Switzerland: "I'll see you in Hell"

Dave leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Don’t mess up, Liz… I’ll see you in Hell.” I squealed like a pig heading to the slaughterhouse as he threw our bodies off an airplane that was 13,000 feet above ground. The Swiss Alps and two lakes glistened below us. We accelerated quickly to reach our terminal velocity to experience a free fall of 50 seconds. I remember swearing like a pirate in my mind during those 50 seconds. “Holy mother fucker, the parachute better open. Damn, it’s cold and my ears hurt. Holy shit, this view is unreal.” I also remember my mind being blank while a huge grin was plastered on my face.

After 50 seconds, the parachute indeed opened. I gasped for air and thanked Dave profusely for not killing me. He, again, leaned in and stated, “We haven’t landed yet.” It was true. But I giggled, high from adrenaline, and responded, “Oh, Dave.” We were still very far from ground but I oddly felt as peaceful and relaxed as I would have been reading a book in a hammock on a Jamaican beach. We spent 12 minutes parachuting towards earth. I finally had time to take in the view and enjoy soaring high up in the sky.

The best 15 minutes of my life, and Dave probably doesn’t even remember my name.

Because my Mom is reading this blog (Hi Mom!) I’d like to end this entry by stating a dangerous extreme sport that I did not participate in. I decided it was too dangerous and used my mature, rational thought process to decide the risks outweighed the benefits. I did not partake in the sport Zorbing. When one Zorbs, he/ she is placed in a giant see-through ball. A neck brace is put on the participant in order to prevent the participant from being paralyzed. The ball is then thrown down a mountain.