It was while I was stuck up on my little perch that my focus slipped, and I became indecisive. I gave myself too much time to think and became panicky and irrat

It was while I was stuck up on my little perch that my focus slipped, and I became indecisive. I gave myself too much time to think and became panicky and irrational. Like, fear management is the name of the game, and it's all about blocking out extraneous thoughts and sticking to practical, immediate concerns. I had cultivated the ability to do as much while climbing, and had plenty of experience, but on that day my mind slipped, and thoughts of what my parents would think if I died and shit like that started running through my head, which was a first for me. I did pull myself together, obviously, and when I finally committed to going back down, I was in control and systematic about it, but the experience left me rattled, and for a couple years after that I stuck to nice, safe single pitch sport climbing routes. That's why I'm me and not Alex Honnold I guess, he goes and does it again the next day.