It’s my 40th birthday weekend, and if you know me at all, you know that I needed to plan some kind of an adventure. After work on Thursday we drove to Whitefish and checked into our solar powered yurt for the weekend (bucket list check!).
This morning we woke up with some anticipation. After choking down a granola bar and signing a million page waiver, we boarded our plane for our first skydive. Do you recognize the plane? I guess it was used in the movie ‘Blow’.
The 20 minute scenic flight was cool, but a little lost on me because of the adrenaline pumping through my body. Once at 10,000 feet, things moved with precision. There was really no time to think. I was sitting at the door of the airplane, a final safety check done, then I was hurling through the air toward the ground. RobO says that I was there, then like a magician I was gone.
It was everything that I imagined, but nothing that I expected. I knew we were falling, but never felt my stomach in my throat. What was seconds felt like hours. It was impossible to think of anything else; an experience of being truly present in the moment. It was so loud I couldn’t hear my own screams, then so quiet we could converse without raising our voices. It was exhilarating, then peaceful. I can’t remember anything but relive it when I close my eyes.
This was right after they sang Happy Birthday to me, and moments before the jump:
We landed perfectly in the exact spot where the plane took off. I would highly recommend Skydive Whitefish.
The rest of the birthday weekend is filled with great food, great weather, lots more fun activities, and a long awaited celebration with friends in Lethbridge.
Bring it on, 40!