--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Early on a difficult climb, especially a…" description: "\"Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense hun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/jon-krakauer-1557_abyss_early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a_12492.jpg" --- # Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb… ![“Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense hunger. To resist takes tremendous conscious effort, you don’t dare let your guard down for an instant. The void puts you on edge, makes your…” quote by Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/jon-krakauer-1557_abyss_early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a_12492.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/jon-krakauer-1557_abyss_early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a_12492.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/jon-krakauer-1557_abyss_early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a_12492.jpg) > “Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense hunger. To resist takes tremendous conscious effort, you don’t dare let your guard down for an instant. The void puts you on edge, makes your movements tentative and clumsy. But as the climb continues, you grow accustomed to the exposure, you get used to rubbing shoulders with doom, you come to believe in the reliability of your hands and feet and head. You learn to trust your self-control.” [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Confronting extreme danger forces deliberate focus and self-trust; repeated exposure transforms fear into disciplined confidence. **In simple terms:** Facing fear builds disciplined self-reliance. Key Takeaway Endurance is cultivated through conscious control. Themes courage self-reliance risk management psychological resilience focus Mood determined intense reflective Type advice observation When to use this quote - solo mountaineering - high-risk sports - emergency response - military training Key Concepts fear confidence control exposure Practical Applications - training for high-stress situations - building mental toughness Questions to Reflect On - How does repeated exposure change perception of danger? - What practices help maintain vigilance under stress? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) [Accustomed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accustomed/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Climb Especially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climb-especially-371568/) [Climbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbs/) [Clumsy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clumsy/) [Clumsy Climb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clumsy-climb-371567/) [Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) [Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dare/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult Climb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-climb-371565/) [Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doom/) [Edges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edges/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Exposure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exposure/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Hands and feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands-and-feet/) [Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger/) [Hyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hyper/) [Immense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immense/) [Instant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instant/) [Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Pulling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pulling/) [Reliability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reliability/) [Resist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resist/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-control/) [Shoulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoulders/) [Solo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solo/) [Solo Climb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solo-climb-371566/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Void](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/void/) ## Related quotes > [Perseverance and tact are the two great qualities most valuable for all those who would climb, but especially for those who have to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/perseverance-and-tact-are-the-two-great-qualities-most-valuable-for-2/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [You can solo-climb Everest without using oxygen or you can pay guides and Sherpas to carry your loads, put ladders across crevasses, lay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/you-can-solo-climb-everest-without-using-oxygen-or-you-can-pay-guides/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [A lot of times when you're young and carefree, you don't realize, when you tip over the edge, how difficult it is to climb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-cocker/a-lot-of-times-when-you-re-young-and-carefree-you-don-t-realize-when/) [Joe Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-cocker/) > [It is not difficult to climb the ladder of success if your father made it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/it-is-not-difficult-to-climb-the-ladder-of-success-if-your-father/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [It's really difficult to climb effortlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ondra/it-s-really-difficult-to-climb-effortlessly/) [Adam Ondra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ondra/) > [Heaven is like a stair case difficult to climb, but hell is like an elivator easy to go! Is a matter of choice...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-brown/heaven-is-like-a-stair-case-difficult-to-climb-but-hell-is-like-an/) [D Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-brown/) > [On the whole … archaeological work has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of the Scriptural record. More than one archaeologist has found his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millar-burrows/on-the-whole-archaeological-work-has-unquestionably-strengthened/) [Millar Burrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millar-burrows/) > [“True respect and trust grow when we honor our words with consistent actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayoub-imilouane/true-respect-and-trust-grow-when-we-honor-our-words-with-consistent/) [Ayoub Imilouane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayoub-imilouane/) > [“Advisors who rate the highest on reliability will not just deliver their work on time and on spec. Nor will they simply be consistent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-maister/advisors-who-rate-the-highest-on-reliability-will-not-just-deliver/) [David H. Maister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-maister/) > [Our reasons for believing Jesus existed and also that He was who He claimed to be - the God who came down - are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-koukl/our-reasons-for-believing-jesus-existed-and-also-that-he-was-who-he/) [Greg Koukl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-koukl/) > [In fact, without a specification of a creature's goals, the very idea of intelligence is meaningless. A toadstool could be given a genius award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-fact-without-a-specification-of-a-creature-s-goals-the-very-idea/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [If writing with a goal - whether it be evangelistic, apologetic, or didactic - implies propaganda, then all recorded history is propaganda. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/if-writing-with-a-goal-whether-it-be-evangelistic-apologetic-or/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [I don't have any issue with trust. I just can't seem to rely on people to do the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-abdullah-chowdhury/i-don-t-have-any-issue-with-trust-i-just-can-t-seem-to-rely-on-people/) [Robin Abdullah Chowdhury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-abdullah-chowdhury/) > [“Strong trust is built brick by brick, through honesty, consistency, and showing up even when it’s hard to keep the promise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayoub-imilouane/strong-trust-is-built-brick-by-brick-through-honesty-consistency-and/) [Ayoub Imilouane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayoub-imilouane/) > [Wittgenstein's ruler: Unless you have confidence in the ruler's reliability, if you use a ruler to measure a table you may also be using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/wittgenstein-s-ruler-unless-you-have-confidence-in-the-ruler-s/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## More by Jon Krakauer > [“Climbing mattered. The danger bathed the world in a halogen glow that caused everything—the sweep of the rock, the orange and yellow lichens, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/climbing-mattered-the-danger-bathed-the-world-in-a-halogen-glow-that/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/it-is-easy-when-you-are-young-to-believe-that-what-you-desire-is-no/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [He read a lot. He used a lot of big words. I think maybe part of what got him into trouble was that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/he-read-a-lot-he-used-a-lot-of-big-words-i-think-maybe-part-of-what/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [ But \[Everett\] and McCandless, at least they tried to follow their dream. That’s what was great about them. They tried. Not many do. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/but-everett-and-mccandless-at-least-they-tried-to-follow-their-dream/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“he was ready, perhaps, to shed a little of the armor he wore around his heart, that upon returning to civilization, he intended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/he-was-ready-perhaps-to-shed-a-little-of-the-armor-he-wore-around-his/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [ “Continually question climbing pursuits. Do they draw one back to the climbing community? Or do they lead along the \[inner-directed\] path? This questioning generates… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/continually-question-climbing-pursuits-do-they-draw-one-back-to-the/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“The boy unmasked the gaping void in Franz's life even as he helped fill it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/the-boy-unmasked-the-gaping-void-in-franz-s-life-even-as-he-helped/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“Unlike Muir and Thoreau, McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or the world at large but, rather, to explore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/unlike-muir-and-thoreau-mccandless-went-into-the-wilderness-not/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [I'm intrigued by fanatics - people who are seduced by the promise, or the illusion, of the absolute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/i-m-intrigued-by-fanatics-people-who-are-seduced-by-the-promise-or/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/you-are-wrong-if-you-think-joy-emanates-only-or-principally-from/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [I mean, how can you not be a feminist if you have a brain in your head? If you’re not a feminist, then you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/i-mean-how-can-you-not-be-a-feminist-if-you-have-a-brain-in-your-head/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“...I quickly came to understand that climbing Everest was primarily about enduring pain. And in subjecting ourselves to week after week of toil, tedium,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/i-quickly-came-to-understand-that-climbing-everest-was-primarily/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/going-to-have-to-be-real-careful-not-to-accept-any-gifts-from-them-in/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“He must have been very brave and very strong, at the end, not to do himself in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/he-must-have-been-very-brave-and-very-strong-at-the-end-not-to-do/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [Almost every magazine piece I've ever written, I felt like I haven't done it justice, like it was just a gloss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/almost-every-magazine-piece-i-ve-ever-written-i-felt-like-i-haven-t/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) [Explore all 221 Jon Krakauer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) ## More Abyss quotes > [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [“The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-organization-seemed-to-be-in-free-fall-indulging-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-cradle-rocks-above-an-abyss-and-common-sense-tells-us-that-our/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [In the end things must be as they are and have always been--the great things remain for the great, the abysses for the profound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-end-things-must-be-as-they-are-and-have-always-been-the-great/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I admire the Elsie Tanners and Barbara Windsors of the world: people who have crawled back from the abyss. I'm quite camp in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-eclair/i-admire-the-elsie-tanners-and-barbara-windsors-of-the-world-people/) [Jenny Eclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-eclair/) > [I've been to unpretty places with the roles I've played, and I'm attracted to reckless abandon. I like being taken to the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/i-ve-been-to-unpretty-places-with-the-roles-i-ve-played-and-i-m/) [Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/) > [I look into my heart and see the abyss looking back at me.' 'I won't let you fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/i-look-into-my-heart-and-see-the-abyss-looking-back-at-me-i-won-t-let/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [There is no drop of water in the ocean, not even in the deepest parts of the abyss, that does not know and respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/there-is-no-drop-of-water-in-the-ocean-not-even-in-the-deepest-parts/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [“But first whom shall we send In search of this new world, whom shall we find Sufficient? Who shall tempt, with wand'ring feet The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/but-first-whom-shall-we-send-in-search-of-this-new-world-whom-shall/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Many women don’t know what orgasm is. Many men don’t know was total orgasm is. Many only achieve a local orgasm, a genital orgasm;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-women-don-t-know-what-orgasm-is-many-men-don-t-know-was-total/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Fear not. For fear itself is fed by fear, and all fears pass. Did no one tell you so? Come take my hand, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/fear-not-for-fear-itself-is-fed-by-fear-and-all-fears-pass-did-no-one/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [God gave the sea the danger and the abyss, but it was in it that He mirrored the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/god-gave-the-sea-the-danger-and-the-abyss-but-it-was-in-it-that-he/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [We belong to an age where apocalypse is our daily bread, coffee's black, and we know we're part of the abyss. Red Spider White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/we-belong-to-an-age-where-apocalypse-is-our-daily-bread-coffee-s/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) > [At every moment of our lives, we all have one foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/at-every-moment-of-our-lives-we-all-have-one-foot-in-a-fairy-tale-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Browse all 625 Abyss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense hunger. To resist takes tremendous conscious effort, you don’t dare let your guard down for an instant. The void puts you on edge, makes your movements tentative and clumsy. But as the climb continues, you grow accustomed to the exposure, you get used to rubbing shoulders with doom, you come to believe in the reliability of your hands and feet and head. You learn to trust your self-control.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Krakauer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abyss" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/jon-krakauer-1557_abyss_early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a_12492.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/jon-krakauer-1557_abyss_early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a_12492.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/jon-krakauer-1557_abyss_early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a_12492.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back…” — Jon Krakauer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jon Krakauer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Early on a difficult climb, especially...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```