I Am Braver Than Henry Miller

That's right, the big man who broke literary boundaries and wrote the risque Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn is a coward when it comes to cold, dark, wet confined spaces. He twice visited Mycenae, an ancient Greek hilltop fortress, home of the Mycenaen empire. Each time he attempted to climb down the winding steps that lead into the underground cistern:

"Thinking back on it now, after a lapse of months, I honestly believe that I would rather be shot than forced to descend that staircase alone. In fact, I think I would die of heart failure before ever reaching the bottom."
--- Henry Miller, The Colossus of Maroussi (1941)

Go to this Henry Miller blog to read more about his cowardice.

Not only did I descend the staircase, I reached the bottom. Along with a lot of other tourists. Here's the picture to prove it...okay that's not me, but a bunch of my students--I'm the one at the bottom taking the picture.

So there Henry Miller.