i did something scary last weekend...
on *not* conquering your fears, and the pros of social media
I am afraid of heights. I stay away from cliffs and edges while hiking, and get the shakes near cliffs edges. Rock climbing is pretty much… not for me.
Still, that didn’t stop me from hosting a women’s beginner rock climbing trip this past weekend with Climb Forged at Interstate State Park (about an hour north of the Twin Cities!)
lately I’ve been a little jaded about social media…
leading up to this weekend, I’d been feeling pretty jaded about social media lately. There are parts of my job that I really love— I love writing, and taking photos, and telling stories. I find showing up on Instagram and TikTok to be really hard, and honestly spend a lot of time thinking about the damage apps that exploit the dopamine reward system does to our brains.
This weekend was totally different.
I met up with a group of women who had found my climbing event pretty much exclusively through my social media or Substack and it was nothing short of incredible and an absolute blast.
To be totally honest I was a little worried about the event and who would show up for it (what if people find out I’m actually not cool at all!?) but everyone came out to meet other women interested in learning something new and making friends, and couldn’t have been a more supportive and fun environment on both days. People came from Chicago and Madison to come camp and climb for the weekend, and we all ended up cheering for each other, and talking about our lives and how we feel a little chaotic in them, and we all sort of connected over being in this same place of “hey, let’s go meet some other strangers and try something scary this weekend.”
The live while you can mentality, and a reminder that we all have a lot more in common than we do different.
It was also a really great reminder that yes, Instagram can drive comparison, and be a negative influence, but it can also bring people together, and help people make friends and have really great experiences.
This weekend was nothing short of magic, and in large part I have social media to thank for making that possible.
In the future I think I’ll try and factor that in more to my judgements on whether or not social media is “good” or “bad”. Or rather, maybe social media isn’t good or bad— it’s about how we use it and how we let ourselves be influenced. Social media is just a tool that we haven’t quite figured out how to use at the end of the day.
on conquering your fears (or… not conquering them?)
While I had a great time climbing, I definitely didn’t face down my fear of heights.
I made it to the top of one wall, basically exclusively because everyone rallied to cheer me the whole way up (the energy and support was honestly off the charts) and I’m not going to lie, the relief I felt upon reaching the bottom was a far better feeling than actually reaching the top. Still, I’m really glad I did it.
After that I mostly did shorter climbs and didn’t push myself too hard.
I think there’s this sort of ethos, or mantra that we see a lot these days— the do it scared mentality. And it’s definitely cool to push at the edges of your comfort zone and try new things but you don’t have to make it to the top of a wall if it scares you because a trendy Instagram video said you should.
It’s okay to climb a few times, then sit back and enjoy the camaraderie. It’s okay not give it your all, and there’s power in knowing when something is too much for you.
Anyways, this is a reminder (to me and to you) that you don’t have to conquer your fears in one go, or at all. There is something special in being bad at something, and choosing to have fun anyways.
good links: next group trip opportunities, replicate this trip, & more!
I organized this Climbing event through Mason at Forged Guides! Forged Guides is a new small business and is guide owned and operated; I work as a coastal kayaking guide myself and love to plug and support other guides and small outdoor businesses, and Mason’s is definitely worth checking out. This was seriously a phenomenal weekend, due in large part to Mason and Defne’s patient and helpful guiding! Forged Guides operates primarily out of Interstate State Park in Minnesota, just an hour north of the Twin Cities, but you can contact them about custom trips elsewhere. Private trips, advanced coaching, and large group events and courses are available.
My next group event with space is the women’s Boundary Waters Canoe Camping trip September 27-30th! On this trip, we’ll be paddling, hiking, saunaing, camping, making friends, and having a fall BWCA adventure :) code Maddy 24 for $50 off registration (I make a small kickback at no additional cost to you!).
There’s just one spot available on the July 19-23rd Apostle Islands women’s sea kayaking trip! Same code as above for discount, this trip is shaping up to look like an incredible adventure!
For a full archive of all my free trail guides and outdoor resources, click here!
Perhaps you didn’t conquer your fear completely, but I think you did face it and dealt with it in your own way. Bravo! There is definitely something special in being bad at something, and choosing to have fun anyways. Getting out of your comfort zone is a healthy habit for most of us.