_. For those who might not have seen it, or read Jon Krakauer’s \*Into Thin Air \*, it rather gloriously recounts the loss of several climbers on Everest back in 96. By all accounts, a situation made worse than it should have been by poor judgements made by those ‘in charge’ of the ascent, However, the film concentrates on the strength and courage climbers and the conquests they made over the summit despite the loss of their friends. OK, Now he takes this lifestyle up and, according to the linked article, starts taking solitary backcountry winter hikes, without proper provisions. He’s already been nearly killed in an avalanche, had friends counsel him out of worry regarding his actions and now has lost an arm. Seems to me that he’s motivated by the glory of the outdoors and has the ruggedness to belong out here alone, but either does not have the skill set to keep out of trouble or enjoys the risk of danger far too much. I find that ironic in someone who was inspired by a film that recounts the needless loss of life due to poor decision making outdoors. Whatever his motivator is, I don’t want him anywhere near me in the backcountry that’s for certain. He may be due respect because of his tough self-reliance, but he’s dumb as a brick when it comes to enjoying the outdoors while staying out of harms way. ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/99 "2003-05-11T14:25:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mascaroni \* > \*\*The subtext of the sceptics here seems to be that he is an attention seeker. There are people who amputate their own body parts for whatever reason, but they are extremely unusual. > if the bloke had really wanted his fifteen minutes of fame Jerry Springer et al could have provided it with no long term physical effects. > > I make SenorBeef right: self preservation is not heroism… > > Smam: I know there’s not much to do in Scotland, but… > Well, we don’t do that sort of thing down here… \*\* I don’t think anyone here labelling themself as a “skeptic” who doubts this guy’s story has ANY idea what “skeptic” means. They’re more aptly classified as “crazy”. And really, the crazies are giving true skeptics a bad name. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/100 "2003-05-11T14:44:12Z")
Doubting his complete story isn’t “crazy”; it’s reasonable. Anytime you don’t have firsthand knowledge of an event, it’s reasonable to doubt it, if only a little. For example, it’s widely recognized that Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, but some people doubt it. They’re not necessarily crazy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051.md?page=6)