Aron Ralston speaks Wednesday during the American Red Cross Hometown Heroes luncheon at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Ralston was trapped for 127 hours in a canyon, and had to remove his arm to free himself.

Aron Ralston, the outdoor adventurer known for cutting off his right arm when it became trapped by a boulder, spoke today at the American Red Cross Hometown Heroes Luncheon.

He told the packed crowd at the Chattanooga Convention Center that it was the first time since a family vacation a quarter century ago that he's been to Chattanooga.

"It's the first time in 25 years since I've been here," he said.

Ralston recounted his experiences of hiking through the desert of Utah in April 2003, then entering a canyon where a boulder fell on his arm. After being trapped under the boulder for six days, he cut the arm off with a dull knife.

He wrote a book called "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" and was the subject of the major motion picture, "127 Hours," starring James Franco.

Ralston said today that he never grows tired of recounting the experience.

"I'm still growing from it," he said.

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