Just to be clear, unless you're a pilot who's tested the edges of our atmosphere or an astronaut, airplanes are exempt. Many of us have traveled by air and looked down.
That's something different than standing on top of a building or rock climbing to an incredible panaromic view.
I think that a fear of heights is a large part of being afraid to fly, but the lack of control accounts for some of it as well.
When you climb or go up a tall building, you always have the option of turning around and going back down. Although I will say, I've been in situations where going back down wasn't as easy as climbing up.
The World Trade Center
It's hard to include this one. I almost didn't, but it's the tallest building I've ever stood at the top of. A memory that deserves to be mentioned, I decided, in honor of all the victims that terrible day.
I was 12 years old and traveling with 3 buses full of Boy Scouts. We had recently participated in the 1984 Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort AP Hill, Virginia (not West Virginia) 😁.
We stayed in NYC for about 3 or 4 days before our final flight back to the west coast. I'll tell you one thing, standing on top of the World Trade Center was a trip. We had to run for it because we (I) tried to throw a paper airplane off the top.
Before we went derelict, I stood inside and leaned on the glass windows that angle forward so you can look down to the street below. Cars looked like ants and people were specks. After a few seconds of that, I had to get away.
Rock Climbing In Joshua Tree
A group of friends camped in the high desert many years back. We partied all night then hit the trailhead in the morning. This took us to a gradual rock formations that ended up going on for miles.
As we hiked we climbed until we reached a small plateau. Continuing onward was possible but difficult at best and we needed to have a stopping point anyway.
Some of us, I won't say whom, may have indulged in some hallucinogens.
This high plateau we were on was up there in elevation. There was a rock pedestal like formation in the middle of a flat area on top. On the far side was a sheer drop of probably 600 feet. It was a good place to sit for a moment and look down.
As we were pondering our existence up there, a tick ran across my buddies leg sitting next to me. We got up and freaked out for a while, checking each other for more.
Then a huge black fly or bee paid us a visit! It chased us around the rock pedestal on the flat area until my friend Jason set his backpack on it. Pinned down on the rock pedestal.
You could hear the angry bugger buzzing under there. We were ready to leave and had to risk its fury to retrieve the backpack. It flew away fast and far, which we were glad for.
Cliff Diving On Catalina Island
I had the opportunity to go camping for a week on Catalina during two different summers growing up. We weren't anywhere near Avalon but on the far side of the Island. It was a large Boy Scout camp in an area called Emerald Bay.
We participated in all sorts of activities, swimming, kayaking, and earning water merit badges being high on the list. A short hike along the coast revealed different coves, one of which had the perfect spot for cliff diving. It was cliff jumping for most of us, in all honesty.
There were two perches we could take the leap from and plenty of water depth below. The lower was likely 45 - 50 feet and the upper maybe 65 feet high. Some of the older scouts jumped the higher perch, but not me.
The force of water on my feet and up my crotch was more than enough for me to handle on the lower landing. There was no way I was jumping from the higher spot which also required some clearance. You had to jump out so you hit the water and not the rocks below. A slip would have led to a tragic event.
The next summer I went there, they wouldn't let us do anymore cliff jumping.
Tell Us Your Highest Tale!!!
Are you deathly afraid of heights? When did you first learn that you were? Perhaps heights don't bother you at all. Are you an iron worker throwing I beams on the top of buildings?
Hope to hear your tall tales in the comments below. Thanks for reading and as always.....
Happy Hiveing!!!
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