You always see the triumphant urban explorer selfie videos on top of construction cranes and radio antennas but rarely do you see when these missions fail. I have often wondered if this one sided portrayal of urban exploring would lead to unqualified people getting in over their heads in search of internet celebrity. This is what this failed explorer had to say about his mission:
“After exploring the Fairmont hotel in Vancouver for overnight, my final plan was to climb the rubber cable so I can reach to the top of the building… And I fell… Now you see why I discourage people from climbing structures in dangerous settings. It is very lucky that I am able to live freely without any permanent injuries from the accident. If you’re going to do this, you should really assess your reasons. Risking your life for fame or adrenaline rush is just shallow. But there are no right or wrong reasons. It is for you to decide. If you want to sacrifice your freedom or life to create an art for the humanity, then so be it.
After the fall, Kalen lifted me onto my feet and we were able to casually walk out of the hotel at around 7 am. I didn’t realize at that time of how broken my body was, so we took a cab back to my apartment. Kalen stopped a cab because I was too f###ed up to do so, and I crawled in onto the back seat, unable to sit. When we got back home I took a nap for about 3 hours only to wake up to a pain tenfold of what it was initially so I went to the hospital. I had broken my right arm and my left shoulder, and I also sustained some minor spinal injuries. The stay in the hospital was quite enjoyable. The nurses were nice and I was in a comfortable coma. I was excited for my first morphine experience, but they fed me a very shitty morphine…”
This kid seems pretty satisfied with himself so he has that going for him. Common sense goes a long way in life. Lets exercise it and know our limitations to avoid incidents like this.
