Another thing that motivated me not to quit was that I didn’t want to have to face the wrath of Lynn for not having made it all the way. She was one of my biggest supporters and I could sense her spirit there with me, urging me along. I didn’t want to let her down. But as I moved on, another crippling thought came to mind. I thought that the others in the group had probably gotten tired of waiting and gone up the cables without me. I feared that if I continued to press on, my efforts would have proven absolutely useless because the group would more than likely be heading back before I even made it to the meeting spot at Sub Dome.

I’ve already come a long way and made a big accomplishment. Many people don’t even make it this far. I should be proud of how far I’ve already come. It doesn’t matter if I don’t finish.

Someone on the trail actually told me that. I’m sure they meant well, but those seemingly comforting words could have disrupted the entire mission if I wasn’t careful. As I stopped and chatted with a couple, I told them that I was there with a group and had gotten left behind. That’s when the nice lady gave me those words of “comfort.” I’m an explorer by nature. I’m the kind of person who likes to push the limits and test how far I can go with something, within legal and moral standards, of course. I don’t like to use the word “can’t.”