Acrophobic

Four hundred feet off the ground on a wooden ladder was not the best location to discover Jamie had a fear of heights.

However, glancing down below at the sharply carved hollows along the rockface, it seemed harder and harder to ignore.

This was really high up.

Like, fatally high.

Refusing to glance down again, Jamie pushed upwards. The idea seemed a bit ludicrous, but better than up than down, right? At least going against gravity felt safer. Eventually there had to be a ledge or plateau.

Like a robot, Jamie's arms moved left then right, up and up the rungs. The ladder was secured only by two bolts on the top and two on the bottom, with cables running between for support. Geez. Two bolts? Surely that broke some kind of safety code.

The air felt thinner, even though four hundred feet technically didn't equate a lack of oxygen yet. Perhaps a panic attack coming on, or just natural vertigo then? Hmm. Neither option conducive to climbing further. Yet Jamie climbed.

The ladder gave way finally to the top of the cliffside adobe, the smooth rock finally providing a landing for Jamie's weary legs. At last. With a laugh, Jamie lay back and stared up at the Arizona sky.

Now - to get back down.