AndyinPA wrote: ↑Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:55 pm
Kate520 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:46 pm
My mother, who used to close her eyes while driving across bridges she was that afraid of heights, rode a donkey down the trail to Phantom Ranch! With her eyes mostly open! (There were a couple of places she just couldn’t). She made it and it helped with her acrophobia from then on.
I've been able a few times to overcome it if it's for a short time. Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland, a place in Bryce Canyon, a few others. But I got myself stuck in Machu Picchu. We climbed to the area that overlooks the flat part. I was sort of okay on the way up, with the wall of the mountain on my right side, and I didn't have to look down. It took three people well over an hour to coax and help me down. The bus left without us.
I experienced something a little like that at Chichen Itza, the Mayan city in Yucatan, Mexico, in 2004.
At that time, the public was allowed to climb to the top of the large pyramid. The steps on the sides of the pyramid are very steep. The rise is longer than the tread on each step, meaning that the slope is more than 45 degrees. I forget how tall the structure is, but about halfway up, I looked around at the surrounding jungle, and suddenly remembered that I am mildly afraid of heights, especially if there is no guard rail or fence.
I made it to the top, where there is a small temple. The surrounding walkway is less than four feet wide, and the wall of the temple slopes outward, so if you stand with your back to the wall, your feet are thrust out into the walkway. Everyone up there is admiring the wonderful view, so no one is paying too much attention to their feet. I was always afraid that someone would trip and take a header down the side of the pyramid.
Going up wasn't too bad. There was a thick rope strung from the top to give climbers something to hang on to. Going down was problematic, since, as I said the steps were so high, maybe 18 inches. I ended up scooting down by sitting on my butt, facing away from the pyramid, and working my way down, one step at a time, like a little kid going down the stairs at home.
I've seen recent pictures of the site, and it appears that they no longer allow climbers. The rope seems to be gone, and I didn't see any climbers on the pyramid.