History Main / ArduousDescentToTerraFirma

[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]

* ''Film/{{Everest|2015}}'': After ScalingTheSummit, the climbers attempt to descend the mountain, but as they do so the blizzard makes the way back far more dangerous. Many characters end up dying due to the harsh conditions, and those who don't have to resist until they're ultimately rescued. This movie is based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, so the misfortune is bound to be displayed.

* ''Literature/GuardiansOfGahoole'': There's mention of an owl with a disability that prevents him from flying. His wings are perfectly fine, as you might not expect, but the talons on his feet are unable to grip branches. When you can't land safely, flying becomes a much less enticing activity. Fortunately, the owl invents foot prosthetics that enable him to take his place in the skies.

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* ''Series/FraggleRock'': In "The Battle of Leaking Roof", Pa gets stranded on the roof one night when the ladder falls and breaks. Junior thinks of several harebrained ideas to get his father down, such as having him jump. He finally sets up another ladder, but the top of it doesn't reach the roof. Junior sets up a board as a bridge from the roof to the ladder, which Pa has to inch his way across in the dark.

[[folder:Web Video]]
* ''WebVideo/ScootertrixTheAbridged'': Episode 7 opens InMediasRes, with the main six at the top of Bald Mountain, about to confront a dragon. They drive away said dragon before the ColdOpen is over. Then their trip back down the mountain takes up the bulk of the episode: what should be a BoringReturnJourney instead proves surprisingly annoying, and the ponies get so lost they somehow [[GoingInCircles wind up back at the mountaintop where they started]]. Eventually Twilight [[RememberedICouldFly remembers]] that two of them are pegasi (who can just fly back) and two of them are unicorns (who can just teleport the rest of the party home).

* ''VideoGame/{{Palworld}}'': Due to having short legs, many Cryolinx that climb up high mountains have trouble getting back down, and often get stranded instead.

* ''Literature/ArabianNights'': In the first part of the tale, Hasan of Basra (or Hassan of Bassora), Hassan is kidnapped by a Persian magician and brought to a very high mountain on a remote island, in order to fetch some wildbushes to prepare an alchemical potion. Hasan enters a camel's hide, which some eagles bring to the top of the mountain. Hasan tosses the bushes to the magician, who abandons him up the mountain to die, just as he has done to other victims. Hasan, then, wanders off to the edge of the mountain and, seeing the ocean beneath him, decides to jump into the water. It may not be ''terra firma'' just yet, but he manages to swim for long enough to reach a safer shore.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': Prior to the events of the game, Link has a close encounter with death while trying to protect Princess Zelda from mechanical Guardians that successfully ravaged the land of Hyrule and allowed Calamity Ganon to destroy the kingdom. While Zelda herself manages to save him thanks to her awakened powers, he's so gravely injured that she takes him to the Shrine of Resurrection in the Great Plateau. A century later, Link wakes up fully recovered, but without his memories and unable to leave the Great Plateau due to how tall it is. He receives the guidance of an Old Man to acquire abilities for the Sheikah Slate as part of his training. The Old Man then reveals his true identity to Link as the deceased King of Hyrule and, after explaining to him the events that led to the kingdom's destruction, gives him the Paraglider so the young hero can land back safely to the kingdom's surface.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': Shortly after the Upheaval occurs and Ganondorf returns to life, Link and Zelda fall into an abyss. While Zelda teleports back in time, Link is instead teleported to the Great Sky Island, which is located several hundred meters above the surface. Due to not having the paraglider anymore (and there isn't one nearby this time around), Link has to explore the island under the guidance of the spirit of Rauru (a deceased Zonai) to learn new abilities summoned with his (transplanted) right arm and, upon completing his training, he has to go to the backyard of the Temple of Time to carefully dive all the way down to a conveniently-placed lake in the central plains of Hyrule and begin his new adventure.

* ''Series/FraggleRock'': In "The Battle of Leaking Roof", Pa gets stranded on the roof one night when the ladder falls and breaks. Junior thinks of several harebrained ideas to get his father down. He finally sets up another ladder, but the top of it doesn't reach the roof. Junior sets up a board as a bridge from the roof to the ladder, which Pa has to inch his way across in the dark.

!! Examples (before adding any, please make sure it doesn't fit better under the aforementioned subtropes):

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In the Season 11 episode [[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS11E6NoPicturesPleaseStuckOnTheRoof Stuck On The Roof]], due to an accident involving the fall of a Krabby Patty [=SpongeBob=] intended to retrieve from the roof of the Krusty Krab (plus Mr. Krabs' anger due to [=SpongeBob=]'s fall also resulting in nearby people being filled with ketchup), he develops a fear of heights and becomes unable to come back down. Patrick and Sandy employ different methods to attempt to help him return to the ground but fail miserably. [=SpongeBob=] spends much of the night yearning for his good moments with friends. He later builds a new dining room (which attracts the customers placed below), but a rainstorm occurs and many people get blown off of the roof. He builds a new Krusty Krab on top of the old one to give shelter to the customers and entertains those getting bored with [[ChekhovsSkill a dance he learned earlier in the episode]]. Finally, due to a massive erosion caused by the rain, the floor sinks the old Krusty Krab and lowers the new one to level ground, effectively allowing [=SpongeBob=] and company to leave the old building's roof (as it ''is'' level ground now).

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'': During the movie's climax, Woody and Jessie have to exit the airplane that is scheduled to fly to Japan. However, the plane begins its pre-takeoff run before they make it out, so they have to move through the front wheels' stabilizer and time their jump onto Horse Bullseye (who's being ridden by Buzz Lightyear) before the plane takes off.

* ''Film/Everest2015'': After ScalingTheSummit, the climbers attempt to descend the mountain, but as they do so the blizzard makes the way back far more dangerous. Many characters end up dying due to the harsh conditions, and those who don't have to resist until they're ultimately rescued. This movie is based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, so the misfortune is bound to be displayed.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarepants'': In the Season 11 episode [[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS11E6NoPicturesPleaseStuckOnTheRoof Stuck On The Roof]], due to an accident involving the fall of a Krabby Patty [=SpongeBob=] intended to retrieve from the roof of the Krusty Krab (plus Mr. Krabs' anger due to [=SpongeBob's=] fall also resulting in nearby people being filled with ketchup), he develops a fear of heights and becomes unable to come back down. Patrick and Sandy employ different methods to attempt to help him return to the ground but fail miserably. [=SpongeBob=] spends much of the night yearning for his good moments with friends. He later builds a new dining room (which attracts the customers placed below), but a rainstorm occurs and many people get blown off of the roof. He builds a new Krusty Krab on top of the old one to give shelter to the customers and entertains those getting bored with [[ChekhovsSkill a dance he learned earlier in the episode]]. Finally, due to a massive erosion caused by the rain, the floor sinks the old Krusty Krab and lowers the new one to level ground, effectively allowing [=Spongebob=] and company to leave the old building's roof (as it ''is'' level ground now).

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

It is often said that going up is more difficult that going down. But in this case, going down is actually the hardest part.

How difficult it'll be to return to level ground will depend on how high the current position of the character is. If the high location is still geographically connected to level ground (i.e. it's a building, a tall tree or a plateau), then the character can gradually descend step by step; emphasis on ''gradually'', because a misstep can make them trip or slip, leading to them plummeting to the ground and potentially getting themselves killed. Conversely, if the character is located in a spot that is ''not'' connected to level ground (i.e. it's a FloatingContinent), then they will have to either find or build a vehicle, or resort to some fantastical method to get back down. In the case of an airplane which they cannot (or don't know how to) pilot and thus a CrashCourseLanding is not possible, they'll have to find a way to exit the vehicle before it's too late (whether with an ImprovisedParachute or an EjectionSeat). A LeapOfFaith is often ruled out unless it's the last resort.

* ''Manga/HighRiseInvasion'': Yuri Honjo finds herself trapped into an alternate world where suspension bridges and the rooftops of skyscrapers are patrolled by serial killers, and she happens to be in one such area. At first, she tries to make her way back to the urban road while dodging her pursuers, but over the course of the story she learns that the only way to get rid of the ongoing threat is by defeating the Administrator who watches over this alternate world.

* ''Film/{{Gravity}}'': Exaggerated. The main characters Stone and Kowalski are astronauts out on a ''spacewalk'' in low-Earth orbit when KesslerSyndrome occurs, destroying their Space Shuttle and forcing them to look for alternate means of getting back to the planet surface. [[spoiler:Only Stone manages to come back down alive, and even then it takes a very difficult ordeal for her to succeed.]]

* ''Literature/ArabianNights'': In the first part of the tale, Hasan of Basra (or Hassan of Bassora), Hassan is kidnapped by a Persian magician and brought to a very high mountain in a remote island, in order to fetch some wildbushes to prepare an alchemical potion. Hasan enters a camel's hide, which some eagles bring to the top of the mountain. Hasan tosses the bushes to the magician, who abandons him up the mountain to die, just as he has done to other victims. Hasan, then, wanders off to the edge of the mountain and, seeing the ocean beneath him, decides to jump into the water. It may not be ''terra firma'' just yet, but he manages to swim for long enough to reach a safer shore.
* ''Literature/GuardiansOfGahoole'': There's mention of an owl with a disability that prevents him from flying. His wings are perfectly fine, as you might not expect, but the talons on his feet are unable to grip branches. When you can't land safely, flying becomes a much less enticing activity. Fortunately, the owl invents foot prosthetics that enables him to take his place in the skies.

* ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'': George Ice Cube used to live in the snowy side of HailfirePeaks with his wife Mildred. However, due to a severe windstorm, he was brought skyward to Cloud Cuckooland, a LevelInTheClouds, and has been stuck there since then. When Banjo and Kazooie meet him, he asks them to push him from the ledge so he can fall back to his homeland. Unfortunately, due to an inevitable miscalculation, he's instead thrown into the ''volcanic'' side of Hailfire Peaks, falling squarely into a moat of boiling water and melting.
* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyI'': Shortly before the climax of the story, the party characters discover that they've inadvertently done this during their descent across the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. It turns out [[spoiler:the surface they've lived in is a landmass that was actually erected by the mystical tree after the original ground where humans lived went through an apocalypse, and said characters are the descendants of the civilization that lived during that tragic period]]. So when they reach the fifth stratum, they find themselves in the highest floors of the Shinjuku buildings in Tokyo, Japan. Going further down merely means getting back to the surface of the now-defunct old world.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'': After his initial defeat in the highest floor of his tower, [[LoadBearingBoss Ganondorf uses his remaining power to make the structure collapse]]; this forces Link and Zelda to quickly escape downstairs to the first floor of the tower and make it out before it's too late. Along the way they face opposition from Stalfos and a [=ReDead=], as well as obstructions created by the falling debris.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'': During the game's prologue, it is revealed that the goddess Hylia had transported the landmass sustaining the village of the Hylians (Skyloft) to the high skies as a means of protection against the reaches of the monsters that were ravaging the land. Link and Zelda have lived in Skyloft since their birth, but after the Wing Ceremony the girl gets abducted by an evil tornado. When Link recovers his consciousness, he's guided by a spirit (Fi) to the interior of Hylia's statue, where he has to place an Ancient Tablet to dispel a part of the dense clouds beneath the floating islands so the young hero can land onto the surface and begin his quest to find his childhood friend.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': Shortly after the Upheaval occurs and Ganondorf returns to life, Link and Zelda fall into an abyss. While Zelda teleports back in time, Link is instead teleported to the Great Sky Island, which is located several hundreds of meters above the surface. Due to not having the paraglider anymore (and there isn't one neaby this time around), Link has to explore the island under the guidance of the spirit of Rauru (a deceased Zonai) to learn new abilities summoned with his (transplanted) right arm and, upon completing his training, he has to go to the backyard of the Temple of Time to carefully dive all the way down to a conveniently-placed lake in the central plains of Hyrule and begin his new adventure.
* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheAzranLegacy'': Shortly after Leon Bronev escapes from his headquarters in Targent and [[spoiler:Professor Sycamore reveals to be Jean Descole in disguise and plans to board the Bostonius and leave them behind]], Layton and his friends find themselves stranded atop the building where they confronted Bronev. Luckily, Layton devises a plan to catch up with Descole by using a pterosaur's skeleton as a handglider to perform an emergency landing to the launch pad where the Bostonius is and [[spoiler:face Descole in a fencing duel]]. Luke, Emmy and Aurora have to make their way back from the original path within the building, but at least they already know how to deal with the dangers present along the way.

* ''VideoGame/YoshiTouchAndGo'': During the start of a level, Baby Mario begins falling from the high skies (likely because the stork transporting him either accidentally released or got attacked like in [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland the original game]]). At first it seems to be a harmless descent (three ballons act as a collective parachute), but between the sky and the lush mainland of Yoshi's Island, there are Fly Guys, Briers and Gusties aiming to burst the baby's balloons. The player has to draw SolidClouds in the touch screen to guide Baby Mario and evade the enemies along the way until reaching the ground, where Yoshi awaits to grab the baby and escort him through the second half of the level. If all three balloons are bursted, Kamek will appear to intercept Baby Mario and kidnap him, resulting in a GameOver.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarepants'': In the Season 11 episode [[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS11E6NoPicturesPleaseStuckOnTheRoof Stuck On The Roof]], due to an accident involving the fall of a Krabby Patty [=SpongeBob=] intended to retrieve from the roof of the Krusty Krab (plus Mr. Krabs' anger due to [=SpongeBob's=] fall also resulting in neaby people being filled with ketchup), he develops a fear of heights and becoems unable to come back down. Patrick and Sandy employ different methods to attempt to help him return the ground, but fail miserably. [=SpongeBob=] spends much of the night yearning his good moments with friends. He later builds a new dining room (which attracts the customers placed below), but a rainstorm occurs and many people get blown off of the roof. He builds a new Krusty Krab on top of the old one to give shelter to the customers, and entertains those getting bored with [[ChekhovsSkill a dance he learned earlier in the episode]]. Finally, due to a massive erosion caused by the rain, the floor sinks the old Krusty Krab and lowers the new one to level ground, effectively allowing [=Spongebob=] and company to leave the old building's roof (as it ''is'' level ground now).

* On July 4th 2023, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HktLlmLh8eg a rollercoaster in Wisconsin]] got stuck upside down for three hours at the top of the ride, which put the passengers in grave danger. They were successfully rescued, but went to the hospital to check out any risks of brain swelling.