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Cliffhanger

Contributed by: Carol Evered on 2/14/2007

Thirty-one years ago I met my future husband , Tom, who was literally hanging on a cliff 100 feet in the air on one of the escarpments in the Shawangunks Mountain Range near New Paltz, New York. He was an avid and very experienced mountain climber.

I was a physical education teacher in Buffalo, New York who loved all kinds of sports. My friends Leo and his wife Toni were also Physical Education Teachers and also loved mountain climbing.In September 1975 , they decided to play "MatchMaker" and said they wanted me to meet Tom. They convinced me to drive down to New Paltz with them for a weekend of camping and climbing. Little did they know that I have a fear of heights and mountain climbing was something that I had never tried and really didn't want to.

Shortly after we we arrived at the Shawangunks, I looked up to see this guy climbing a mountainside, higher and higher with seemingly no effort. My friends called to him and he proceeded to quickly rappel his way back down the mountain. We were introduced and he asked me if I would like to climb. I answered honestly that I had never tried it and before I knew what was happening, I was hooked onto a rope and was climbing behind Tom up the mountain.

I was scared to death but never let on until we were almost to the top and I LOOKED DOWN. Suddenly, my fear of heights grabbed ahold of me and I desperately tried to pull myself up and over the top of the 100 foot cliff. I felt myself getting light headed and started to fall. I let out a huge SCREAM and at that moment Tom reached for my hand and quickly pulled me up to the top of the mountain. It took me several minutes before my heart stopped racing and I could take a deep breath.

Suddenly, the panorama of the beautiful valley below me, mixed with the gorgeous field of Autumn colors overflowed my senses. I looked over at Tom and he seemed completely at peace. I was struck by his quiet demeaner and strength. He had saved me from falling and I knew at that moment that this was a man I wished to know better. We married the next fall, on November 20, 1976. I never climbed again but Tom continued his climbing and gradually introduced our three children to the sport when they were very little. They scampered up the rocks like they were born to it and with no fear.

Thirty wonderful married years have passed and although Tom has retired from his passion of climbing, we now share an equally exciting passion for golf!


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Carol Evered

Centennial , CO

Carol Evered has posted 2 stories and 0 comments since joining on 12/19/2005. Carol Evered 's average story rating is 3.67.
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