overcoming challenges, the dignity of risk
overcoming challenges, the dignity of risk
Trango series by John Middendorf (aside)
As the individual towers of Trango gained names in the literature, the central tower transitioned from Middle Trango Tower to Great Trango Tower, while Nameless Tower became Trango Tower, soon after they were both climbed. Galen Rowell in particular promoted the ‘Great Trango’ and ‘Nameless’ nomenclature in wonderful picture books. It got me thinking about the word ‘great’.
On overcoming challenges (slowly)
When I was a boy in the 1960s and 1970s, I was fascinated by those who were ‘great’ at something, the word ‘great’ made most famous at the time by Mohammed Ali, the greatest at punching others and surviving bouts of bashing. I figured there must be other ways to be ‘great’, perhaps less painful, and I admit I sometimes imagined the feeling of being great, looking up into the sky, arms outreached, with a victorious expression, just like Ali.
The trouble was, that I was pretty bad at just about everything, even schoolwork in my early years. I was born with a legbone disease that had me in a metal brace and cane for years, and the cure was awkward socially and physically (one of my legs was several inches shorter than the other, and the cure was to wear a high-lift shoe on the longer leg, so the shorter one grows by necessity). The experience set me back physique-wise, too, but probably provided a good base for the fine balance climbing skills I was later to develop.
Also, I had pretty severe asthma, so wretched sometimes I had to be hospitalized. So the mandatory sports in school were always trying periods of humiliation. Playing right field for a couple of Little League games was the highlight of my young teenage years in terms of sports. Some were destined for higher greatness in sport, some were on a path of high athletic skills, while others were considered to have missed the boat, and sat on the sidelines, where I spent a lot of time. Luckily, I mostly outgrew the asthma, or perhaps compensated by sometimes pushing harder, and by the end of high school could hold my own in track and rowing events. I recall it took a lot for me to get there, expectations were low, but generally, I kept ahead of the lagging lasts, and occasionally was able to push beyond my own expectations. It is fun to see my son follow a path of hard work and results, finishing in top of his rowing season last year. In my later years, I came to appreciate that the lack of natural-born athletic talent was frustrating, but probably helped my rock climbing career in a way, as vertical skills could be continuously honed with fun practice, until almost by surprise, one day I found myself partnering with the top climbers in Yosemite on the latest testpieces, and taking risks I could never have previously imagined. Taking risks became my joy; often I would begin my day soloing a few long routes, then seek out like-minded partners to further explore the edge on the Valley’s walls and cliffs. Billy Joel’s “Only the Good Die Young” was a favorite song and indeed, sadly, many of my good friends died young in that era. It wasn’t just physical risk, the risk of choosing less-traveled paths often required greater courage. But sometimes the limits were not well understood leading to unfortunate circumstances. It was a realm that worried my mother, of course, as pushing my skillset further in rock climbing always involved greater risk, until the risk was later tamed by practice.
At least, that is what I confidently told myself (and my mother) back then; reflecting now on some wild rides on the vertical, it seems luck and good fortune were greater factors than I would have cared to admit. Or maybe it was the belief in ‘nine lives’ and the guardian angels hovering overhead.
Isabelle Paine Middendorf (1930-2016)
Speaking of my mother, even though she was terrified when I told her stories of my climbing adventures, she was always supportive of my path, even though she often did not want to hear the details. She passed into heaven on December 1, 2016 from heart failure. Today as I post these thoughts, May 14, is her birthday, she would have been 94 today. She is always in my and my family’s thoughts and we miss her lots.
Paul Pritchard's TEDx Talk on the Dignity of Risk
Paul Pritchard presented a TEDx talk here in Hobart last Saturday, on the ‘Dignity of Risk’. It was a great presentation, in all senses of the word. It cumulated Paul’s continuous path of recovery from a severe rock climbing accident on the Totem Pole in Tasmania in 1998. Although Paul’s talk was focused was providing more opportunities and acceptance for people with disabilities to take chosen risks, his message also provides inspiration to overcome day-to-day challenges and to include the perception of others in defining expectations. It was really fun to see Paul nail his talk, as I know he had been working hard on it, and it was powerfully paced, authentic, and moving. Seeing Paul’s performance in the crowded Odeon theatre felt just like the old days of watching a graceful climber onsight dance their way up a 5.12+, only this time on stage and sharing an idea.
Link to his website here:
https://www.paulpritchard.com.au
Paul’s TEDx talk will be available online by the end of June.
