The sheer face of Half Dome loomed over us. We’d arrived at Yosemite Park just a few weeks after a woman fell to her death summiting the peak. Already wary of heights, I wasn’t sure I should attempt the entire climb, but I decided I would go as far as I could, understanding my own limitations.
“Boldness has genius, power and magic in it,” I reminded myself.
The quotation—one of my favorites from German playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe—reminds us to commit fully to our boldest ventures. I’d been talking about adventure all year long, and I was determined to push through my fears, join my friends and hike on an #ExcellentAdventure of our own.
Choose Your Own Adventure
We’d been planning the trip for almost a year, and I’d been inspired by photos taken from Half Dome’s summit. I’d also read about the final 500-foot ascent, which requires climbers to cling to steel cables as they scale the face. Almost 300 people have been injured on Half Dome in the past 15 years, and the National Park Service warns that only experienced hikers should climb it.
As I battled misgivings, I took long hikes in Colorado to prepare for Half Dome. Our team also researched what supplies and equipment to bring. Unlike some of my friends, however, I’m not an experienced climber. I also have a longstanding fear of heights, which several members of my family share for good reason, and I wondered if I’d hold the group back when we approached the summit.
Before I could say yes, I had to reclaim the power we all have, which is to choose our own adventures. I wanted to hike Half Dome, but I also wanted to honor my own needs and the concerns of my family. So, I scaled the adventure to my skill level and promised my family I’d bypass the final 500-foot climb to the summit. That felt like the smart approach for me, my family—and the team.
“Yes, You Can!”
Luckily for me, I’d chosen the best team imaginable. I’ve known some of them since childhood, and our trust level was high. I felt comfortable telling them my fears, as well as what I looked forward to most. The conversation encouraged everyone to share personal goals and say how we could coach and encourage each other.
And that’s exactly what happened.
When we got to a steep point in the hike, I felt my fears take hold. While the others continued, one friend stayed behind and coached me through it step-by-step. “Just look at where you’re putting your feet,” he told me. “Don’t look to the right. Don’t look to the left. One foot at a time. You can do this!”
When I reached “my” summit, which was the sub-dome plateau just before the final ascent, I was tempted to keep going. I discussed it with my friend, and he validated my concerns about potential hazards, listened carefully as I explained the commitment I made to my “closest team”—my family and asked me how I’d feel if I didn’t keep that commitment. My ultimate decision allowed me to celebrate my experience with my family later, knowing I had kept my promise to them.
In the end, I learned how wise this choice was. While I enjoyed the view from my summit, I cheered my friends as they climbed toward theirs. One of the most experienced climbers came down the incline on the outside of the cables on his return journey. I was blown away by his skill and nerve, but, to my surprise, he told me I’d been right not to climb higher. Everything my family feared and I observed during our earlier climb, he said, was exaggerated on the cables. He had experience to draw on having hiked Half Dome 20 years before. Even so, he felt fear and anxiety on the cables this time, and he commended me for my choice.
Climb Every Mountain
So often, we think of adventures as risky leaps into the unknown. What my trip reminded me was that adventures come in all shapes and sizes, and we can scale them to our needs, resources, skills and conditions. In the end, adventures require equal parts head and heart—what I call “smart courage”—to challenge us without harming us.
I hope this year of adventuring has inspired you to climb new heights and explore new vistas. And I hope it’s encouraged you to find co-adventurers who will help you stretch and learn with every step. That’s what reaching the summit truly looks like—and it’s that much more meaningful and fun when you arrive there with others!
Share your #ExcellentAdventures with us on Facebook and Twitter—and remember to keep adventuring in 2020 and beyond!
