Surprisingly, I even volunteered to be the first to go. Unsurprisingly, I didn't really have any challengers when I stepped to the front of the line. As the jump crew fitted me into my harness and attached the cables we chit-chatted about where I was from as if we were in a bar and not standing on the edge of a deep canyon. Then one of the guys said 'Go!' and I did. It was nearly a reflex action. I didn't think about it, I just did it. I just took one big step into the empty air, then my other leg followed the first off the terra firma. A split second later I was hurtling through the air with arms and legs flailing as the canyon walls sped past and the canyon floor sped up. I let out a scream from deep in my belly, but when I opened my mouth no sound came out. A single thought went through my mind, "I hope he attached the cable before he said Go!"
Five long seconds and 200 feet below where I started, the cables went taught and sent me flying, horizontally this time, toward the other side of the canyon. I did something called the Canyon Swing. It has all the same elements of bungee, but ends a little differently. When you reach the end of the free fall, you swing across the canyon on a cable like a pendulum instead of bouncing back up and down a few times as you do in bungee. It makes for a smoother ride, or at least I told myself that in a semi-delusional state as I signed up for it.
Swinging back and forth just above the canyon floor, I found my voice again and let out a series of loud 'whoo-hoos!!' in excitement. It was exhilarating. An euphoric feeling. Once I was reeled back up to the top, my adrenaline spiked and a wide grin found its way from ear to ear. Then, I did it again. This time, backwards.
PS - the back is just fine.
No comments:
Post a Comment