4 Fears You’ll Challenge in the Outdoors

“One of the most incredible things about the outdoors is that it forces us to take a deep look at ourselves.”

FEAR OF SQUATING
You may be able to hold yourself on the first, second and third day but eventually you’ll have to drop a load somewhere on your adventure. Once you’ve broken that barrier, the world becomes a much bigger place and the possibilities are endless.

FEAR OF SHOWING VULNERABILITY
I’ve climbed Kilimanjaro 8 times and the damn place still finds a way to jerk a tear. One of the most incredible things about the outdoors is that it forces us to take a deep look at ourselves. That can be overwhelming and indeed liberating but for some reason liberation in the hills comes less in form of a waving flag and a pronounced chest and more in the form of tears.

FEAR OF FAILURE
Failure is an inherent part of success. That is something we don’t get taught. It’s something we have to learn the hard way.

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Whereas in life it is possible to shy away from failure by only choosing the illusion of things we know we can succeed in, the outdoors has so many variables that it is impossible to be outdoors and not feel failure in one sense or another. Just choosing to trek a hill or surf a wave is choosing to fail, and through it, to succeed. By exposing ourselves to the possibility of failure, we break down the fear of it.

FEAR OF TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
This one plays off failure slightly. In the outdoors there are only two feet that carry a climber to the summit: The climbers own two feet. There is no one else to blame or credit for the choices we make. It is all on us. Being outdoors forces us to take responsibility and face the fear of realizing that our lives are a function of our choices and not our circumstances.