What is it that we fear......

[Eli Boardman]

The #1 thing I fear while on a 14er is the drive home. Seriously, I think it's the most dangerous part of the whole activity...

Besides that, I fear wildlife encounters solo in the dark.

[KentonB]

After two backcountry bleeding incidents that just missed major arteries (one to a friend and one to me), I now carry one of these https://www.rei.com/product/869098/adve ... sponge-25g" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. It gives me some peace of mind, but I would be curious to hear from anyone who has actually used it, to see if it works as advertised.

Powhound, I remember a discussion on another thread in which the issue of tourniquets was discussed and it seemed like most people said that deep wounds which cut arteries are usually caused by gunfire, knives, etc., and not by anything that would happen to you in the mountains (except maybe an exceptionally rare animal attack). In that discussion, it seems like no one could really come up with an example where such an injury occurred. So now... you've got me curious! Can I ask what happened on these trips?

[cougar]

Clowns

[powhound]

After two backcountry bleeding incidents that just missed major arteries (one to a friend and one to me), I now carry one of these https://www.rei.com/product/869098/adve ... sponge-25g" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. It gives me some peace of mind, but I would be curious to hear from anyone who has actually used it, to see if it works as advertised.

Powhound, I remember a discussion on another thread in which the issue of tourniquets was discussed and it seemed like most people said that deep wounds which cut arteries are usually caused by gunfire, knives, etc., and not by anything that would happen to you in the mountains (except maybe an exceptionally rare animal attack). In that discussion, it seems like no one could really come up with an example where such an injury occurred. So now... you've got me curious! Can I ask what happened on these trips?

Ok ... maybe someone can learn something from these mis-adventures.

#1 A friend and I were doing a harmless bushwhack in the local hills. I had poles, he didn't. Stepping over a downed tree full of sharp branch spikes, he caught the tip of his toe, and fell forward hard. Upon getting up we saw about 1" of branch spike, about as thick around as a thumb, sticking out of his leg below the knee. We could also see a lump indicating there was another 4" of spike in his leg. It was bleeding, but not that bad. Needless to say we didn't pull the 'cork out of the champagne bottle'. He used my poles to hobble out the mile and a half to the road. At the ER they said he was within 1/4" of an artery. Lessons: Use poles when bushwhacking. If he had been using them, he would not have fallen forward. And watch stepping over those downed trees ... they can bite!

#2 A winter climb where we used x-c skis for a 4 mile approach road before stashing them and switching to snowshoes for the steep deep hike up to a windblown ridge. On the way out, back on x-c skis, I guess I was cruising along a little too fast, got off the main packed track which was now icy, went into some deep snow and had a forward twisting fall. My x-c gear was over twenty years old, worn out and I was trying to squeeze one more adventure out of them. This fall ripped the entire toe piece & NNN bar right off my boot, sending my loose ski sideways. I came down hard on my wrist right on the metal edge of the ski. It wasn't a big cut but it was deep. At the ER they said I severed a tendon and missed the artery by less than 1/8". Lesson: Don't be a cheapskate and push your old worn out gear to the point it fails, causing injury. Get new gear before your old stuff costs you a $2000 ER bill.

[denvermikey]

Explosive diarrhea at 14,000'.

[Shawnee Bob]

Irrational fear: Heights. I'm working on that one.

Life fear: Letting people down. Working on that one, too.

14er fear: Dangerous weather, or having a cardiac incident on one of these rock piles. Preventative solutions abound, but...

[wildsidesky]

60mph+ head-on collision with a large cervine. It would be devastating. Wildlife kills!

[jdorje]

Nothing will ever scare me more more than cold. Summer nighttime cold is the worst.

[Tornadoman]

Generally I don't have a lot of fear, more worried about something happening to a partner than myself. However, today I had the fear creep in. I was planning to complete the Helen to Father Dyer to Crystal scramble solo. I noticed some snow on the north side of Helen as well as in the trees on the east ridge, and I started wondering if I might encounter snow on the ridge and if I would be able to handle it. I realized that my only solo class 3 scrambling was on Longs where I could hardly be considered alone. Being solo I psyched myself out and never made the attempt, instead going for the relatively easy Peaks 9 and 10.

[starsstuff]

Slipping, falling, any kind of loose footing. It's holding me back.

[wyyld]

I fear not being able to continue doing what I love or see/ be there for my loved ones. Carpe diem!!!

[rmattas]

"The #1 thing I fear while on a 14er is the drive home. Seriously, I think it's the most dangerous part of the whole activity…"

agree. if you leave it all on the mountain...