# 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:** 4\ **Page:** 6
**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, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/101 "2003-05-11T15:13:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zuma \* > \*\*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. \*\* The word may have been hi-jacked by Randi & Co. in the USA, but over here it means the same as ever: someone who is sceptical, i.e. someone who doubts the truth or validity of something. There’s a difference between ‘Catholic’ and ‘catholic’… ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/102 "2003-05-11T16:04:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shep proudfoot \* > \*\*My question is how an 800 pound rock fell on this guy’s arm to begin with. I don’t see how this was possible. Was he sleeping and it rolled? Was he high? Maybe he was taking a pee on the boulder and the rock became offended. Earthquake perhaps? > \*\* I was climbing on the Niagara Escarpment one spring and a boulder the size (and general shape) of a refrigerator came down quite suddenly about 70 feet from where we were. The “freeze-thaw” cycles can cause a lot of instability. Water trickles into the various cracks in the rock face. When it freezes the water expands putting remarkable pressure on the rocks and pushing them apart. So in one season alone there can be a lot of tepperature changes, freeze-thaw, freeze-thaw. Rocks get loose, some collapse. It’s extremely hard to predict when and where it might happen. Geez, just look New Hampshire’s Old Man in the Mountain… er, what was formerly the Old Man. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/103 "2003-05-11T16:46:52Z")
He was stuck for 5 days. If he had left his itinerary with someone, he would have been rescued by the end of day 3. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051/104 "2003-05-11T18:03:02Z")
I think the question has been answered about as well as it can be in this forum. Those wishing to debate further or offer opinions are directed to other forums. bibliophage moderator GQ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-hiker-amputee-have-no-choice-is-there-something-odd-about-this-story/174051.md?page=5)