The Fall

It was a long ride to the top. By the time the winch had pulled us up all 157 feet to the highest point of the V-shaped steel tower, I was beginning to question whether or not I had fully thought thought this through. 

We had spent our entire day  vanquishing every roller coaster that Six Flags had to offer. From the alarmingly rickety El Toro to the 450 foot, 120 mph vertical corkscrew of Kingda Ka we had done them all. Only one ride stood in the way of my complete conquest of the park: the bungee jump. This menacing contraption raises up to three people, over 150 feet into the sky and then releases them into a free fall that reaches speeds of over 70 mph. I pride myself on being fearless of most things that make others queasy. Heights, small spaces, public speaking, open water, airplanes, insects, subways and danger in general never bothers me, but there was something about falling 150 feet with only a skinny, metal fatigued cable being the difference between living and becoming an asphalt pancake. However, I would not let my fear get the better of me and resolved to do it no matter what. Convincing one of my close friends and her sister to do the jump with me gave me some courage, however, the waiver I needed to sign, that stated if there were a malfunction, I (or what was left of me) would not sue the park did not. There was an hour wait after we had potentially signed our own death warrants until we could actually take the plunge. We spent the time watching other adventure seekers go before us, and breathed a sigh of relief every time a pair with a much greater combined weight than our own made it back to the earth safely. Before we knew it, the time had come. Our threesome was called and we were suited up in the special harnesses that resembled lead hospital aprons. The anxiety slowly built as we were hoisted higher and higher into the sky. My only comfort was the knowledge that if something did go wrong, I wouldn't have to live with it. As soon as we reached the top, the countdown began: 3... 2... 1... I gave a final salut to worried friends and family on the ground and then sudden the clank of the metal clip sent us plummeting to the earth. It was one of the most exciting things I've ever experienced, and as soon as we made it back to the ground, all of us had resolved to go sky diving as soon as we are legally allowed to do so. Pushing the limits of what I thought I could do gave me a whole new confidence that I could go even further, and have the courage that even I didn't know I had.