SALT LAKE CITY — A North Carolina man crawled for four days across the Utah desert after breaking his leg on a solo hike, inspired by a Hollywood movie about a man who cut off his arm to save himself after being trapped by a boulder in the same canyon.
Amos Wayne Richards, 64, of Concord, N.C., is recovering at home. He said he was inspired to hike Blue John Canyon after he saw the Oscar-nominated movie “127 Hours” but fell 10 feet during his trek Sept. 8.
Canyonlands National Park rangers found Rich ards four days later. Along with the leg injury, he had dislocated his shoulder but was able to work it back into place.
“It took me about three or four minutes to work my shoulder and get it back in place, and once I got it back in place, I stood up and realized my ankle hurt a little bit,” Richards told WBTV in Charlotte last week.
Without cellphone service and with two protein bars to eat, Richards began crawling back to his car across the rocky terrain. He filled his water bottles with rain as he retraced his steps, eventually dragging himself almost 5 miles.
In 2003, climber Aron Ralston hiked into the same canyon, also without telling anyone his plans. He became trapped by a boulder and was forced to cut off his arm to free himself.
