oakpack on January 5

Good for you, oakpack. My daughter made her tandem one day before her seventeenth birthday, two years ago. She got to know the joy, closeness to God and pure adrenalin rush her dad has known for several years. And yes, it was what she wanted. I would never encourage anyone to experience that unless they want it…a lot. Without that desire, a little courage and a lot of faith, you will never climb out that door at 10 to 13K.

Again?

I have 53 jumps, 3 in a combat zone. We used to have contests to see who would pull their chutes last (I lost). But I cannot see myself EVER doing that.

But I’ve just decided to do some HALO jumps this spring.

I kept passing hikers who were saying Alaska’s much better. If there’s any truth to that, I’m jealous and may have to trek up there sometime.

Esthier on January 5, 2009 at 4:20 PM

Hmmm, that is a good question. I have no clue. Hiking in CO and Alaska are two different things. CO, you don’t have the same foliage.. poison ivy is there, nor the LARGER anmials.. but at least it is nice and scenic.

Alaska.. from personal experience. When you hear some REALLY big “POP”’s and it is on the side of a mountain you are climbing, trying to get to the top. RUN DOWN HILL! Moose are easy to meander and tick off when they can’t stomp you… via going around the alder and willow. Bear just don’t care. FYI if you come up.. and Bear Mace doesn’t work.

upinak on January 5, 2009 at 4:05 PM

Yeah, it’s unfortunate he’s been romanticized for what was essentially a stupid and selfish act on his part, something even the Sean Penn film seemed to admit at the end.

Still, I can understand it in part. When I was a kid I wanted so badly to live somewhere, where adventures were common. I used the tree mulching plant next door and pretended it was a forest, but it was nothing. And it was full of rats, so I wasn’t really allowed there anyway.

I’ve gone hiking, but only with the proper tools and a guide the first two times. When I was in Colorado this last time, I kept passing hikers who were saying Alaska’s much better. If there’s any truth to that, I’m jealous and may have to trek up there sometime.

You can probably blame Chris McCandless for that.

Esthier on January 5, 2009 at 2:46 PM

Yeah, that idiot. His own damn fault he froze to death!

Kinda like Timothy Tredwell.

They are both from California…. and people wonder why I look at them odd if they say they are from that State. I am expecting them to do something extremely stupid… say smack a bear, live in a bus…

I will do this when I’m 100% ready to die, maybe at age 93.

You probably will when the bones are already weak and brittle unable to withstand pressure against your legs and arms in a wingsuit breaking them. Kind of like when you shoot a duck out of the air and see how their wings collapses and watch it fall down in a twirl. Yeah, be ready to die if your bones are already old and brittle.