An Adventure in Fear

By Sean Fagan

.

“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.” ~ J.K. Rowling

.

 

Recently, I started an adventure based on fear.

Let’s face it – fear is synonymous with many adventures. It's often a large part of their attraction.

Just the simple act of wandering about in wild places can stir up fear.

Twisting an ankle, falling from a height, hypothermia, sickness, getting lost…the list goes on.

When solo-camping in some wild, forlorn places - I vividly remember moments of feeling acutely isolated - where the stark absence of other humans hit home.

That somewhat ominous feeling forced me to be more vigilant. It gave me an edge.

But nature is an unpredictable host and when risky outdoor situations arose I mostly took them in my stride (I had no other choice).

However, there are outdoor fears that go beyond the rational.

Maybe, just maybe - adventures can be designed to help banish some of these fears away...

Some outdoor fears are irrational – and many of us have them.

One of my fears is deep water – specifically deep water where I can’t see through the water to the bottom.

.

.

Put me in deep, murky water and I’m afraid. I can swim myself out of trouble if needs be, but I don’t like it.

When swimming in deep, unclear water with other people I'm fine - but when swimming alone, I'm usually quite nervous.

I don’t know how this fear came about but it’s there - alive and well.

.

In a canoe or boat I’m perfectly fine.

I mean, I’ve snorkelled underwater on my own in quite a few places and I’m a good swimmer.

As a young teenager in Ireland, I greatly enjoyed snorkelling in a deep, clear river near my Grandmother’s house.

Just watching trout shimmer and gleam on sunlit days was mesmerising.

I’ve also snorkelled in the vivid, clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea. In some spots it was quite deep. Overall though, it was pretty amazing swimming up to shoals of tropical-hued fish.

But when the water is deep and unclear – I’m nervous.

.

Enough is enough...

.

Recently, I decided I had enough of this fear.

So I took the decision to swim in deep, unclear water throughout the coming winter - mostly in the sea - and often at night (I would be taking every precaution to ensure my safety).

I regularly make excursions into wild places, so the thought of continuing to carry this irrational fear into nature annoyed me.

Also, the greater reality of being outdoors in wild, remote places is that you will occasionally come across large, deep bodies of water - which may need to be crossed (especially on self-propelled journeys).

My irrational fear of deep, opaque water has no place in a wilderness - especially when clear-headed, well-judged decisions about crossing water are required.

.

.

So I made the decision to swim in deep water in order to desensitize myself to this fear.

The next question was - where to swim?

.

.

Swimming at the Forty Foot...

.

"Wherever I may roam On land or sea or foam You can always hear me singing this song - Show me the way to go home."

~ Song by James Campbell and Reginald Connelly

.

..

.

I choose an unusual location for my mostly maritime adventure. It’s situated on the outskirts of Dublin city, called the Forty Foot. To be honest, it’s a very quirky, lovable spot.

Quite a few local, elderly people swim there. For many of them it's a much cherished location for socialising and catching up with friends.

There is much banter and lively conversation to be had from these hardy folk – most of which swim year round at the Forty Foot.

It’s also a beautiful place – situated on a short, blunt peninsula composed of an attractive, granite rock that is unusually weathered from wave erosion.

The granite is also a pretty shade of brown (most of the granite I’ve seen in Ireland is grey).

Night-time at the Forty Foot is special - the views across Dublin bay of the city - with all the urban lights glistening across the sea - adds a great feel to the area.

.

.

.

My First Swim

.

So, I found my perfect swimming spot - time to literally take the plunge.

I chose my first swim during the daytime (so I could do a proper safety-check of the area).

.

.

I hung around the edge of the sea for a long while.

Swimmers would causally enter and leave the chilly, swelling waters – sometimes chatting or laughing.

I admired, with a tinge of envy, the easy relationship they had with the sea.

.

I was stalling...

I was afraid.

And the more I looked at those heaving, writhing waters the more I didn’t want to go in.

.

.

Reluctantly, I stripped down to my shorts.

I was ready to go.

Except I lingered even more - and it was cold.

I approached the edge of water. The wind was bracing. I could feel, through the soles of my feet, the coarse barnacle-encrusted rock.

The water below looked as menacing as ever.

.

.

.

Finally - I jumped in.

Instantly, old fears arose as I surfaced in the bitterly cold, briny water.

I soon exited the water, still nervous.

.

But I did it...

...and that's a great feeling.

.

While I was drying myself off an elderly man settled near me - about to go in for a swim himself.

“Believe it or not, the water is at its warmest at this time of the year” chimed the old timer.

“I believe you, but many wouldn’t” I replied...

.

And so began my small adventure into an old fear at the Forty Foot.

.

.

That’s one of the great things about adventure…

They can be moulded into what you want them to be.

And you don’t have to do big adventures to feel adventurous.

They don’t even have to occur in remote places.

But they have to mean something to you - and preferably stretch you.

.

Doing small adventures can fuel your appetite for bigger, bolder adventures – which is a good thing.

Since my first swim at the Forty Foot I've taken my first night swim - now that was really scary...

.

.

If you are new to adventures and are thinking about launching yourself into your first one - maybe consider asking yourself the following questions:

• What scares me about the outdoors?
• What have I never done before in the outdoors?
• What do I really enjoy doing outdoors?

.

From answering these questions the outline of an adventure will most likely emerge. Play around with these questions - see if they excite you, scare you or both.

Crucially, make your adventures logistically simple, relatively cheap and doable.

Save the 3 month Antarctic expedition for another day. Instead, focus on the immediate, doable journeys into the wild yonder.

Sleep in a tree or under a bridge, follow a river for three days, track deer for a day or two.

Whatever excites and challenges you (and doesn’t damage yourself, others, nature or the property and rights of others)..

 

.

.

Using Fear as your Friend 

.

The gist of this article is to creatively use fear as your ally when seeking adventure.

If you have an irrational or very rational fear when outdoors in nature ask yourself: How can I create an adventure that will tackle this fear head on?

Of course, do so within reason. Photographing spewing volcanoes, underwater cave diving, attempting to hand-feed dangerous wild animals - these are obviously tremendously risky pastimes so I can't just glibly announce, like a certain famous TV ad  - "Just do it"...when facing outdoor fears.

But there are those risks that are reachable, that can be knocked on the head.

I'm very glad I recently did...

.

 .

.

“No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time.” ~ Lewis Carroll

.

.

.

Related Articles on this Website:

• 4 Wilderness Safety Tips (The importance of intuition, deep-breathing, taking your time and rest in outdoor safety).
• Bushcraft Safety: Hypothermia (Learn a simple, quick and effective way to prevent hypothermia).
• Everett Ruess, A Wilderness Soul (What can we learn about the spirit of wilderness adventure from the great Everett Ruess?).
• The Value of Short Adventures (Exploring the tremendous value of short adventures in the wild).

. *Check us out on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook for more outdoor-related topics.

.

.

Related material:

.

The Health Benefits of Cold Water Immersion

.

Even though I have a fear of deep, unclear water that is currently lessening - I've always greatly enjoyed bathing outdoors.

I strongly believe cold water immersion is good for your health – partly because cold water bathing (or showering) gives the adrenal glands and circulatory system a good, stimulating jolt - which is believed by many, including myself, to be beneficial for the immune system.

I also believe regular immersion in cold water can build up a certain outdoor hardiness that improves the ability of an individual to withstand and tolerate cold weather (I'm not advising that you have to go jumping into the sea or into a chilly river or lake every morning (would be nice though) - as taking regular cold showers will do the job just as well).

Related article: The scientific case for cold showers

.

.

.

Some inspiration...

If you're looking for some outdoor swimming inspiration then check out this stunning, short video about one man's obsession with the sea...

.

Finally, a little treat...

Short clip from that brilliant film, Jaws - showing actors Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Sheider singing the song: Show me the way to go home (I quoted a few lines of this song in main article above).

(*The film quality of clip is set at a low setting - I would advise re-setting it at a higher definition of 720p).