And here I cringe at the mere thought of wearing contacts and having to touch my eyeball. :o ] MOAB, Utah (AP) -- A Colorado climber amputated his own ] arm Thursday, five days after becoming pinned by a ] boulder, and he was hiking to safety when he was spotted ] by searchers, authorities said. ] ] Aron Ralston, 27, of Aspen, was in serious condition late ] Thursday at a hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. ] ] Ralston was climbing Saturday in Blue John Canyon, ] adjacent to Canyonlands National Park in far southwestern ] Utah, when a 200-pound boulder fell on him, pinning his ] right arm, authorities said. ] ] He ran out of water on Tuesday and on Thursday morning, ] he decided that his survival required drastic action. ] ] Using his pocketknife, he amputated his arm below the ] elbow and applied a tourniquet and administered first ] aid. ] ] He then rigged anchors, fixed a rope and rappelled to the ] canyon floor. Climber amputates his arm, hikes to safey |