Unfurled my wings
I finally took the big plunge on Saturday. After weeks of research, I found credibility in Skydive Oregon to hold custody of my life for 15 minutes.
At the time of booking I was warned that it would take close to 4 hours; I assumed it was an elaborate training procedure, much like flight simulation training. While signing my life away and training took less than half an hour, I watched other skydivers shuttle in and out. Just as the shadows began to draw longer, and my empty stomach began to rumble with hunger, my name was called out.
Binding me inside my harness Rocky, my tandem instructor, scooted off for another jump before the last one with me. Out in the air field, I saw the light plane descend snappily into what appeared a forest of conifers. It was enchanting how the plane needed such little time on the runway for the take-off.
I had seen nearly 10 set of divers kiss the sky this afternoon. 5 minutes later, after disappearing into the bright blue of the hottest day in Portland, little specks would begin to descend. Colorful parachutes fluttered open and whooshed in from every direction. Minutes later, excited tandem first-timers emerged from the changing room, mouthing everything from ‘it was great’ to ‘the most awesome high of my life’.
The first words I uttered were ‘This was the most exhilarating experience of my life’. My reaction was only dulled by the large grin I couldn’t wipe off my face many hours after the jump. Ryan, my videographer, took lots of shots and clips of my reactions, right from me getting into the harness, inside the light plane, as we ascended 13000 feet, and last thoughts before the plunge.
The trio had slid all the way to the back of the plane, beside the pilot. I was sandwiched between Rocky behind and Ryan capturing my growing nervousness as the horse ranches and rivulets disappeared under the evening haze. The only thing clear from up there was the shimmering snow on Mt Hood in the East and the sun just above the horizon in the West.
I don’t recollect whether I hauled us out (unlikely) or Rocky propelled us forward. The next 10 seconds my breath was sucked out, my mind was in a tizzy, my face parts were flapping without any motor control. I remembered that Ryan was around filming all of this. So I flailed my arms, tried to give him a thumbs up. The fall naturally curved my lips into a large smile.
After what seemed like about 30 seconds, the parachute jolted us into a serene drift. I began to look all around and soak the svoboda. Rocky handed me the parachute reins and we did swoops in both directions while continuing to head towards the landing strip. A gentle cool breeze made sure the swoops were deep and I tugged hard on the reins to create loops in the sky. When it was time to get feet back on the tarmac, Rocky took back the reins and we landed on the soft grass amidst camera flashes capturing every moment of the descent.
The adrenaline rush had me chomping my dinner as if I’d arrived from Somalia. The thumping inside my chest didn’t settle till after midnight.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. With the element of surprise annihilated, I believe the next experience will me that much more fun.
At the time of booking I was warned that it would take close to 4 hours; I assumed it was an elaborate training procedure, much like flight simulation training. While signing my life away and training took less than half an hour, I watched other skydivers shuttle in and out. Just as the shadows began to draw longer, and my empty stomach began to rumble with hunger, my name was called out.
Binding me inside my harness Rocky, my tandem instructor, scooted off for another jump before the last one with me. Out in the air field, I saw the light plane descend snappily into what appeared a forest of conifers. It was enchanting how the plane needed such little time on the runway for the take-off.
I had seen nearly 10 set of divers kiss the sky this afternoon. 5 minutes later, after disappearing into the bright blue of the hottest day in Portland, little specks would begin to descend. Colorful parachutes fluttered open and whooshed in from every direction. Minutes later, excited tandem first-timers emerged from the changing room, mouthing everything from ‘it was great’ to ‘the most awesome high of my life’.
The first words I uttered were ‘This was the most exhilarating experience of my life’. My reaction was only dulled by the large grin I couldn’t wipe off my face many hours after the jump. Ryan, my videographer, took lots of shots and clips of my reactions, right from me getting into the harness, inside the light plane, as we ascended 13000 feet, and last thoughts before the plunge.
The trio had slid all the way to the back of the plane, beside the pilot. I was sandwiched between Rocky behind and Ryan capturing my growing nervousness as the horse ranches and rivulets disappeared under the evening haze. The only thing clear from up there was the shimmering snow on Mt Hood in the East and the sun just above the horizon in the West.
I don’t recollect whether I hauled us out (unlikely) or Rocky propelled us forward. The next 10 seconds my breath was sucked out, my mind was in a tizzy, my face parts were flapping without any motor control. I remembered that Ryan was around filming all of this. So I flailed my arms, tried to give him a thumbs up. The fall naturally curved my lips into a large smile.
After what seemed like about 30 seconds, the parachute jolted us into a serene drift. I began to look all around and soak the svoboda. Rocky handed me the parachute reins and we did swoops in both directions while continuing to head towards the landing strip. A gentle cool breeze made sure the swoops were deep and I tugged hard on the reins to create loops in the sky. When it was time to get feet back on the tarmac, Rocky took back the reins and we landed on the soft grass amidst camera flashes capturing every moment of the descent.
The adrenaline rush had me chomping my dinner as if I’d arrived from Somalia. The thumping inside my chest didn’t settle till after midnight.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. With the element of surprise annihilated, I believe the next experience will me that much more fun.
