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A few years I wrote a list that consists of things that scare me or put me outside my comfort zone. It isn’t so much a bucket list as a do-it-now sort of list. Since its creation much of my time has been dedicated to working towards the next thing on my list. A few weeks ago it was time to bungee jump, again. Again? Clearly I am crazy because the first time I jumped off of a bridge I was completely terrified and absolutely hated it. I loved myself for having the courage to jump but the actually bungee jumping part was just too much for me to handle.
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I am an adrenaline junkie plain and simple and with that said I had zero interest or desire to EVER go bungee jumping again. When my friend Lindsey asked if I would go bungee jumping with her I didn’t hesitate to say yes. It sounds weird, I know, but I am focused on conquering fears no matter what they are. This time my goal was to jump twice in a row. If I was going to do this again I needed to make sure I conquered my fear.
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Lindsey (left) and I headed out to Amboy, Washington early Saturday morning. It was a long drive but the weather was beautiful and we spent the entire time catching up and laughing. It completely distracted me from what was about it take place.
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When we got to the bridge I instantly started to get antsy. Thankfully all of the workers at bungee.com have a great demeanor and sense of humor which has a way of calming the nervous folks down. For an example some of the paperwork includes lines that ask your burial preferences and whether you would like an open or closed casket. It sounds slightly morbid but it is all in good fun.
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The bridge is the highest legal jump in the US at just sigh of 200 feet. It is located in the foot hills of Mount Saint Helens and overlooks Canyon Creek. We even had kayaking visitors during our wait.
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Lindsey jumped shortly after getting to the bridge and executed her jump like a pro! She got on the platform and jumped right when she was supposed. The woman was fearless!
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My turn did not go quite as smoothly. Firstly I just want to say that I was thinking far too much about my jump from 3 years prior. The guys got me all hooked up and I realized that I had WAY less bungee cords than everyone else had. There were only 3! 3 cords, that’s it?
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(Me nervously running in place to try and calm myself down. It didn’t work.)
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I was still pouting about the cords as I climbed over the rail and took my spot on the platform. I then lost my ever loving mind. I could not move, or breathe. The bridge counted down “5!…..4!…..3!…..2!…..1!…..BIG JUMP!” Not a single muscle on my body moved. Not my feet, not my hands, not even my little pinky toe. Deep down I knew that I would jump I just needed a minute to gather my composure and jump on my own terms. That isn’t really something that the bungee people can allow since they have to get through everyone and the slow people just hold up the process.
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After a little switch-a-roo from forward to backward to forward again I was ready to go. Honestly I can’t remember if there was counting again or not, but I jumped. The instant my feet left the platform I had the thought “What did I just do?” As the cords stretched out I was thinking, oh okay this isn’t so bad. Then I was catapulted back into the air and all that ran through my head were a few cuss words. Luckily they all stayed in my head and didn’t escape. I bounced and swung a few more times before the drastic movements stopped and I was able to gather my thoughts again.
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Ekk! I still cannot believe I went again. Let me clarify that I was a wuss and didn’t do the second back to back jump like I had planned. It was more important that I get my butt off of that bridge and on to solid ground. With that said, I will definitely keep going until I can conquer the double jump!
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The question is: Would you jump off of a bridge if your friend jumped off a bridge?
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