Altitude Adjustment
Sometimes it’s mind over very tall matter
Story by Patricia Kutza
They had every right to feel anxious.
Butch Cassidy and his sidekick the Sundance Kid had evaded capture countless times and now it seems they had met their Waterloo — In the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Butch (played by Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (played by Robert Redford), in hot pursuit by a relentless posse, reach the edge of a towering cliff. Far below them lies a canyon full of raging waters and they must jump to once again escape capture. Butch orders Sundance to jump “Now!” Sundance cries “But I can’t even swim!” Butch yells “Swim? The fall itself will probably kill ya!”
Channeling Butch Cassidy
Paragliders, hikers, cyclists or sailors — if they do it long enough — will eventually meet that Butch Cassidy moment when they must face their fear of heights. It can come when they knowingly plan a trip that includes scaling tall mountains or cycling steep inclines. Or as is the case with A.J. Frazier, a deckhand educator aboard the Matthew Turner — the Sausalito-based 132 foot Tall Ship that offers experiential maritime education through the non-profit Call of the Sea — it can unexpectedly show its gnarly self.
Climbing heights for a living
Even for Frazier who climbs heights for a living. An aerialist by trade — she also runs Mexico-based Jungle Arts and Entertainment — hanging out on Turner’s yards can still be a challenge. These yards, the horizontal spars that hold the square sails on the foremast, require her to climb at minimum 50 feet above its deck. There she may be needed to furl or unfurl sails or do repairs and maintenance.
“Especially in a nautical environment,” she says, “sometimes it’s a matter of forcing myself to do it. I take deep breaths, slow down my ascent and descent and trust that my body is going to do what I have trained it to do.”
When it comes to training the Call of the Sea’s students, Frazier adheres to its school policy. “If any of our students don’t feel comfortable going up the mast, we respect their wishes and don’t force them to do so.” But if they really show an interest in overcoming their fear of heights, Frazier says it boils down to pushing themselves to do it.
It’s a conversation one must have with oneself. Frazier says that her own sense of trust in her ability to make these ascents is grounded in her relationship to risk. She essentially uses a benefit/risk equation that helps her accept the risk while knowing that the worst could happen. To tip that scale more towards the benefit side, Frazier also first does an assessment of the most efficient ways to do the tasks that necessitate her hanging out on the rigging.
Mixing pep talk with preparation
World traveler and author Susan Alcorn, whose hikes have included Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Whitney, the Nifty Ninety Peaks (San Francisco Bay Area) and the Pacific Crest Trail, uses a similar method. While she is prone to avoid a short hike that looks risky, Alcorn preps for a long hike by identifying likely physical obstacles. She then figures out how to manage them “because I want to finish the trail I’ve started.”
Alcorn uses a combination of cognitive reasoning and the advice of her trusted hiking partner, her husband Ralph, to manage her anxieties about crossing tricky passages.
“Sometimes I consider the fact that thousands have made it before. Ralph, who is both cautious and, compared to me, fearless, reminds me of what I have done before and helps me figure out the safest way to meet the new challenge,” she says.
Crossing the Knife’s Edge or bust
As a case in point, Alcorn describes their experience hiking a challenging stretch on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), a 2,650-mile-long National Scenic Trail that stretches from the border of Mexico to just inside the border of Canada. Along the way, hikers traverse some of the highest points of California, Oregon, and Washington — the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades.
“In 2010, my Ralph and I were doing the last section of the PCT — 472 miles through Washington State. That section included hiking through Goat Rocks Wilderness. My concerns were crossing Packwood Glacier, which was on a slope, and then going across The Knife’s Edge. I worried about this stretch from the time I first learned about it (a year before!) This section is about two miles long. The path is narrow and rocky, is exposed (no trees or shrubs), and is just below a ridge with steep drop-offs on both sides.”
“On the Packwood Glacier, I followed Ralph stepping in his footprints and relying on my hiking poles. When we came to the Knife’s Edge, it looked like it was not as scary as I had imagined it to be. However, partway across, there was a place where the path became even narrower and there weren’t any higher rocks on either side. I froze.
“Ralph gave me a pep talk — that I could do it without falling because I managed to walk down our hallway every day without falling. Granted there are differences, but it was enough for me to put my fears into perspective!”
Using mind over a very tall matter
Perspective can go a long way to bridging the gap between paralyzing fear and mindful response. Deckhand Frazier shares the advice Turner’s bosun once told her: “You want to retain some of that fear. It helps you stay aware of your surroundings and that helps you feel more safe.” While it may not have eventually saved Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, it’s advice worth saving for the rest of us.
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More about the Call of the Sea
The Call of the Sea offers a wide range of programs that are a great fit for students who want to get hands-on experience navigating and sailing a large vessel. There are also community-based options that include day and overnight sails.
More about Susan Alcorn
Susan Alcorn is the author of several hiking books. Her latest is Walk, Hike, Saunter: Seasoned Women Share Tales and Trails, which is based on her interviews with 32 women hikers, all 45 years old or more, who challenge many stereotypes about what older women can do.
