Movie of the Month

Saw the movie "127 Hours" today. Interesting movie, not totally entertaining, probably won't rent the video when it goes to DVD. Mostly I wanted to see "127 Hours" because it took place and was filmed near Canyonlands National Park close to Moab, Utah. I have been to Moab the past two summers kayaking down the Green River, which cuts through Canyonlands N.P. It's beautiful country there, deserts and canyons, with a cold river running between the canyons. I love that place, the wilderness is awesome there, no cars, no cell phone signals, and amazingly pristine. I could go on and on about how beautiful it all is, but I won't, words just wouldn't be enough. Anyway, the movie is about a cocky young man who decides to live life wrecklessly and go climbing into a very narrow slot canyon by himself. He falls down into the bottom of one slot and a dislodged rock about the size of a big beach ball falls and pins his right arm. To make a long story short, he finally cuts off his arm after 127 hours and manages to climb out of the canyon and gets help. Another failure was he never told anyone where he was going. File a plan and stick to it. I am not spoiling the movie for anyone, this is a well-known true story. To tell you the truth, I would have died down in the bottom of that slot if that had happened to me, I would not have had the fortitude to cut off my own arm. Some people are just wired differently. I was a tad squeamish during the arm-cutting sequence, actually putting my hands over my eyes to shield them from the...blood. Fortunately, the bloody scenes were short. There is more to the movie, you will have to see it for yourself. Two things learned from the movie: Never hike alone and always carry a very sharp knife. Maybe a bone saw too.