Check one more first adventure off the list of lifetime to-dos!!!
I jumped out of a plane from 2 miles above the earth (18,500 feet above sea level). I was able to free-fall for 60 seconds and then parachute down (with the help of my friend Fish). There is a small lead chute which slowed us to 115 mph (just shy of terminal velocity) as you can see in the photo.
It is true that skydiving is the biggest adrenaline rush I have ever had: more than on a dirt bike, cliff-jumping, racing, or anything... ever. I am now hooked and will be completely certified within a year. That will require one more tandem jump and 7 individual jumps. Once I get that done, I will be able to jump by myself, with my own gear, and then who knows.
I went to Skydive Utah in Erda, UT. Everyone there was great and made
my experience fun. If you see the video, I am definitely nervous before the jump and was really unable to
express all of the thoughts running through my head. Either that, or I just forgot to breathe; it's common.
The view was amazing from that height. I could see the entire Salt Lake Valley and the Tooele area valley. It is one thing from a Boeing 747, but a complete 360 degree view without any obstructions is by far the best way to see it. As I approached the ground, the most striking thing was the feeling of flying more than falling (except for the wind rushing by).
I had an awesome time and would recommend skydiving to all of my adrenaline junkie friends as the ultimate first time rush. If you have a bad heart or problems breathing, you might want to reconsider it... so hurry before you all get too old.
Awesome!!! I'm glad you had a great time. I hope to see the video sometime.