I Get Scared...

[timbo2]

MoabRat previously said:

Fear sure doesn't know any reason. I'm the type that likes to confront and conquer my fears. My method is to gradually acclimate to them. Soon enough that fear is conquered and it's time to move on. There is no fear that's dumb to the person experiencing it. There are a lot of really fun, flat trails out there. Just have fun, no reason to push it if you don't feel like it.

Well said. I used to be a free climber before I beame a DAV, now it's rope and belay only. I always had a fear of heights from as early as I can remember, and facing them was the one sure way to harness if not conquer them. Height is a matter of perspective: I am sure you could walk across a 6 inch wide board if it was 2 feet off the ground. But put that same board 200 feet above a drop and most people would balk. If you were to cross boards at increasingly increased heights, your fears would decrease with each step up. Or if you wer eto stand at the edge of the drop for thirty minutes or so, your eyes and brain would acclimate and thereby decrease the level of fear. It' not wrong to have fear, it's a saftey mechanism, only when the fear inteferes with rational thought or muscle coordination does it become your enemy and not your friend.

[estysalinas]

DIG4X4 previously said:

I see lots of your photo's and you all seem pretty fearless, now i don't scare easily and will take any trail as long as it's not flowing down the side of a mountain. I watched a programme (maybe on the Discovery Channel) on the Bolivian Death Road... it was like a horror movie for me...

Anyway, just wondered how you guys felt about these drops and how you tackle them, as it really limits where i can travel.

Thanks.

Funny that you mentioned the "Bolivian Death Road"...my family is from there and as a child i remember packing all 7 of us into a land cruiser and taking the trip from Santa Cruz to La Paz (end of death road). Even with that expierence I still get butterflies when my wheels are to close to the edge...now add loss of traction and tires near the edge of a cliff...well that equals me nearly ruining the seat of the FJ! I guess thats why they make the seats so easy to clean!

[tnegiet]

DIG4X4 previously said:

Anyway, just wondered how you guys felt about these drops and how you tackle them, as it really limits where i can travel.

Don't look down.

[shane4x4]

Not a big deal, just don't drive off the edge
And don't drive on those trails if it's raining, snowing, or windy.
Or if you're drunk.

Other than that, piece of cake...