Hiker Crosses 30-Foot Chasm on N.Y. Via Ferrata to Confront Acrophobia
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 22
Hiker Crosses 30-Foot Chasm on N.Y. Via Ferrata to Confront Acrophobia
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 22
Summary
30 feet above a churning river, a hiker with a fear of heights crossed a three-cable suspension bridge at Ausable Chasm in upstate New York.
The crossing was part of a via ferrata route that clips hikers to safety cables as they traverse cliffs, bridges and metal rungs along the gorge’s sandstone walls.
For the writer, the outing was a deliberate round of self-directed exposure therapy after years of tackling exposed Adirondack scrambles and summits to reduce acrophobia.
Ausable Chasm’s guided “iron path” turns the Adirondack gorge into a controlled test of nerve, illustrating how adventure travel can double as a personal psychological challenge.