Fear physically paralyzed a confident traveler on the mountainside

Evidence

To me it was a time of extreme terror. I was roped to “Jim,” but it was of no use; my feet were paralyzed and slipped on the bare rock, and he said it was useless to try to go that way, and we retraced our steps. I wanted to return to the “Notch,” knowing that my incompetence would detain the party, and one of the young men said almost plainly that a woman was a dangerous encumbrance, but the trapper replied shortly that if it were not to take a lady up he would not go up at all. — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 114

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the tension in 2001: A Space Odyssey / general ‘civilized person meets raw nature’ reading list — and contrasts with how frontier narratives usually render female travelers fearless. — connects to: Extreme fear can shrink a person’s presence to something almost weightless — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 427; Damp clothing and sub-zero mountain gales made ordinary travel life-threatening — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 248; Rocky Mountain storms can physically immobilize a person a short walk from shelter — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 139 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Rocky Mountain storms can physically immobilize a person a short walk from shelter #corroborates (0.88) — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 139
• Fear can trap individuals in hopeless situations. #expands (0.76) — Leo Tolstoy, A Confession, 53
• Damp clothing and sub-zero mountain gales made ordinary travel life-threatening #qualifies (0.74) — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 248
• Extreme fear can shrink a person’s presence to something almost weightless #expands (0.72) — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 427