I have decided that saying I have a healthy respect for heights is way better than saying…in certain circumstances…I am well really 😱 scared of them!
In Camino Forum postings the question about height exposure on various walks is very common. In the 3,000 kms I walked so far I can’t recall a time when this concern was an issue for me…it has been in the past as you will see below.
In thinking of when I am really 🥵 of heights the common theme is sharp drops on one side and either the same on the other or a wall of sorts… no clear escape route.
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| This hike is NOT in my future! |
If you see me standing near a railing on the second floor at the Winnipeg Concert Hall or on a balcony of any high rise apartment/condo suite you will see my hands comfortably on the railing and my feet close to 2 feet away from the railing. Likely leaning at a 60 or 45 degree angle 😂.
The Camino Primitivo and Camino Salvador are both mountainous routes involving significant ascents/descents however I have not seen anything out of the ordinary. I expect I will do just fine. 😊
On the Camino Primitivo route there is a glorious day involving the Hospitales route. It is highly recommended however it is clear that this route is not safe in poor weather…listen to the locals is what everyone says which is what we will do! A few pictures of what I hope to see…
A few examples of past brushes with developing a “Healthy Respect for Height”
Skydiving 🪂 Almost
Many years ago a friend invited me to “observe” some parachute jumping at Gimli Manitoba…I don’t recall asking what she meant by “observing” 😳
Once there it finally clicked that I was going up in a small peanut sized plane with 2/3 other people who were actually jumping! Geez…before I knew it a parachute had been strapped on my back.
I remember asking about my reserve parachute as the others had one…I did NOT! I was told “don’t worry you won’t be jumping”!
What if the plane runs out of gas…the pilot faints…we smuck a flock on birds…the engine quits…winds whip this small plane upside down… etc etc. Even more important what if I get the sudden urge to jump too😂. I thought I should have a reserve parachute…no fair!
I don’t know how high the plane went…felt like 100,000 feet…the plane banked…a door swung open and 1,2,3 the jumpers left me behind. I was hanging on for dear life to some internal metal plane part to ensure I would not be sucked out of the plane!
Reflecting on the reserve parachute I think it was best that I did not have one. Had there been a problem requiring me to jump having one parachute would make things simpler…one cord to pull.
Anyone who knows me well can easily foresee what could have happened with two parachutes…immediately forget which cord to pull as I was not paying attention at instruction time…panicked…pulled every cord I could find…resulting in both parachutes trying to deploy at the same time and getting all tangled up so…splat!
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| Why did we give Guy two parachutes 🥵 |
I understand in subsequent years my friend has jumped twice, daughter Jeanne once in New Zealand (after bungee jumping, white water rafting, zorbing etc etc) and son in law Steven has jumped at least twice.
🤔 I am much wiser now…follow instructions well😂 I wonder 😂😊
My Rundle - Banff National Park
In the 80s and 90s my brother Marc and I hiked in the Canadian Rockies whenever we could. Some incredible hikes…many above the tree line on paths winding along ridge tops. No height issues of any significance until…Mt Rundle.
Marc has completed this hike/scramble likely 15-20 times. He sold me on going for it one summer day…I was more than willing…let’s go!
This is a really tough hike…the toughest I have ever done…1,600 metres elevation gain and 11 km to the summit.
However the most difficult part is the rock scramble near the top and a section called the Dragon’s Back. Here is what one writer wrote about the Dragon’s Back.
“Riding the Dragon’s Back
The ridge seemed about 10m across with drop-offs of hundreds of metres to either side.
I clung to loose rock helplessly. Step, slide, step, slide. I tried to not slip off the dragon as the steep angle pulled me down.
My calves burned, a light breeze tossed my hair to one side. My body felt completely exposed and vulnerable up there. One good gust and I’d be over the side.”Now this is where my issues with heights came full force and essentially caused me to crumble 🥵. First of all one is really tired by the time you get to the Dragon’s Back so even starting to cross is really tough.
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| Dragons’s Back - does not capture that this goes uphill! |
Marc believes this section is likely no more than 4 meters wide…major drop offs on both sides…and 20 - 30 meters long.
I was terrified I admit…somehow I made it through the Dragon’s Back however when I looked back I completely froze. My body and mind simply stopped moving and I sat down and told Marc to go on…likely only had 15 minutes or so to the top.
My recollection of making my way down is a blur… I think I shimmied down on my bum. Abject defeat that day!
A couple of years later I asked Marc if we could try it again. I could visualize what to expect and felt ready to give it a go. This time success! What an incredible feeling to have overcome this fear! I will never do it again however I did it once!
That night we celebrated... pasta and beer 🍺 never tasted anything so good!
Nepal 1996
Three week trip of a lifetime with my Dad and brother Marc trekking in the Khumbu Valley in Nepal. Stops in Kathmandu and Hong Kong along with 200 kms of walking over mountainous terrain.
We were part of a 9 person Canadian group associated with Everest Trekking Canada. I think there were 30 or so porters setting up tents, carrying gear, cooking etc.
Dad was 74 and the oldest trekker Everest Trekking Canada had taken to that point…he walked every single kilometre…not always a happy camper though 😂. Early in the trip Merv the trek leader commented to Marc and me “Dad’s a little crusty at times isn’t he” Oh man did we laugh…welcome to our world Merv! 😂.
Heights were a major major concern pre trip…after all this is the Himalayas…the highest elevation we walked was 14,500 metres. Dad kept telling folks at his retirement home that he was halfway up Everest…true except we were about 35 kms away!
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| Mt Everest in center behind Nupse Wall |
Both bridges and hiking trails were often a little unnerving however once we got going…learning a few tricks we did just fine!
A few trail and bridge pictures will provide some perspective. Meeting Yak trains was the biggest concern as you have no choice but to get out of the way! In the second picture the high trails to Phortse the trick is to shimmy up the slope and let the yaks pass…NEVER go down!
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| Phortse High Trail |
Zip Lining Whistler
In 2011 Dawn had a work conference in Whistler BC and I got to tag along as the token spouse…really rough for me. 😊
There were a number of activities that conference participants could attend in between sessions like…cycling along easy paths…zip lining on the highest such zip line in Canada etc.
Well…I was getting ready to cycle however Dawn suggested why not zip line? I went WHAT! Are you kidding me?
So off we went zip lining…Eagles Nest tour which was a series of 5 zip lines perched high up in the trees overlooking incredibly deep valleys.
By the time we had walked up to the first platform we were both pooped…man was it high. Looking over the platform edge I almost fainted!
So before I knew it I was strapped in and told it was my turn to leap over the edge and hope like h*ll the harness and cable don’t snap. We must have been at least 30,000 feet high…I am sure I saw a commercial jet liner fly under me.
It was an incredible experience to go zip line over the valley and stop on the platform on the other side! I had survived!
The next 3 zip lines became significantly easier…a fantastic experience! Then we reached the last one.
Dawn and I were standing in the platform and a young guy says “Hey do you want to do something exciting…different?” I blurted out or think I did “What do you think we have been doing so far buddy? Out for a picnic stroll?”.
He turns to Dawn and says that many flip upside down on their last zip line. Picture this… head towards the valley floor…bum pointing to the sky. Are you crazy man?
Well Dawn was at this time diving back home with a local club…she says “Sure”. I almost collapsed at that point…sure enough she pivots perfectly and off Dawn goes.
Now it’s my turn 😳😅🥹 and the young guy has what I would consider to be a smirk 😏 on his face. Damn what do I do? Well I thought…as good a place as any to go splat.
Somehow I managed some kind of flip…looking down at the valley floor way below and made it across!
Years later at our daughter Lise’s wedding in Jamaica we went zip lining again…have to say not as much fun. Equipment etc seemed a bit sketchy!
That's it for Heights...looking into the future very interested in a multi year walk along The Wales Coastal Path...now there would be some serious height exposure along cliff tops! On to the next planning blog focused on Language Issues.
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