Visitors to Masada (a mountaintop fortress built by King Herod) have two options to get to the top: cablecar or the Snake Trail. When Ursula and I visited Masada a few years ago, I was in marathon shape, and wanted to run up the Snake Trail. Unfortunately, it was very hot that day (almost 40 degrees) and our host strenuously recommended that I not try the climb. I took his advice, but ever since I've know that if I ever returned, I wanted to climb the trail.
So, today was the day. I'm not in marathon shape any more, but the temperature was a mild 28 degrees when we arrived. Ursula and the kids bought their cablecar tickets and told me they'd meet me at the top. I couldn't run the 2 km, but I did make the 350 metre climb nonstop, and discovered that while it's difficult, it wasn't the monster I had created in my mind. By the time I mounted the last step, my heart was pounding and my legs were wobbly, but I was also satisfied I'd checked another item off my bucket list. Yes!