Ever come close to death? I just did last night.

Just four hours ago, I was climbing a rock-face that went up 90ft in front of a river, with no safety-gear, rope special shoes, nothing.

About half-way up, I start to lose my grip, coupled with the fact that I had to move along a very close extension of the side and continue up. I managed to get myself five feet up, then realized I wasn't going to be able to pull myself up due to there being very little to grab onto, and I didn't trust the root sticking out of the ground.

If not for the fact the top of the rock-face works like a stairstep, my friend wouldn't have been able to extend his leg down grab onto a tree-like growth, and pull me up onto it, I would've fallen 70 feet onto large jagged rocks, and more than likely died instantly. The only way I would've after falling would've been by grabbing onto the tree behind me and sliding the rest of the way down it like a pole, but even then I could still let go somehow, and plummet to my death.

Normally, there is a rope that we put in place to make sure we'd have something to grab onto should we mess up, but some unknown ASSHOLE cut it, removed it or whatever, and that's what really put me in the danger-zone. If I ever find this little fuck, I'm going to kick his/her ass. I don't care if the park-board removed it to discourage us into not doing it, they should know full well that people are going to try and do it anyway, so they really shouldn't have done that.

Life flashed before my eyes, everything I've ever wanted to do, thought about doing getting ripped and torn to shreds right in front of me. Funny, it wasn't the fact that I was going to die and no longer exist, simply the fact that I would lose so much. The pain that I'd feel if I survived wasn't a factor.

Every one of my friends (five) who was with me, were absolutely sure I was going to fall, so that tells you how close I came.

I'm still shaking from this shit, and just thinking about it is hard on my conscience.

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So I want to know: Have you ever come close to death? What thoughts were running through your head? Did you try thinking of a way out? How did it happen? Did you ever see it happen to someone else?

How does it effect you now?

Actually yes. Twice. The most recent was my auto accident which left me messed up a little.

The first time was about 6 years ago, I was trying to take a minor into protective custody, I had several uniformed sheriffs with me but didn't see the family member with his shotgun and knife exit the house. He leveled it at me and was prepared to shoot me but he didn't, I don't know why. Perhaps because there were so many people shouting at him with drawn weapons. I think it confused him, he was load with double-00 buck and at such close range would have shredded me. Eventually he laid down his weapons and was taken into custody.

I think I took a week off to calm down, but like you I was shaky and very angry. Mostly though I was mad at myself, I was lax in my personal security and that endangered my life.

Since that day I pretty much just enjoy life and never take it for granted. I try to enjoy my time here and don't worry as much anymore, although I do take precautions to not place myself in harms away if I can avoid it.

Not sure if this fits your criteria, Alu, but I'm fairly certain everyone else on the airplane with me was just as convinced as I was that we were all about to die. Basically I was coming back from Disneyland when I was ten years of age or so on a Boeing 747. We had only been in the air for around ten minutes, then all of a sudden the plane took a nosedive. To put into context for you how fast this damn thing was dropping, I was held in my seat primarily by my seatbelt and hanging on to my mother's arm for dear life. Then after several seconds of this nosedive, the plane leveled out. No announcement from the pilot or staff, nothing. We later learned there was a computer failure which lead the pilots to believe they were heading straight for another plane.

Not really in true danger of dying, but no one knew the difference for quite a while.

Anyway, strangely enough, I'm still pretty fine with flying except with takeoff. I get nervous whenever it feels like the plane stops climbing.

As for what was going through my mind, it was something along the lines of, "AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Nowadays I'm pretty sure I would scream something more vulgar, though.