Prompt #29 The Greater than Human World

July 2022

Hi Friends,

Being outdoors fills me with joy and wonder. But also, some of my most frightening experiences have happened outdoors. I broke my arm mountain biking and had to hike two miles out, soaking wet (I fell in a creek), with my bone sticking out of my arm. I fell into a creek backcountry skiing, and I was nearly buried in snow. Writing these experiences makes me realize I need to stay away from creeks! But also, I have set off avalanches, evacuated from mudslides (I wrote about that here and the story also appears in Bad Tourist), and been frozen in terror with vertigo on too many cliff edges. I love to ski and hike, and yet I’m terrified of heights. And I’m clumsy (I’m too embarrassed to tell you how many bones). I love to backpack and backcountry ski tour, yet I’m terrible with directions and always get lost. I’m a travel writer who is afraid of (and so hates) flying.

What about you? Do you have fears or limitations that have made outdoor travel difficult (or impossible)?