Nobody told me rehab would be like this!

When I was young, my dad was a Crag Rat which is a mountain climbing
organization in Hood River. He climbed every mountain in the Pacific Northwest and Mt. Hood many times. The group climbed for fun and also participated in many rescues on different mountains, saving many lives.

Now I can see climbing to help save a life . . . but for fun? I don’t think so! No one looks too happy in this picture. They are all bent over, heads down and just plodding along like prisoners of war on a forced march across the Alps. I think this is something that could be incorporated into a rehab curriculum.

My dad wanted me to climb with him, but I couldn’t as I have acrophobia and arachnophobia – both of which are not good to have. If I step on the second rung of a ladder I get dizzy, and if I look down I feel as if I might fall into the abyss. And if there’s a spider on the ladder, that’s it. Now I can see climbing a mountain if there’s a prize waiting at the top. How about cocktails, hot tub and a good steak dinner? That would be very nice. But there aren’t even any toilets on top of the mountains . . . what if you have to go . . . where do you go? And do you put it in a baggie like you do with your dog and bring it down the mountain to a garbage can? Or do you leave it there where it’s found years later by a crew from National Geographic who thinks they just discovered some yeti poop? And what if global warming kicks in with a vengeance and the mountain melts while you’re on top? You’d end up floating down the mountain and no doubt drowning before reaching the bottom. Those are all things to consider before attempting a mountain climb. I know it certainly stops me from ever climbing anything higher than the second rung.