Five Amazing Stories of Man vs Nature

Five Amazing True Stories of Man vs Nature

1. Into the Wild

   The true story of Christopher McCandless, as told by Jon Krakauer. In 1990, Christopher left his affluent family, donated his possessions to charity and embarked on a journey of self-discovery across America. For the next two years, he had various adventures before deciding to hike into the Alaskan wilderness to live off the land. He survived in solitude for approximately 3 months before dying alone in an abandoned bus, possibly from toxic wild potato seeds. A tragic but inspiring tale that has been published as a book as well as released as a movie directed by Sean Penn.

2. Man Who Cut Off His Own Arm

   Aron Ralston was hiking in Blue Job Canyon, Utah in May of 2003 when a boulder slipped and pinned his right arm. He was trapped for five days, before he decided that no one would be coming to rescue him. Pushing his arm against the rock, he first broke the bones, then cut through the skin and tendons with his multi-tool knife. Once released from the rock, he began hiking back to his car, was noticed by other hikers, and picked up by a rescue helicopter. His arm was never re-attached, but he continues to climb today with the use of a prosthetic.

3. Alive

   An unforgettable true story that has been turned into a movie starring Ethan Hawke. In October of 1972, a small plane carrying a soccer team crashed into the Andes. There were 45 people on board; 27 survived the initial crash. The survivors were stranded on the mountain for 72 days. Only 16 survived their injuries, starvation, exhaustion, and a subsequent avalanche to be rescued. This is a harrowing tale of cannibalism and desperation, but also of strength and determination. Many books have also been published, including Miracle in the Andes.

4. Dead Man Walking on Everest

   Lincoln Hall was attempting to ascend Mount Everest in May of 2006 when he suffered a bout of altitude sickness. His team mates and sherpas attempted to assist him, but as dark approached, the team leader believed Lincoln was dead, and ordered the team to abandon him. Lincoln spent the night on the slope of Mount Everest at 8700m, before being spotted by another climbing team the next day. He was alive and even appeared lucid, though he was badly frostbitten. Lincoln Hall published his memories of this event in a book titled, "Dead Lucky".

5. Drowning in the Ocean

   On July 30th, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was hit by two Japanese torpedoes. There were 1196 people on board, of which approximately 900 survived the initial bombing and landed in the water. For four days the sailors floated in the Pacific Ocean awaiting rescue. Some drowned, some were eaten by sharks, some died from exhaustion and dehydration. Still others drank the seawater and began hallucinating, with stories from survivors saying that their shipmates went "berserk" and starting swimming down into the deep blue ocean to find water. There were only 317 survivors of this tragic event, making it the worst military marine disaster in history.