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It’s an irony when someone two meters tall (six foot six and a half) is scared of heights.
But that is indeed the case with me personally, and I was absolutely terrified when going up the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 2002.
This discussion represents the first part of my contribution toward Robert Hruzek’s group writing project, entitled “What I learned from .. a mountain top experience.” If I have a chance, I will describe a second experience in tomorrow’s discussion.
In actual fact, when asking for participants to describe their mountain-top experiences, Robert is referring to an emotional experience more than an experience of a physical nature. He is talking about experiencing a feeling of elation - a feeling of being on top of the world from an emotional viewpoint more so than from a physical viewpoint.
Nevertheless, going up the tower involved a fair amount of emotion for me – fear and anxiety at the bottom, elation and euphoria at the top. For this reason, I feel that it is appropriate for me to relate this experience as the first part of my contribution to Robert’s project.
(Unfortunately, I do not have a personal photograph to share - I had not been introduced to the world of digital cameras at that point)
The fear factor
Sensing the extent of my trepidation, my brother, who had already made the trip on a previous occasion, had assured me at the bottom that we did not have to go all the way up. But fearful though I was, I knew that I may not have the chance to visit Paris again. This could be my one and only shot. If I held back, I would be sorry.
Getting up the first two floors was difficult enough, particularly as the curved structure at the base of the building mandates a somewhat angled ascent as far as the first floor. But the final part - from the second floor half way up to the third floor at the top - was downright frightening.
My sunglasses came in handy. Not only did these enable me to hide my facial expressions, and therefore the extent of my trepidation, they also enabled me to close my eyes without anyone noticing. This made the ascention process somewhat bearable.
What did not help, on the other hand, was the commentary of the American tourist immediately beside me. His running description about how high we were was not what I needed.
Somewhat more helpful was my brother. Knowing that my eyes were closed, at one point he assured me that we were not much more than ten meters from the top. The reality at the time was that there was more than fifty meters to go. Nevertheless, the thought of being almost there (no matter how false) did help me to hang on.
Making it safely to the top, I opened my eyes to a splendid view across the city of Paris – a view which is second to none in terms of views across any city which I have myself have experienced.
Lessons Learned
Non serious:
• don’t forget to pack a pair of sunglasses - these are handy for hiding facial expressions (fear, embarrassment, etc);
• whenever you are a short way off great heights, you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be someone to describe how far you have to fall; and
• you can always be sure to have some well meaning family member tell you that you are closer to your goals than what you indeed actually are.
Serious:
• When you’ve only got one shot, take it – don’t hold back. If you do, you’ll be glad for the rest of the life. If you don’t, you may harbor regrets for years to come.
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