Embrace the Fear

Today I just did the more frightening thing I have ever done in my life. I stood on a ledge and flung myself off a bridge with only an elastic band to save me.

I'm still alive.

Seriously, I wasn't worried about dying. I went to the original bungy site and in over 18 years AJ Hackett has had over 500,000 people at that site alone and 100% safety record in all locations worldwide.

When I booked it this morning I was starting to feel queasy but I distracted myself. And I was fine until I was there for the video introduction that is supposed to motivate you to jump. However, they made a comparison against skydiving and said because skydiving is so high when you jump you don't get the rush of plummeting to the ground. At the point you're near the ground you're actually sailing in your parachute. Whereas with bungy you get the full rush because you are so close.

Now adrenaline junkies would see this as a positive but it actually frightened me.

But I'm stubborn and determined to do it so I sign up and head out to the bridge and I'm starting to think wow this is high. They strap me into my leg harness and I'm really thinking it looks high. I tell the guys I'm terrified and they are trying to work me up to do it. I inch out to the ledge with one of the guys and I'm doubting whether I can do it.

So this is the moment. The guide says 3-2-1 and I... well I bend my knees but I don't jump. In fact I don't think I can jump because they are shaking so badly. I hear the crowd gasp.

Then he tells me to just jump because staying up there just makes it harder. So 3-2-1 and I... kind of jump but really just a bigger knee bend and the crowd gasps louder and I really think I can't do it. But I have to do it. There's no way out of this. So I tell him that this time I'm doing it.

3-2-1 and I go. I scream the entire time. There were people on my tour in the parking lot that can hear me. It wasn't just a scream on the way down but the way down, the way back up, the way back down, the way back up. Finally I run out of scream and the guys in the raft below want me to scream once more - but I can't.

So what can I say. I'm glad I did it. The free fall was so terrifying. It's like when you're in bed almost asleep and all of a sudden you think you're falling and you try to stop yourself. Except this time you are falling for two seconds. You would not believe you long two seconds lasts.

But I conquered it and I may never do it again, time to move onto something else that is scary. But not today. And not tomorrow either.

Below are some pics that one of the girls took for me. I also got the DVD which I'll burn and send to you and I'll scan the pictures they gave me which are much better.

Here's the big pep talk, he's telling me I can do it, it's good that I'm scared "Canada you can do it!" And I think that maybe I can.

Kelley warned me that there was a pole and not to grab onto it because, like her, I would never let go. I swear I did not intentionally grab the pole but your feet are bound together and you have to waddle out so you need something for support.

Fortunately they've gotten smarter since Kelley jumped. They remove your hand by distracting you and telling you to wave to the camera. They are clever!

Finally I did it, here is the freefall and I'm screaming bloody murder.

Unbelievably I'm still screaming here.

The boys below asking for just one more scream.