It was almost my turn to climb. I was on the top deck of a sailing Cruz ship. Around me were hordes of people waiting in line to climb the man-made “mountain”. There were specific rocks sticking out of the mountain for climbers to stand on and hold on. Near me were my parents and a few cousins. They let me go first. As the line moved steadily, I got more and more nervous.

The mountain was made for three people to climb at a time, and was about twenty to thirty feet tall. There were safety ropes attached to each climber. Some people got scared and grabbed on to the ropes. There were three sections-easy, medium, and difficult to climb. Since I was about ten years old, I took the easy section. I could have changed my mind, but I thought that would make me look scared. I was next in line, so the Cruz employees started putting on the safety gear for me.

I thought of all the terrible things that could have happened. Maybe I could fall with tons of people watching me or I could take a while to climb. Then the people would get inpatient. There was a bell at the top of each section for the climbers to ring to signal they had finished their turn. Finally, I walked to the foot of the mountain. Nervously, I put one hand on a rock sticking out , and a leg on another. I followed a smooth pattern of putting my hand on the next rock and my leg on another. I slowly headed toward the top.

Suddenly, the next rock was out of reach for my hand. There was no where for my feet to step on to raise me up. The only solution I had was to lift my weight and boy using my arms. Both my hands grabbed a rock and lifted. It took much energy. Luckily, I got the next rock and continued. After a while, I rang the bell and looked down at the crowd. I was very proud of myself. To get down, I had to kick off the mountain and hold on to the safety rope. In no time, I was back on the top deck of the ship.

I felt so relieved. My relatives gave me a pat on the back. I got praised by some other people I didn’t even know. My legs and arms were very tired and sore, therefore I had to sit down. This memory of me conquering my fears will always be an important experience.