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

[oldschool]

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?

I find the subject interesting if for no other reason than our fears vs. the real objective fears can be so far apart.

I am reminded of a line in a movie....."danger is real but fear is a choice"

[hessma]

For me, fear is largely a function of the unknown. I've spent a significant amount of time working on flight decks in the Navy, climbing on wind turbines, and tooling around on hydro dam projects. These are all highly safety driven activities due to the nature of the work, and we trained constantly for what to do in case of an accident or unexpected event.

Despite the training, my level of "fear" always seemed to spike prior to any activity, when I was just thinking about what would happen (the unknown). It seemed to subside more once I was engaged and actively participating in any activity.

Experience also has a direct impact on fear for me. Repetition and a healthy understanding of the variables tends to alleviate my fears.

[susanjoypaul]

This is a common theme among many motivational speakers and their self-help guides: How to stop worrying about the past and fearing for the future so you can free your mind to live in the moment. Mindfulness...presence...whatever you want to call it, it's a hot thing right now.

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

[rpdawes]

On a spiritual side, faith in God drives fears away. On a physical side, knowledge and understanding of what things do help build up self-confidence which alleviate fears. For example, some people are scared of snakes and bees because they think that those creatures would bite or sting without a good reason. Only if they understand what they can do, they would leave them alone and their fears are gone.

[Mark A Steiner]

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

Well said.

[SoCool]

Most of us feel some degree of fear at times due to the natural instincts that we possess from evolving on a planet with a brutal system called "Survival of the Fittest." A few natural fears, which keep us safe, include spiders and snakes, bad weather, and THE DARK- because we can become prey to other animals. If a person spends enough time outdoors, these fears may fade, which can be a good thing but only to a certain point.

Every time we leave civilization, there are risks that we manage. An essential part of mountaineering is self-sufficiency, and an essential benefit of mountaineering is the confidence that comes from overcoming ones fears. Edmund Hillary said, "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."

And I agree with the OP that sometimes we surmount something that turns out to be nowhere near as scary as it was in our imagination. This knowledge can help us through many things in life.

[BuckTurgidson]

Making a bad decision.

[Scott P]

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.

[Jay521]

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 being me??? <smile>

[KentonB]

Given the constraints of the OP (good weather and a mountain within our ability)... I tend to fear rattlesnake bites at low-elevation, mountain lions at mid-elevation, and rockfall at high-elevation.

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.

[Flips]

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.

[bmcqueen]

Hubris.