127 Hours Page #4

MEGAN:

An illegal instructor.

12.

ARON:

It's hard to get the hours to

qualify. Catch 22.

KRISTI:

Well, we'll sign your time-card

today.

ARON:

Great. Now put your ass on my head.

KRISTI:

Okay but don't look and no grabbing

now, if I do...

MEGAN:

Oh whatever, you love it.

KRISTI:

Shhh!

Aron then quickly slips to the bottom. Megan is way high,

Kristi half way.

ARON:

(at his most instructor-

ish, talking all the time

as he makes his way down)

You'll have to chimney down a

little ways - like here, watch -

one foot on each wall then squat

onto your right heel, now your

butt's on the wall, so you can move

your right foot across, now put

your left foot under your butt

lower down and scootch your butt

down - watch that black part, it's

slick, slime, try not to get it on

your shoes - if you can get to

these bomber handholds here it's

like an elevator shaft and just

think friction to control the

slide. This is a keeper so always

have someone at the bottom to boost

you out.

He looks up to them.

MEGAN:

I didn't understand any of that.

EXT. CONJUNCTION OF BLUE JOHN CANYON, WEST FORK, EAST FORK.

LATER IN THE DAY. 2PM-ISH

They come to a clear fork in the paths. He watches them turn

their map round and round.

13.

MEGAN (CONT'D)

Kristi, I think this is our way

back.

ARON:

Why don't you come with me to the

Big Drop Rappel? I can give you a

lift back to your car.

KRISTI:

How far is it?

He shows them on the map.

ARON:

About another 8 miles or so, I

think.

MEGAN:

You'll never get out before dark.

ARON:

No, I really got to do this. Anyway

I've my miner's lamp.

MEGAN:

You don't climb at night, do you?

ARON:

No, it's great for seeing snakes in

hand holds. Can I get a picture

then?

They pose with raven feathers in their hair.

ARON (CONT'D)

Listen, my friends are having a

party tomorrow night. You should

come.

KRISTI:

Yeah, we'd like that. What time?

MEGAN:

Where?

ARON:

Drive on the east road and about 40

miles out there's a huge inflatable

Scooby Doo. You can't miss it.

Turn off and it's about 2 miles

down that track. Starts late and

it'll go right thru.

Lots of cheek kissing and his last picture of them...

14.

KRISTI:

Come on Aron, hike out with us -

we'll go get your truck, hang out

and have a beer.

ARON:

No, I really got to do this.

KRISTI:

Okay. Scooby Doo, yeah?

ARON:

That's the one. I'll have 3 cold

beers waiting for us.

MEGAN:

12 cold beers!

CUT TO:

EXT. CANYON FORK. DAY. POV VARIOUS.

And they separate down 2 different canyons shouting to each

other...'hot dogs!...'vegetarian hot dogs!'.... 'so that's 12

cold beers and 9 vegetarian hotdogs!'...'.. I really can't

eat all these vegetarian hotdogs by myself... never mind, yes

I can!'... the last of the dialogue fading away as they lose

earshot of each other and we pull up out high over the

meandering slits of sandstone...

CUT TO:

EXT. MAIN BLUE JOHN CANYON. DAY.

Aron alone ... they are gone ... he picks up the pace as he

checks his watch... he loved them but now he's behind

schedule and he's ruthless about his schedule...

CUT TO:

EXT. HIGH ABOVE ARON. BLUE JOHN CANYON. DAY.

His sense of momentum is established again and it's clear

he's moving downhill, into the fissure of the rock.

CUT TO:

EXT. BLUE JOHN CANYON. DAY.

Without warning his feet suddenly slide forward from under

him and he skates/snap-kicks trying to keep his balance on a

floor of scattering pebbles left there by a flood. There's a

flash of the sky and dazzling sunlight.

15.

Only his arms and the proximity now of the walls prevent him

landing hard on his ass.

CUT TO:

EXT. C/U. DAY.

A small snake slithers away from his giant feet.

CUT TO:

EXT. BLUE JOHN CANYON. DAY.

ARON:

Easy Aron, easy now.

He keeps moving, descending still, but a little more

circumspect. He lets the change of pace allow him to whip

round his pack and with the practice of thousands of times

selects and plays a CD without stopping, slipping the

headphones over his head.

CUT TO:

INT. RUCKSACK. PORTABLE CD PLAYER.

We see the CD begin to spin: the display tells us there's

38:
47 to play before 0:01 appears.

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