Nailchipper

I jumped out of a plane two days ago and now I am finally coming to terms with what’s happened to me. I think i’ve had an adrenaline rush that began to wear off only yesterday.

The most nerve racking part of this adventure was the drive the to skydiving ranch, where we nervously joked about all the worst case scenarios. Signing papers acknowledging that I might die was a bit strange. Suiting didn’t phase me. Getting on the plane was okay. Seeing my altimeter at 10,000 feet was a bit exciting. Knowing that I was jumping in about 4,000 more feet was a bit nerve racking, but things were happening so fast I think I forgot to be nervous. I looked out the door for about 3 seconds and next thing I know I am falling…fast! For the first 5 seconds of free fall I was in complete shock. It felt like I was detached from my body. You cannot hear anything. Your brain stops processing what is happening and you feel a raw sensation that is indescribable.

But for next 45 seconds of free fall, I stared wide eyed at the ground below me in disbelief. Covering 1000 feet every 5 seconds, I kept thinking: I can’t believe what is happening to me. At 6000 feet, we pulled the parachute and it was over. I enjoyed 5 minutes of pure bliss, where I took in the scenery and enjoyed the ride back to land. I thought that this was my moment of decompression, where I would take in what happened to me, but now, 2 days later, I realize that the rush and and complete awe of the free fall was not complete. I’ve thought about that one minute of my life more than any other. So much happened that it’s hard to think about it all at once and when I break it down I realize that it was a high that cannot be reproduced until you do it again. The first reaction from everyone after we landed was “we have do do that again”, and now I realize that skydiving is a high that strips you of all your emotions and all your feelings, while you take in life in its purest form.

It’s such a strange sensation that I have to do it again…