CHAPTER SIX
Waiting
33 hrs 15 mins
6:00 pm
My second night in the canyon is moving closer. Beyond that, I see no future. Escape has been impossible and I will die before anyone finds me. I feel strong enough to survive the fear of death, but not my body's need for water. This terrible, growing thirst will drive me crazy.
I now have only a quarter of a liter of water left. I have to make this last as long as possible. I drank at 3:15 pm, just after I finished filming. Then I missed the next drink and decided to save it for later. I'll drink at nine, midnight, three and six in the morning, but I'll take even smaller sips.
The mosquitoes have found me. There are several at my feet and some drinking the blood on the canyon wall. I kill five or six as they circle around my head. Can I eat them, I wonder? Even if I could, it wouldn't be enough to keep me alive. I go back to waiting. It seems colder than the night before. I start chipping at the boulder just to keep warm.
36 hrs 15 mins
9:00 pm
Night has fallen. The mosquitoes have gone. The sky above is beautiful: clear with bright stars. But clear skies mean lower temperatures. I must do something to cover more of my body. I tie the camera bag around my left arm. Then I tie webbing around my right arm and put rope around each of my legs. I do the same for my right arm, using webbing. I put rope around each leg. It looks funny and I can't help smiling.
I begin my routine of standing and sitting. Most of my body feels warmer, but I'm still shaking because my head and neck are cold. I decide to put the plastic rope bag over my head. I keep the far end open to let fresh air in. I lay my head against the boulder. I still can't sleep but at least I'm warmer.
The long, boring hours of the night pass slowly by. Finally, the sky grows lighter. Today, it's a dirty white color. I wonder if they are clouds. Clouds at night are good because they trap the day's heat in the canyon, but clouds during the day are bad because the sun doesn't warm the air. There's also the chance of a storm.
Slowly the pale sky turns bright blue. It's going to be hot again. As always, the light and warm air make me want to do something. I try and lift the boulder again by pushing down on the rope with my feet. This doesn't work either and I feel suddenly hopeless. What more can I do?
No voice inside my head suggests anything useful. All I see in my mind are pictures of the food and drink left on the floor of my truck. I think again about amputating my arm. I didn't try hard enough the last time. I need to be brave and try again. I put on the tourniquet and make it tight.
When everything is ready, I try to cut through the skin of my arm with the longer knife. I push hard but the skin doesn't break. Then, over the same area, I use the shorter, sharper knife. But even that doesn't work. It's still not sharp enough to do the job. All I have for the time I've spent on this is a long red line across my right arm. I take off the tourniquet and go back to waiting.
47 hrs 30 mins
8:15 am
The raven appears. I check my watch. It has arrived at exactly the same time as yesterday. For the first time in two days, I need to urinate. I open my shorts and watch the yellow urine disappear into the sand. I spend most of the day chipping, resting, and counting the minutes before my next drink of water.
54 hrs
2:45 pm
It's the middle of the afternoon and time to film again. Filming has now become a part of my daily routine. I turn on the camcorder. 'Hi, everyone. It's Monday, April the 28th. I'm still trapped. I've been here for exactly forty-eight hours. That's two whole days with no sleep and very little water. I now have only about one-eighth of a liter left.'
I continue with a message to my sister, Sonja. She is getting married in the autumn. I tell her how proud I am of her and send her my love and best wishes. I finish filming at 3:35 pm. It's strange but I feel the need to urinate again. This time, my second voice tells me not to urinate on the ground. Save it, Aron. It will soon be all you have to drink. It's good advice. I urinate into the CamelBak. The urine is now a dark orange color. The other urine was clearer. Why didn't I save it?
57 hrs 15 mins
6:00 pm
It's early evening. Sunlight shines off the bottom of thin clouds high above me. I hope they will stay and keep the heat in the canyon. But as time passes, it seems to grow colder. My water won't last much longer. Soon, I will have to start drinking urine.
