12,000 ft In the Air...

Two days before this picture was taken, the only thing that was on my mind was the agony and misery that Sheree and I were going through, as we attempted to cycle over the 3 huge hills between Fox Glacier and Franz Josef, while it was drizzling rain and we were freezing and exhausted.  Jumping out of a plane was the last thing on my mind!

But when we arrived to Franz Josef we realized that our plan to work in exchange for accommodation, and do a fundraiser on the side were going to be impossible.  We changed our plan and decided to enjoy 2 days in Franz Josef, and move the fundraiser to Hokitika, and spend more time there.  Coming back from the reception of the place we were staying, Sheree told me that we were going skydiving that afternoon!  I said ok without thinking, and it wasn't until we went to pay that it became real and I started to freak out...

The next day we went to meet our tandem buddies.  Mine was a tiny little girl, not exactly what I was expecting... I asked her if it was a problem that she was smaller than me, and she just laughed and said that I was the smallest person she had taken all day.  She was kind and answered all of my questions about how many people had fainted or puked or died, etc, and she made me feel better...until....

We were 12,000 feet in the air and it was time for us to jump!  She kept saying "I gotcha, I gotcha" as she pushed my limbs out the door one by one as I desperately tried to grab onto something to keep me on that plane!  But that darn door was too big and she jumped too fast for me to stop her.  The next thing I knew, there was no more plane and just the most intense feeling of falling, the feeling of air coming up at us from below, so strong  that I could see my tears being squeezed out of my eyes, even though I was wearing the glasses, and the thought of wanting to say "I WASN'T READY!" to her, but unable because I couldn't stop screaming.

When she opened the parachute, it felt like we were being pulled back up, but then started to float back down slowly and peacefully and I could really enjoy the scenery as the terror slowly faded away.  There was blue ocean on one side, white glaciers on the other, and green fields below us.  The view was incredible!  Since we were 2 little girls, we came down much slower than the others and were the last ones to land.  The feeling of falling stayed with me for days or even weeks, and it's a feeling I will never forget...But probably don't need to have again in this lifetime!

 

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