Today I wanted to challenge my paralyzing fear of heights, so I drove to Crow Hills to walk a portion of the Mid-state trail. This section asks you to scramble up a steep, rocky incline to get to a more level trail, but this more level trail passes by the Crow Hill ledges, favored by many local and faraway rock climbers. I had stood at the foot of the main cliffs before, and I was fucking terrified just standing below them! However, my time on the trail above them was not as bad as I thought it would be. Sure, it was nerve-wracking being on a trail whose edge sloped down 6 or 7 feet to a precipitous plunge, and my heart was beating a bit faster than usual, but I did not feel terrified--a pleasant and confidence-building change of pace. It was a very odd experience to be looking down on ponds that were not very far away, and to see the land just drop off, leaving only the very tops of trees in the line of sight--I would never use the word majestic or other such hyperbole, or feel like I needed to recreate the experience tomorrow, but it was an accomplished feeling.
I explored a bit more on the plateau that is Crow Hill, and found it covered with trees and shrubs, as well as a few poorly-trodden paths. I followed one to what seemed like the peak of Crow Hill (though this is difficult to determine), and enjoyed the strong breeze that somehow worked its way unimpeded through the trees around. Not much of a view from there to other places, but there was a good amount of moss and lichen to make for a shorter viewing experience. I even saw a milipede, which was about 3 inches long. I stayed the hell away, though close enough to check it its locomotion. Very cool-looking, though creepy with such a plated armor about it. Verminous critter. I had some trouble exploring Crow Hill, cos the (unofficial) paths turned into nothing at certain points, but eventually I found my way back down. I then set out to find the swamp I spied on Google Earth, which I have deduced must be the source for a stream I love to visit. I trudged through undergrowth for a good amount of time and came back, only to find a path leading to the same area. I checked out this path, and decided that it would be best explored at a later date.
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2 comments:
Congratulations on your first step to conquering your fear of heights! I am very impressed!
Thanks, man!
I did forget to add that at one point where I was feeling like my feet weren't on solid ground (they were in fact on solid rock) I noticed a bunch of wild blueberry bushes next to the trail. They were tasty. And then I laughed because the classic image popped up of the man who fell off a cliff, only to grab on to a branch, but this branch was slowly giving way. He then noticed a berry bush within reach, and the berries tasted all the more sweeter. Since the fear was all in my head, the situations are not at all similar, though the image popped into my head and amused me.
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