Live Like You Were Dying....
I did it!!!!!!
After three cancellations due to bad weather, I finally got the chance to skydive last Sunday morning. GoSkydive located beside the Gatineau-Ottawa Airport in Quebec. My friends Jenn, Alli, and Clare all came to watch as I did my first tandem skydive with Johnathan (with me in the picture). I had not told anyone at home ahead of time which day I was going. I did phone Dad the morning of since he had been all for me going but I didn't want others (particularly Mom) to worry.
Once I arrived and got all signed in (i.e. Signed my life away... literally), we were able to watch a few other groups come down before it was time for me to suit up. I met Johnathan who would be my tandem partner and he explained what we would be doing as I got dressed in my gear. We did a little lesson on how to depart the plane and before I knew it, we were on our way to the airplane.
There were 8 of us in the back of the tiny plane, all sitting in two rows straddling each other. My team consisted of Johnathan, Michael (my videographer) and myself, then there were two other tandem groups and one other videographer. We climed 13,000 feet into the air (about 20 minutes of flying). To give you a little perspective, the bottom of the clouds are about 6,000 feet so we were over double that elevation.
Once we reached the altitude, the first group jumped out, then it was my turn! I thought I would have been nervous but I was so excited to be going and had been looking forward to this for a couple months that I really had no hesitation. I had decided to somersault out of the plane so Michael positioned himself outside the plane to capture my jump and before I knew it, Johnathan and I were catapulting into the sky... It was the most incredible experience of my life. It's hard to describe the feeling I had and the view in front of me - truly amazing! We were free-falling for about 1 minute then we pulled the parachute and glided down for 4-5 minutes to the landing area. I could barely speak at the bottom (and I couldn't see since my contacts had blown out of my eyes in the free-fall) because I was just so thrilled and my adrenaline was pumping for hours afterwards.
I have the DVD and it tells the story so much better so if anyone wants to see it, I sent a copy to Mom and Dad already and can easily burn more. It's pretty awesome! I would do it again in a minute if I could... What a rush!
After three cancellations due to bad weather, I finally got the chance to skydive last Sunday morning. GoSkydive located beside the Gatineau-Ottawa Airport in Quebec. My friends Jenn, Alli, and Clare all came to watch as I did my first tandem skydive with Johnathan (with me in the picture). I had not told anyone at home ahead of time which day I was going. I did phone Dad the morning of since he had been all for me going but I didn't want others (particularly Mom) to worry.
Once I arrived and got all signed in (i.e. Signed my life away... literally), we were able to watch a few other groups come down before it was time for me to suit up. I met Johnathan who would be my tandem partner and he explained what we would be doing as I got dressed in my gear. We did a little lesson on how to depart the plane and before I knew it, we were on our way to the airplane.
There were 8 of us in the back of the tiny plane, all sitting in two rows straddling each other. My team consisted of Johnathan, Michael (my videographer) and myself, then there were two other tandem groups and one other videographer. We climed 13,000 feet into the air (about 20 minutes of flying). To give you a little perspective, the bottom of the clouds are about 6,000 feet so we were over double that elevation.
Once we reached the altitude, the first group jumped out, then it was my turn! I thought I would have been nervous but I was so excited to be going and had been looking forward to this for a couple months that I really had no hesitation. I had decided to somersault out of the plane so Michael positioned himself outside the plane to capture my jump and before I knew it, Johnathan and I were catapulting into the sky... It was the most incredible experience of my life. It's hard to describe the feeling I had and the view in front of me - truly amazing! We were free-falling for about 1 minute then we pulled the parachute and glided down for 4-5 minutes to the landing area. I could barely speak at the bottom (and I couldn't see since my contacts had blown out of my eyes in the free-fall) because I was just so thrilled and my adrenaline was pumping for hours afterwards.
I have the DVD and it tells the story so much better so if anyone wants to see it, I sent a copy to Mom and Dad already and can easily burn more. It's pretty awesome! I would do it again in a minute if I could... What a rush!