Cindy Takes the Big Plunge

I seem to have had more than my share of big adventures lately and I hesitate to blog about yet another one but this was so supremely cool I have to share. And I have a point to make buried in here somewhere so hang on and I’ll get to it. :o)

Let me preface said ‘point’ with a little background info. Three years ago I hiked the Grand Canyon. Yup. 11.3 miles down Bright Angel Trail and 2 days later, 11.3 miles back up. Let me tell you. This hike is NOT for the faint of body or heart. It was grueling. It was also the most beautiful, spiritually fulfilling journey I’ve ever made. Sort of an “I am woman hear me roar” experience. I made the trip with 2 of my friends and we did not take the task lightly. We trained and read up on all the perils and dangers of the Canyon and prepared ourselves for the adventure. And when we stood on the South rim of that magnificent hole, looking down and down and down we were scared. Really. We carried a gallon of water each, trail mix for protein, salt and carbs to keep our electrolytes in balance and made sure we had first aid supplies – the whole shebang. It was truly a treacherous but fulfilling adventure. And painful. Did I mention the pain? Muscles strains, joint pain, bleeding blisters – you get the picture.

So, why am I talking about this today? Because ever since I hiked the Canyon I’ve been determined to go back … see it from a different perspective this time, uncluttered by the concerns of the physical stress of the hike, the real probability of having to be air lifted out by helicopter if I were injured, a snake or scorpion bite, etc. Soooo … last week, I did it. I went back to the Canyon only this time instead of hiking in, I flew with 6 of my friends on a 10 passenger mini plane piloted by a Doogie Howser clone to the rim of the canyon where we boarded – get this – a helicopter that flew us to the bottom of the canyon where we boarded a J-rig raft with 11 GREAT guys (now THAT was a hardship :o) and proceeded to white water raft and camp for 3 days.

Do I know how to push the envelope or what?? It was an amazing trip. Gorgeous scenery, incredible sights – I did mention the 11 guys, right?? – fabulous food and spectacular hiking adventures along the way.

Okay. Finally, my point. Here’s a photo of me jumping off a 30 foot cliff into the river.

Yeah. The Big Plunge. Now the teeny tiny plane and the super young pilot rattled me. The helicopter ride – a first for me – scared me. The white water rapids were white knuckle and screaming all the way. But the leap from the cliff TERRIFIED me. It was by no means mandatory. No one did any goading. No one called me chicken as I stood on the edge and peaked over into the abyss. So what made me do it? I don’t know. Would I do it again? Probably not. But right then, right there, in that moment, I felt like I could do anything, survive anything, triumph over anything. And that, my friends, is an amazing feeling.

And that finally leads me to ask, what about you? What envelopes have you pushed lately? How far have you tested your mettle? What would you like to do that scares you half to death? And the big question, with life being so precious and short, how long can you afford to put off doing that one thing you’ve been afraid to do? Tell me, tell me. I want to know …

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