What is it that we fear......

[USAKeller]

On a spiritual side, faith in God drives fears away. .

Well said.

Please let's not tell any of them how easy it is to live in the moment when you're in the mountains.

+1

[spiderman]

I fear that I will get too old and too out of shape to do all the climbs that I want to.

And sheep dogs in the Flat Tops. Those things scare the he** out of me.

That definitely is a big fear for me too. I can no longer keep up with my son if he wants to turn on his afterburners, but usually I still can complete the same set of peaks. Those days are getting numbered. I bonked on Columbia (CO) in May and he had to carry my backpack as I huffed and puffed along the snow covered ridge. I fear that will be happening more often these coming years.

Sheep dogs sure can be ferocious.

[SkaredShtles]

The only thing we have to fear... is fear itself.

I just made that up. Profound, don't you think?

[TomPierce]

Interesting query. My fear? My favorite activity is off trail travel, more remote the better, harder (within reason...) the better. I've also accepted that the number of people who like doing such stuff is limited, and with work/family priorities, my openings to get out may fall on week days. A long way of saying I often go out alone. I actually like it, but my fear? Getting into terrain that looks pretty easy, but nonetheless falling and injuring myself and either knocking myself out or being in such a slot that my beacon won't get out a ping. Don't want to die, of course, and don't want my kids growing up without me. I have a lot monologues about that issue on the harder peaks . Always a balance between ambition and caution.

-Tom

[douglas]

The only thing we have to fear... is fear itself.

I just made that up. Profound, don't you think?

[12ersRule]

^ Is that the same company that does the 'I pooped today" shirts?

Also, this thread may or may not be helpful to the OP:

http://www.14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 2&p=612317" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[rpdawes]

I fear that I will get too old and too out of shape to do all the climbs that I want to.

So you're saying you are afraid of me??? <smile>

I fear me 3 years from now. Of course, I feared that 3 years ago. I'll be 67 in 4 days.

To me, age is never a factor in my efforts to summit solo as many 14ers and 13ers as I can. I am a decade your senior. So far this summer, I have slept well in the woods at the 12,000 ft level 4 times without a tent or a bivy while some wild animals probably were roaming. I started my climbing adventures at age 73 and am still going strong. I will continue climbing without unhealthy fears until I drop dead. I am well prepared to die in the mountains. That beats dying in a nursing home. Mind triumphs over matter!

[MtnLover]

As far as reaching summits are concerned, I have no fears. I spent a lot of time in my younger days letting fear stop me from doing things I wanted to try. That is now a thing of the past. I do everything in my power to plan for and be prepared for whatever it is I decide I want to do. If I have done those 2 things then anything else is out of my control so why spend time worrying about it and let it take my joy away.

[powhound]

However, at the moment I'm on blood thinners, so I fear bleeding! LOL My doctor told me to bring super glue and a tourniquet with me on hikes "Just in case". He knows me too well.

After two backcountry bleeding incidents that just missed major arteries (one to a friend and one to me), I now carry one of these https://www.rei.com/product/869098/adve ... sponge-25g" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. It gives me some peace of mind, but I would be curious to hear from anyone who has actually used it, to see if it works as advertised.

[DeTour]

After two backcountry bleeding incidents that just missed major arteries (one to a friend and one to me), I now carry one of these https://www.rei.com/product/869098/adve ... sponge-25g" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. It gives me some peace of mind, but I would be curious to hear from anyone who has actually used it, to see if it works as advertised.

Scroll to the end of this TR: http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepor ... ki=Include" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I thought there was a thread on the same topic (clotting sponges) after the incident described in the TR, but I'm not finding it now. Opened my eyes to that particular risk, and I now carry a similar product.

[fleetmack]

falling/tumbling rocks (boulders)

[TallGrass]

Given a day of good weather and a mtn within our abilities, what is it that you/us/we fear or are afraid of having happen to us during our hike? Does fear even enter the equation? As the weather and difficulty increase, do your/our fears change?

Nothing, no, and not really. For the first two, I don't see what one would have to fear about ideal conditions. For the last, I wouldn't call it fear rather less-fun or more-suck but you know you'll get through even if there's added discomfort. There are other times when you're more alert like leading 5th class with run out, but you're executing your plan which is something fear lacks. I agree that getting a move on helps to calm, just like those pre-race jitters fade away with the starting gun.

As far as changing weather, I topped out Eolus in the fog/clouds of dusk not knowing if I'd make it back to the saddle where my headlamp (in my pack) was before dark. The sun had set when I did but I was able to find it as my eyes had adjusted. During the downclimb I began playing the "what if" game. "What if I don't get to my head lamp before dark?" "What if I lose the cairn trail?" "What if I get off route?" "What if the fog gets thicker limiting visibility to ten feet?" These were not fears, rather problems to think up solutions for as I played beat-the-clock in my down scramble. "I can just let my eyes adjust (I actually like hiking lampless at night at times)." "I can traverse to the ridge and run it as directly as possible to the catwalk." After passing others, "I could wait for them to come back from the summit (spoiler: they left their pack with their 'real' lamps at the saddle too) and follow them." "I could chill and wait for the clouds to move on. I had a mental map of the features I should be re-encountering as I doubled back." The fog lingered, I found my way back, got my lamp and pack, and went on for North Eolus in thicker fog half uncertain I summited until I saw the ridge the next day and spotted my turnaround point beyond it. A memorable pair of summits, not that I recommend doing them that way though.