Jump

Now would be a good time to mention that I have a mild fear of heights. I don’t really like rollercoasters. I say a short prayer before taking off in a plane. So, when my good friend J mentioned that he was getting certified as a skydiver, I was happy for him, but not really interested. However, one day we started talking about it over IM and it didn’t sound that bad. I thought, if I could not be a wuss for about 60 seconds, I could totally do it. In true J fashion, he then kept egging me on and getting my friends involved until I agreed to do it. My friend Rod jumped too. The whole event was an interesting experiment in conquering a fear.


I knew for about a week that I’d be jumping on Friday. My general strategy was to not think too much about it (despite the previously mentioned friends sending me video a failed jump). We jumped in Snohimish, about a 45 minute drive north of Seattle. I was pretty cool until we got off the highway and into the surrounding area. Normally, the wide open fields, clear skies, and mountain views would be calming; however, this day it only served as a reminder of the vast open space that I’d be jumping into.


We jumped at Skydive Snohomish. The training was cool. I did a tandem jump, so there wasn’t really much to learn: smile, arch your body, and lift your feet when you land. They had us watch their own intentionally cheesy instructional video that walks though the whole jump. We then put on our equipment and met the tandem instructor we’d be jumping with. These guys are all certified and have jumped hundreds of times. Plus, the backpack they have carries a backup parachute and a computer that will automatically release a parachute after a certain amount of time if one hasn’t already been released. That said, I still had to have a brief chat with my instructor, Colin, to make sure he was generally happy, emotionally stable, and not going through a major breakup with a significant other.

I was calm for the plane ride up too. I spent most of it thinking about how I’ve spent my whole life afraid of this and how if I did this, I could do anything. The view going up was amazing as well. At altitude, a little green light comes on and they open the door. It is a strange feeling to be in a plane and see someone hop out. Even stranger to know you’re next.


This would be my second round of freaking out. We jump out at 13,500ft. and accelerate to 120mph. There is a little rail at the top of the door frame which I held on to for dear life. Colin told me to let go then started rocking. “1” he leans forward. “2” he leans forward. “3” we’re out of the plane. I think this is the most scarred is I’ve ever been in my life. It’s also why there’s no video on this post. I definitely screamed for the first couple of seconds. You are very aware that you’ve plummeting to the earth. However, after about five seconds, you begin to realize it is not going to get any worse. You can’t hit anything and die. So you might as well enjoy the view. This is where people fall in love with skydiving. The feel of the air is invigorating. The views are amazing 360 degrees. It is a feeling of freedom that can’t be match. That said, the feeling of a successful deployed parachute is even better.

You’ve got a couple of minutes to get to the ground. The parachute has cords that let you turn and guide it. At a more relaxed pace you can enjoy the view and actually talk to your instructor. The landing was funny. Apparently you can either stand or slide down to the earth. At the last minute, my instructor decide to switch from standing to sliding so we hit pretty hard. Colin was very apologetic, but I thought it was kind of funny. I just jumped out of a plane 13,500ft. up and my butt’s a little sore. I think that’s a win!