“I am eighty-seven feet in the air, with nothing more to support me other than a rope, blind trust in someone that I’ve only known for two weeks, and a harness that squeezes just a little too tight to protect me from certain death. The rock that I am scaling has no surface that I can firmly grab, so I look for any type of indent on the rock to put my fingers through and hoist my entire body. I look down for just a moment to see where my feet can get a grip, bingo! I find a small crevice just barely big enough for my big foot to fit in. I use it to my advantage and fall down. My entire life flashes before my eyes, the feeling of falling is something that makes me gasp for air even as I sit in my chair as I type. My only saving grace was being tugged by the rope as my friend yelled out “Don’t die otherwise you give Mandy more paperwork, remember that you signed up for this!” he said, as I dangled from an eighty foot cliff.
That day made me realize that I am no longer afraid of heights and to always look for proper footing when scaling a cliff. Overcoming the fear of heights was an experience that I will never forget through the ARC program, and thanks to them I have become more confident when facing any fear that I have in life. I’ve learned that to face any fear you need to trust yourself and anyone else that is going to help you face these fears. It is what brings everyone closer together, a common goal to help a friend become more comfortable with themselves and to forge a bond that will last forever. Through these expeditions I have realized that as long as I try hard enough I will be able to overcome a fear or two. ”
-Gustavo Garcia
