Afraid of Heights? Tips to Conquer the West Coast Trail Anyway
Disclaimer: These tips are based on what other hikers have personally found helpful in managing a fear of heights. This is not professional or medical advice. If your fear is severe or interfering with your life, consider speaking with a licensed mental health professional. Always hike safely and within your limits.
Fear of heights is a relatively normal brain response to the danger of falling, and for the majority of the population, is uncomfortable but not debilitating. Acrophobia, on the other hand, is a more extreme and irrational version of fear of heights. While our modern society often frames fear as a problem or defect, it’s important to remember that in evolutionary terms, fear is a useful function of our brains. It tells us when there is danger, and when working as intended, can be a good thing. As human animals in a natural environment, fear is extremely useful. Ever been up a mountain and suddenly feel a little nervous? That’s your brain’s warning system firing up, trying to keep you safe.
That said, sometimes we go into environments like the West Coast Trail that are full of tall ladders, cable cars, and suspension bridges. Many people with a fear of heights and acrophobia have successfully done this trail. These are some of the techniques they’ve used to get through it.
Practise. Many people have found it useful to a set up a ladder in their backyard and practise going up and down. Others have found a suspension bridge near them and practised walking across it.
Focus. Some have trained themselves to focus on a specific spot and never take their eyes from it. For example, crossing a high suspension bridge while focusing on a tree on the other side. This functions to ensure that one is not looking directly down at the height, but rather at the goal: the other side.
Know Your Symptoms. Knowing what is going to happen to your body and mind when you encounter your fear of heights means you know what to expect. Being prepared for these symptoms will teach you how to deal with them better over time.
Mentally Prepare Yourself. Similar to knowing your symptoms, people have found it useful to know their terrain. Where are the highest ladders? The areas where the trail is close to the cliffs? The suspension bridges? Knowing beforehand that you’re going to encounter something fearful on a particular day means that you can have a plan in place to deal with it.
Calming/Grounding Techniques. Box breathing, deep breathing exercises, reciting the alphabet backwards, and focusing on your senses by identifying things you can see, touch, hear, and smell are all exercises that people have found useful to calm themselves in the moment or before starting a tricky area.
Thought-Stopping. For some people, this as simple as yelling at themselves to “STOP!” Still others visualize a steel door shutting between them and the fear. Another common technique is to have a mantra, which can be anything from repeating a phrase over and over to singing.
Positivity. Many people find that it’s much easier to get through something difficult when people are kind, and this includes being kind to yourself! It’s tough facing your fears, so be positive and encourage yourself.
Get Angry. This has also been used in combination with positive thinking, because who says you have to be mean? More than one person in a tricky spot on the trail has yelled at themselves that they absolutely can do it. If you decide to be mean, make sure you tell the fear to eff off, not yourself.
Fear is Temporary. One moment will not last forever. It’s just for right now. Focus on the goal. Time will pass. With one step at a time, sooner or later it will be somewhere behind you.
Cory is an outdoor writer and adventurer from British Columbia. She has worked as a kayak guide and wildlife rehabber, experiences that deepened her love for wild places and the creatures that call them home. Whether she’s hiking remote trails, paddling along the coast, or setting out on her next backcountry trip, she finds inspiration in nature’s untamed beauty. Through her writing, she shares stories of adventure, resilience, and the deep connection between people and the wilderness.
