Dave Miller was free-hand rock climbing out of Morrison, Colorado.  Free-hand rock climbing is done without gear of any kind—no crampons, no ropes, no safety harness—just one’s hands and feet.  Dave’s philosophy was that “if you’re not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”

The first rule of free-hand rock climbing is that you always maintain three points of contact with the face of the rock.

With his right hand Dave reached up and grabbed hold of a rock protruding from the face of the cliff and tested it.  It seemed firm.  He had a good handhold for his left hand, and a place for one foot.  The other foot dangled in space.

At that point Dave was in compliance with the first rule of rock climbing.  It was also at that point that he violated it.  The one foot had nowhere to go, and the left hand needed to find a new and higher point of contact.  As his left hand released its secure hold to move higher, his right hand was required to support more weight.  The rock he’d just tested with the right hand gave way, and suddenly Dave was plunging toward earth, face down from a height of 65-70 feet.  He could see the ground approaching, and there was no way, nor was there time, to do anything to change his position.  A physicist later calculated that in just 2.18 seconds he was going to hit the ground going 50 miles per hour.  He was going to do it face first.  The prospect was grim, indeed.

At the last moment Dave says that an unseen force hit him—like two hands striking him in the shoulders—which had the effect of pushing him upright.  He landed on his feet, toppled onto his knees, then onto his forehead, which impact caused him to rebound backward into a standing position.  It was then that his left leg crumpled, giving him multiple fractures including a heel bone that broke in half.

But he was alive!  He was grateful.  Something had intervened to prevent a tragedy and his early exit from this life.