Design and illustrations by Jade Cuevas Good morning, Golden State travelers. Fear is a curious thing — and travel often is posited as a way to help people confront their hang-ups and insecurities in a healthy way. Times contributor Edmund Vallance recently faced his fear of canyoneering — born out of the horrifying incident in “127 Hours” — on an adventure in Utah. You’ll read about his empowering experience and more in this edition of Escapes. Fear can also be a helpful, life-saving friend. A fear of crowds and enclosed spaces is a reasonable, smart reaction to a pandemic that continues to devastate large swaths of the world.