I find the whole notion of "mental toughness" as a badge of honor a bit laughable. I have well over 1000 free-fall skydives and 2000 river miles on class IV+ water, in rafts and hard shell kayaks. Been in a few tight spots and seen some ugly stuff. Never thought of myself being tough, mentally or otherwise. I just learned as much as I could, sought out those who had already survived doing what I was comptemplating, proceeded cautiously and tried to make the best decisions I could under the circumstances. Sometimes we seem all too willing to pat ourselves on the back for doing the obvious. If you want to talk about real mental toughness, talk to a parent in a pediatric oncology ward. Or be the spouse who has to unplug his wife from life support the day after her only daughter's wedding. Being there for someone else, whether outdoors or not, sometimes demands some toughness. Mental toughness saving your own butt in the outdoors, Ha, piece of cake !!!!