A Day to Remember

It doesn’t matter what your status in life is, some of us have phobias, which we try to control or hide from others whenever possible. Sometimes, we do not even know one exists until a situation brings it to the surface. I had no idea that I had a fear of heights until I would go near a window and lower my eyes to look at the ground below. A sudden rush of terror would come over me. My heart would race inside my chest, and I would struggle to catch my breath. I had the feeling that I would fall out of the window. Even more dreadful, a voice would tell me to do just that, and I had to execute the greatest effort to release myself from the turmoil that was raging inside me. The same feeling would repeat itself when I would climb an open stairway at a Point Lookout or some other place with an open view. Yet I could be a passenger in a Commercial Airliner; even look out the window from my seat, and have no problems. It didn’t bother me to watch the landscape below and I was fascinated by the clouds surrounding the plane in flight.

This story is about an event that took place more than 15 years ago during a summer month. My sons, Pat, Dan, Richie, Richie's wife, Maryann, and myself decided to take a vacation break. We drove upstate New York to Upper Saranac Lake in the Adirondack Mountains. We stayed at a friend’s camp in a cabin on the lake. Just to get to the cabin takes about a 20-minute drive after leaving the public road. It's here that we gain access to a private area, which takes the driver to the various camps scattered around the Lake. It's a drive along a winding, unpaved road that is a bit of a challenge for first time visitors to the area. The narrow dirt road is wide enough for only one car at a time. If another vehicle approaches from the opposite direction, one vehicle would have to yield and move to the nearest make-shift shoulder in order to let the other pass by. For some people, the ride would seem ominous as we were surrounded by a forest of many trees, some of which had fallen from the ravages of storms or time itself. As we drove through, we were aware that the woods were alive with deer, bears and other small animals. The greenery is so dense, that the sun could hardly shine through. On a cloudy day, it would seem that night had come until we came to a clearing. The sounds of birds and splashing water over mountain rocks would reach our ears as we continued on. On the side of the road, we would pass a water spot where we could fill our bottles with fresh spring water straight from the mountains.

After arriving and settling in at the cabin, we made plans for activities to do during the week. We decided we were going to visit Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, NY on one of the days. On the other days, we enjoyed boating on the lake, taking trips to town, going to the Adirondack Museum, visiting nearby Lake Placid, and Tupper Lake. There is so much to do and see in those mountains.

So the eventful day came and we started our trip to Whiteface Mountain, stopping by first for an ice cream at the Mountain Mist in the town of Saranac. We sat at a picnic table in the back of the place and watched water skiers skirting the water while being towed by speed boats on Flower Lake. The drive to Whiteface Mountain was an exhilarating experience and also a test on the brakes of our vehicle, because we were slowly driving up a narrow winding paved road and climbing higher and higher into the sky. To the one open side of the road there is usually a three-foot freestone barrier or wall, which is low enough for the passengers to view the majestic scenes below. It’s absolutely breath taking, and we could feel our ears pop and would almost become dizzy from the thinning air. Upon arrival at the visitors’ station, we had a choice of either going up to the top of the mountain by elevator or using the ski lifts. Since we used the elevator on a previous visit, we decided we were going to take the lifts.

As soon as the seat caught my backside, my hands immediately gripped the sidebars, and I knew I was going to regret the experience. I shut my eyes as we swung along. When I opened my eyes and saw the moving landscape below my feet, I felt the panic come over me, but there was nothing I could do but grip the bars tighter and dig my nails into the palms of my hands. I knew we were only about 20 to 30 feet above ground most of the time, but it still terrified me. I had the feeling that I would slip from the seat and tumble out to the ground below. Half way through, we had to change to another lift in one sweep. How I accomplished that, I still don’t know. By the time we reached the top, I had to struggle to release my hold on the bars and I noticed that I had pierced the skin in the palms of my hands to the point of drawing blood. I was shaking all over, but soon composed myself.

At the very top, we had a great time enjoying the magnificent view. You could see for miles and I could have stayed where I was forever. But then, the thought of going back down the same way I came up was starting to materialize and I couldn’t think of anything else. Then it was time to go, and I asked where the elevator was, but of course there was none on the ski slope side of the mountain. Needless to say, I panicked and announced that I was climbing down the mountain. My family tried to make me change my mind, but I was determined to go down that mountain with my feet always touching the ground. I told them that they could take the ski lifts back down, but that their mother was walking.

Well they didn’t abandon me and we started down the ski trail not realizing that a few feet to the side, there was a back packer’s trail. It would have been ideal for the kids, but not for me, because of my fear of heights. The hiker’s trail had a rope handrail on the open end and from where I was standing I imagined the view to be open space. Again, that was not for me. So down the ski slope we marched one after the other. Soon after we would spread out a bit, but mostly we kept together. The passengers in the ski lifts directly overhead started pointing at this silly lady dressed in a light jacket and pants with a wide brimmed hat on her head. She was at the head of a parade of four young adults slipping and falling walking sideways down the mountain. Their bodies were unprotected from the wind and the unrelenting rays of the sun. All of them had on tank tops, shorts and sneakers. For some heavenly reason or was it from sheer desperation, I managed not to fall. I kept my legs bent and twisted my body sideways most of the time. Sometimes, my hand would touch the ground to help keep me steady on my feet. I noticed my family slapping at insects and they were sweating profusely. I felt so sorry that I was putting all of them through this. It was a very warm day, but I noticed icy patches on the surface. We had to be very careful of our stepping, because of low jagged rocks here and there.

We had almost reached the halfway mark when I noticed uniformed park workers making their way up to us. They ignored my family and headed straight for me and asked if I was all right. They told all of us that we were not supposed to walk down the ski slope, but should have taken the hiker’s trail. At that point, I became so embarrassed. The rush of adrenalin that was keeping me going had waned, and I was suddenly tired. I knew I had to overcome my fear, so I meekly accompanied them to the nearby lifts. The workers seated me sturdily and once again we were swaying along the wire. A few minutes later, we reached the safety of solid ground again.

The family suffered cuts, bruises, insect bites, and sunburn. I came through unscathed, but two days later, every muscle in my legs, especially my thighs ached so severely that I couldn’t walk properly for a few days after. I realized I had walked down part of that mountain in sheer panic. The children said I was a picture of cool confidence from the outside. Well at least we entertained the visitors of Whiteface Mountain that one eventful day. I do look forward to another visit to that beautiful mountain, but this time I’ll take the side that has the elevator. Maybe by now they are using another method to get the tourists to its top.

Footnote:
My family and I recently came back from the Adirondacks. And yes, they do have another way to the top of Whiteface Mountain. We boarded a Gondolier at the bottom. It was not necessary to drive the car to a point where you can take an elevator to the top, or drive to the side that has the chair lifts. It was so much nicer in one of the Gondolas. There's a posting inside the car that says the Gondolier holds up to 8 people with a maximum weight of 1400 pounds. The view just takes your breath away.