The narrator and central figure of Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Aron Ralston wrote and published the book in his late twenties, shortly after his experiences in Bluejohn Canyon.

The book provides an overview of his life to that point, drawing particular attention to how and why he became an outdoor enthusiast, and how he ended up in Bluejohn Canyon. When he was 12, his family moved to Englewood, Colorado, where he took up skiing, backpacking, and more. A 1990 trip to several national parks in Utah left a deep impression on him. Over the next few years, he continued to develop his expertise as a mountain climber and rafting guide, even as he graduated from high school and began college at Carnegie Mellon University, studying engineering and music. Ralston’s love of music, while secondary to his outdoor exploits, manifests in his recollections of attending concerts by his favorite touring bands, such as Phish, as well as his bringing a portable CD player with him on many of his trips.

After graduating, Ralston worked at Intel for several years. At the same time, he continued to pursue his outdoor recreational interests. Eventually, feeling that his job was too restrictive of his time, he quit and moved back to Colorado.