127 hours

Hiker Staged His Own 127 Hours Sequel

While watching 127 Hours is probably enough to prevent some people from ever venturing into the great outdoors again, Amos Wayne Richards had the opposite reaction. The 64-year-old North Carolina man was so inspired by the James Franco vs. nature showdown in Utah’s Little Blue John Canyon that he decided to brave the trail himself. However, he apparently failed to learn the film’s most important lesson: Always tell someone where you are going. (You thought it was “be grateful for what you have,” didn’t you?) So, when Richards ended up falling ten feet and shattering his leg during the exact trek depicted in the movie, it took a search party four days (96 hours) to find him: “Without cellphone service and only 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 painstakingly retraced his steps, eventually dragging himself almost five miles.” Luckily, park rangers had come across the hiker’s unattended campsite and were looking for him via helicopter; once rescued, Richards was treated for dehydration and a broken leg. Of course — as park ranger Denny Ziemann probably never thought he would have to tell the post–127 Hours world — it could have been much worse. “We make a lot of rescues of people,” Ziemann said. “But we usually know where they are. They were either hiking with somebody and got hurt, or if they were hiking alone, they told people where they were going.” Sure, but those people aren’t real fans, now are they? [LAT]

Hiker Staged His Own 127 Hours Sequel