After our successful summit of Half Dome in September 2017, Angel's Landing became the hurdle I wanted to overcome. Upon my return home, my desire to climb the sandstone in Utah had magnified. I met with Katy the following weekend, and our plan to hike Utah's Mighty Five started to come to life.

Zion National Park was the last of the five we intended to visit. We had driven from Salt Lake City through the State of Utah in awe of its red roads and free-roaming cattle. Our journey led us hours down a two-lane highway where we didn't see a structure, a gas station, and we had no cell signal. It was a desert, arid environment, unlike any place I had seen in the United States.

We were a day ahead of schedule when we arrived in Springdale, Utah, established at the gateway of Zion National Park. Finding a camping spot in the bustling tourist city was impossible, so we drove an hour out of town and camped on a ridge far away from civilization. We had discussed waiting the extra day before we hiked the challenge of our trip, but dusk was a long way off, so we chose to ascend it that day.

We parked just inside the park the afternoon of May 8th, and boarded the trolley at the Canyon Junction and rode to the sixth stop at The Grotto; to the trailhead of West Rim and Angel's Landing. The temperatures had risen into the mid-90s, and shade wasn't abundant on this trail. We wore ball caps and carried plenty of water, snacks, sunscreen, and we had sports drinks to keep us hydrated.

The first part of the trail is moderately easy. Redundant switchbacks on paved ground climb their way out of the valley. The views improved dramatically with every turn on a switchback, and I would stop to admire the scene around me. (And to catch my breath.) At the end of the long switchbacks, I arrived at Refrigerator Canyon, excellently named for its fresh air circulating through the deep canyon where the sun could not reach the bottom. Katy and I had separated at the switchbacks, so I ate a snack here and cooled off, reapplied my sunscreen, and drank a sport's drink before heading off to Walter's Wiggles.

Walter's Wiggles is a set of 21 switchbacks, short and steep "calf killers" that lead to Scout's Landing. Katy and I met on the ridge at the top of Walter's Wiggles. Scout's Landing would be our last place to turn around before we started our way across the narrow ridges that led to the summit of Angel's Landing. Katy and I both suffer a severe fear of heights that had kept us from hiking one challenge in the past, but we were determined to see this one through. Again, I will preach self-awareness and self-accountability, if you cannot keep your anxiety under control, do not hike this trail. It not only puts you in danger but also endangers the others on the path at the same time. Katy and I had worked diligently to ensure we could handle the fear as it came. We prepared ourselves for the areas we knew we would struggle. We watched a couple of people escorted down from Angel's Landing, one girl was pale and looked as though she might pass out. Her friend, navigating her down the trail was struggling on the uneven terrain.

Angel's Landing is steep with sheer drop-offs that could lead to death in the instance of a misstep. We approached the first challenge of the climb with apprehension, "could we possibly do this without giving up halfway through?"

The first chains located just after Scout's Lookout were intimidating, the terrain was uneven and steep. Gaining a solid footing was imperative to keep our fear in check. We lowered ourselves to the ground, reaching up for the chain to pull ourselves up and over to the next part of the trail. Katy was in front, and she struggled to cross a foot and a half "rock bridge" with a chain in place for balance. She attempted several times to get her footing right ensuring she felt stable proceeding across the small edge.

A woman I only know as TJ Hiker, saw Katy's efforts from the front and offered a hand to pull her across. Katy exhaled as she stood on the solid ground across from where I stayed. In two steps, I was across the same path, and we continued our way up the rock. Now we had a guide in a friend we had made in a minimal interaction. TJ Hiker agreed to lead us to the top, to help us with our footing, and to show us how to make this a hike memorable. "Keep going, put your foot there, raise your other foot, grab the chain with your hand, swing that leg over, and come on up," were repeated on several occasions during our hike.

I was tiring out as the summit approached, TJ and her crew would tell me, "when you get to this spot, we can rest, take deep breaths, you're almost there." The climb was a little more physically demanding than I knew, but my anxiety was intense expelling more energy than I had intended to expel.

We met hikers on their way down, yielding to them on the chains. In some instances, the maneuvers made my heart beat out of my chest, and my fear would rise exponentially. "That was MY hold. That was MY safety. That was where I was standing," I thought as I moved to the side closest to the deadly edge to give them room to walk down the mountain. I would stare at the ground before me, prepared for the smallest contact that could knock me off balance.

Our last push was up a set of stairs cut out in the rock with chains in place, again for balance. You could see people waiting at the summit who were enjoying every moment they had gotten to spend there. When I reached the top, beside TJ Hiker, I told her, "I am so sorry, but I am going to cry." She nodded her head and said, "I understand; it happens all the time." I was overwhelmed. The view into the valley was unprecedented. The red rock, green trees, and the river running through the bottom of the valley seemed like a picture. The beauty is unexplainable.

We took several pictures from the top, documenting our success. We ate snacks and played with the chipmunks (actually, they played with us,) but they were fun to watch run around the rocks and attempt to break into every bag laying on the stone floor. Two chipmunks climbed into my backpack searching for their loot, one across my leg, and one set on my hand while I drank my water with my other. I was happy there. I was elated the two of us could be there together, overcoming our fear, and enjoying this moment. It was peaceful as only fellow hikers surrounded us, and as I have discovered, real hikers are some of the most amazing people on the trail.

We hiked back down about two hours later, proud we had succeeded. The trail down Angel's Landing seemed less complicated and stressful, maybe because we were exhausted from our day's accomplishments, or perhaps because the tension to succeed was gone. When we stood on Scout's Landing and glanced back towards Angel's Landing, we both hugged, congratulated each other, and began heading down the remainder of the path. We soaked our feet in the water of the river with our new trail friends with a sense of pride I only know after standing on a summit I didn't think I could climb.

I would recommend this climb to anyone who feels brave enough to attempt it. It isn't for the faint of heart, but I have an intense fear of heights that has lowered me off several attempts on other hikes. Knowing your strengths and having a plan to control your anxiety can help you get to the top. It is all in your head, and you have the power to overcome it. The views and sense of accomplishment are worth every uncomfortable moment on the trail.