The Adventure Begins

On July 6th I finally went for my first tandem jump. I've wanted to skydive since I was 15. When I turned 18 a friend and I agreed to go together (actually the agreement was that she would skydive with me if I went to a male strip club with her), but then she backed out. I didn't want to go by myself, so I continued for more than three years to try to convince anyone and everyone I know to try it with me. This summer I finally found not one, but six willing participants--all fellow members of the Los Alamos Summer School in Physics. We went to Skydive New Mexico in Belen and had an amazing time. As soon as the jump was over I knew I was hooked. I couldn't wait to go again. A week later I called and signed up for my first AFF (accelerated free fall) course.

So last weekend I went through the six hours of ground training required for AFF, but then the winds picked up and I didn't get to make my jump--darn! I'm going back in a little more than 24 hours to give it another shot. As the weekend approaches, my nerves are starting to get to me again. I've spent the majority of the week thinking about nothing other than skydiving. I've read through multiple blogs (in their entirety) from people who have posted their experiences with AFF, and I've watched several hours worth of video clips. I made the mistake of watching a video of a horrific skydiving accident that left an experienced jumper paralyzed, but even that hasn't change my mind about wanting to go again. When I wake up, skydiving is the first thing on my mind. While I'm at work (trying in vain to focus on the task at hand), my mind constantly wanders back to the thought of jumping out of a plane. My recurrent nightmares about falling out of control that used to leave me in a state of panic have morphed into dreams about floating through the sky--a sensation I don't think I'll ever get enough of (even though I've only experienced it once thus far).

I really hope the weather holds out on Saturday, but New Mexico is prone to afternoon thunder storms. I'm sure I'll be able to get at least my first jump in before the clouds roll in, but if possible I'd love to try for more than that. In a week and a half I'll be heading back home to Idaho, and then I'll have to find a different DZ. I want to get as much experience as I can while I'm still here because I already know how great the people at SkydiveNM are, and I feel very comfortable with them. I'm crossing my fingers for sun!