Falling

[Billy]

Lately I've been dreaming about falling. So last week while in Chicago I decided to poke the tiger in the cage, and I took the elevator up to the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower. It's now officially known as the Willis Tower, but nobody calls it that. Anyway, on the sky deck, they've recently installed some enclosed glass platforms that extend about 4 feet past the outer wall of the building.

This is what it looks like to see the ground 1350 feet below your feet.

And here's a side view of one of these things.

So where are the worst places to fall while hiking in the Whites or the ADKs, or anywhere for that matter? In the Whites, these quickly come to mind: Bondcliff, Frankenstein cliff, Mt Willard, Square Ledge, parts of Huntington and Tuckerman Ravines. What are other good ones? These are the types of places I like to visit. Thanks.

 

[--M.]

Yes, Bondcliff, somewhat, and the Webster cliffs, yes, but by and large, the Whites seem pretty benign to me (just a hiker, not a climber).

Also, Gothics in the DAKs has some cool views, but not too scary (haven't done Saddleback yet).

Now, what totally scared the distractions out of me was Yosemite's Half-Dome, no leash, including descending on the outside of the cables to get past log-jammed traffic. WAY more exposure than I had ever had before. I went back the next year with a swami belt and just basked in the difference. Plus, there were so few people on, I could literally just stand there and look out. The first time through, though, I felt death breathing right on me, every step a no-fall zone, the exertion multiplying the effect. It was an incredible rush to reach the top, but bought too dear (in my subjective book).

A fantasy, though, would be to go back with a parachute and BASE-jump the edge. I know that's a distinct no-no there, but I think it would be fun (theoretically, not like Homer Simpson) to go through all that ascent and then just fly off the top. As it was, I crawled to the edge on my belly and peered over.

I have moderate fear of heights, and have enjoyed 'poking the tiger' throughout. Tripyramids was a blast!

 

[nartreb]

Within the Whites, the Old Man site on top of Cannon Cliff is hard to beat. Short bushwhack from the trail to a spot with something like 1000 feet of vertical drop.

The top of Cathedral ledge is pretty good too if you don't mind being in a spot that's easy to reach by road.

On a smaller scale but a more traditional kind of hiking, there are a few trailside precipices in the Baldface-Royce range (Evans notch).

Then there's Baxter: Katahdin's Knife Edge. The Owl. The closed trail on the North Slide of Mt OJI (not a cliff, but you really don't want to slip.)

Slab slides generally, especially the ones that are too steep to be official trails.

Elsewhere in the East: the Gunks, of course. It's not easy to get to the best spots without technical climbing, but there's a nontechnical scramble up Bonticou Crag that will give you a good flavor. Also there's a road up Skytop, which is private property but you can visit.

Edit to add: Whitewall or Zeacliff ledges. The south end of the loop on top of Rattlesnake Mountain (Rumney).

 

[DougPaul]

One way to learn to control one's fear of heights is to learn to rock climb. (You probably don't need to learn to lead--following or top roping may be enough.) You first learn to trust the rope--it protects you from injury if you fall. Then you learn the mind-control to turn off the fear of heights. (Such techniques as don't look below your feet, focus on what you need to do not the exposure, etc.)

At least that is how it worked for me...

More recently after 20 years off from climbing, I hiked up Angel's Landing (Zion NP). The route is very narrow and very exposed on both sides (there is a handrail)--much scarier than the Knife Edge. Fortunately I was able to recall the climbing mindset which made it much easier.

EDIT
* Route description: http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-angels-landing-trail.htm
* The route goes up the switchbacks and follows the ridge to the right (orange rock) and away from the camera to the Landing (also orange rock). 1200 ft of exposure on one side and 800 ft on the other. The white rock (Great White Throne) is on the other side of the valley. http://www.zionnational-park.com/images/album2/pages/angels-landing-fg_jpg.htm
* More pics (including details of the "interesting" sections): http://www.zionnational-park.com/images/album2/index10.htm

Doug

 

[dug]

For several years, I would have a variation of the same dream where I fell off Bondcliff. I hiked with my dog at the time, and in the dream, she always found a way around the cliffs and made her way to me at the bottom, banged up. She once did a similar trick after I fell down the Owl's Head slide. I probably had the dream two dozen times, but had not been on top of Bondcliff for 15 years while I was having this dream.

So, I eventually made my way back up there, just me and my dog, and we rested on top of the cliffs during the night. Sure enough, I found myself in virtually the exact spot, standing on the edge of the cliffs with my dog running around. I actually expected to fall.

I took two steps back.

 

[Craig]

My dreams of falling always included being naked. I've always wondered what that was all about.

When the sky walk, at the Grand Canyon, opened a couple years ago I took my daughters to check it out.
I don't particularly have an issue with heights but moving around that glass walkway freaked me out a bit.
Additionally, they made you wear surgical booties to protect the glass surface.

In the Whites I like the exposure from the top of the Captain.

 

[paul ron]

I've always wondered, with all the time it takes to finally hit the ground, what does one think about on the way down?

Should I land on my head or my feet, land on a car or a person? Will it make any difference? What will I feel when I come crashing into the concrete at terminal velocity?.. will I reach that speed at all?.. will I have butterflies on the way down n can't even breath? Will I scream like on a roller coaster?

Lots of questions.. too many questions, too much time!

.

 

[erugs]

One time hiking up the Wildcats, I felt like I was being pulled backwards. That was pretty scarey.

I remember being "frozen" when crossing a stream years ago. I couldn't go forward, couldn't go back but now have been told by others that they try to emulate my confidence with stream crossings. Experience helps.

This summer at Ingraham Flats, Dan, a guide for International Mountain Guides, lowered me into a crevasse. I knew he was capable, I knew my harness and double-back figure eight knot were correct, and that the protection placed in the snow/ice was right, but it scared me more than I've ever been scared before to be there.

Dan said: "Walk backwards towards the crevasse. Now get down on you hands and knees and crawl towards it. Now get down on your belly and let yourself over the edge." I did as I was instructed yet after I no longer saw him I trembled from head to toe like I never had before. But wow, was it fun.

 

[jfb]

Top of Cathedral, where the upper guy is sitting.

http://www.neclimbs.com/index.php?PageName=routes&RouteID=364

 

[Chip]

but it scared me more than I've ever been scared before to be there.

Dan said: "Walk backwards towards the crevasse. Now get down on you hands and knees and crawl towards it. Now get down on your belly and let yourself over the edge."

Learning to rock climb as a teenager I never had an issue with climbing up or being lowered back down by my belayer...BUT...the first time I had to walk backward off a cliff and control the rope myself...that took a while to convince my mind it was really something I wanted to do. Our ancestors who had no fear of walking backwards off cliffs no longer contribute to the gene pool .

The summit of Disappointment Peak in The Tetons is probably the place I've been that had the greatest chance of an actual far, fatal fall. It's a postage stamp summit at about 11,000' (edit: 11,618', should have remembered) that drops about 1000' in any given direction.

I have had brief delayed falling panic attacks days after a climb, like I successfully suppressed the fear during the climb, but it was still there waiting for a chance to show itself.

We're talking about rational fear, though. Some people have an uncontrollable, irrational fear, like the mountain is going to collapse under them. My wife is a bit like that.

 

[eddie]

So where are the worst places to fall while hiking in the Whites or the ADKs, or anywhere for that matter? In the Whites, these quickly come to mind: Bondcliff, Frankenstein cliff, Mt Willard, Square Ledge, parts of Huntington and Tuckerman Ravines. What are other good ones? These are the types of places I like to visit. Thanks.

Lots of places to fall in the ADKs: Saddleback, Big Slide, cliffs above Chapel Pond, Wallface, Colden Trap Dike, Fish Hawk Cliffs. These are just a sample that came to my mind.

I have also stood on that glass cube on the Willis Tower and I didn't feel comfortable on that even though I am not afraid of heights. Having something transparent supporting me kind of freaked me out.

 

[sierra]

I've always wondered, with all the time it takes to finally hit the ground, what does one think about on the way down?

Should I land on my head or my feet, land on a car or a person? Will it make any difference? What will I feel when I come crashing into the concrete at terminal velocity?.. will I reach that speed at all?.. will I have butterflies on the way down n can't even breath? Will I scream like on a roller coaster?

Lots of questions.. too many questions, too much time!

.

Knights castle is a cool ledge.
As far as thinking while falling, I had the chance to take three 25 footers one after another while working a rock route I wanted to climb. While falling I thought of only one thing, my number 2 cam and how well I set it!!!!!!