TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

"Wolfgang" wrote

While it is certainly true that there are a lot of people who never
get TO, let alone off, the beaten path, there are millions of others
who routinely do **** that makes my hair stand on end. Your
observations on the multitudes of the fearful and inept you encounter
frequently enough to codify their behavior says at least as much about
your habits as theirs.


Most certainly true .... and I "think" I recognize the anxiety in others
because I so often experience it in myself.

I'm not sure exactly what you are saying, but, for the record, I am FAR from
a "tough guy, macho dude." Especially the last few years, as my body fails
me, I find fear to be a constant obstacle to be overcome. I often fail to
fish a stretch, for instance, because I'm aware of my weak wading and weaker
knees and simply am scared. Or, I quit climbing, years ago, for the simple
reason I was too damn scared to do it anymore after a bad fall. Or, I don't
drive down the really muddy, nearly flooded out, canal levies on duck clubs
like I used to. The fear of drowning or even simply having a long, hard
walk back to help stops me. I'm a whush, always have been, don't mean to
seem to imply otherwise.

I do believe a whush is in a good position to understand "whushiness,"
however.

I may be wrong, but I think I'm as entitled to my opinions, developed from
my observations, about ( your words not mine ) "the fearful and inept"
...... as you are to your opinions about me, based, I think it fair to say,
on less actual observation. Neither of us really harms anyone with our
ramblings, so why not ramble?

I think there is a good chance we are both more wrong than we wish to think,
and right more than the other wants to admit.

Oh, and Colin Fletcher who, I believe, was the first person to publish a
description of the details of taking a **** in the backcountry. That
undoubtedly led to better overall backcountry sanitation and, thus, far,
far, outstrips the consequence of any of my personal outdoor activities.

Beat out by a good crap, most of us ain't nearly as important as we'd like
to think G

Larry L:
I often fail to fish a stretch, for instance, because I'm aware of my weak
wading and weaker
knees and simply am scared. Or, I quit climbing, years ago, for the
simple
reason I was too damn scared to do it anymore after a bad fall.

These are common factors that I guess go along with aging and the
recognition that durability is almost as much a myth as invincibility.

I've spent lots of time hiking, camping, climging, skiing,fishing, and
hunting alone. Much of it, I admit, kept me out of the house during a bad
first marriage. But the fear of injury when alone was always there. And in
those days, I would rather have died outdoors doing some higher risk
activity than in the house. The contest was never with companions or others
who had been there before me. It was always with myself, pushing to make
one more goal or one

Fear of injury is always present in humans with normal make up. In combat,
I was far less afraid of death than of injury. I've known quite a few
bona-fide combat heroes who have told me that they felt the same way. The
guys who claimed to have not experienced fear were either mentally ill or
never there to begin with.

Here, wading the flats, it has become much easier to limit the depth to
which I wade. I'd rather not be a statistic and I'd be very embarrased to
admit to dropping and reel to recover from stupidly stepping into a rip or
race.

So if the canyon walls are too sheer and the rock too brittle, the water too
deep and/or fast, I take some comfort in the fact that when younger I dared
such things, but even more in the fact that today I no longer feel the need
to push myself to dare them and still enjoy the trip out.


----
Stev Lenon 91B20 '68-'69
Drowning flies to Darkstar
Save a cow, eat a PETA

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/stevglo/i...age92kword.htm

"slenon" wrote

The contest was never with companions or others
who had been there before me. It was always with myself,


That's exactly how I felt about climbing.

I've been very happy with myself when I backed off a move that logic told me
was too physically risky, even though I was afraid of seeming the coward to
"friends". And, I've been very proud of myself for quieting the physical
fear, forcing the trembling to stop, and making a sanely protected but very
difficult and scary
move.

I've been very displeased with Larry when he came down off a climb that was
reasonably safe and within his ability because he gave into physical fear.
And, I've been ****ed at myself for making a stupidly risky move because I
gave into the fear of peer pressure more than logic. I've never felt good
around mirrors after giving into fear, regardless of what type fear.

I never came even close to "bleeding edge" rock climbing, but I did push my
own limits very hard, and I feel good about having that in my past.

But, as I age, and give into fears that I would never have had when younger,
I am finding it somewhat emotionally difficult to deal with .... but it's
what I now am, ..... I can't pretend to be
otherwise.