
I walked off the edge.
And I jumped.
And I was pushed.
And I sat teetering on the brink.
I don’t know why particularly. I wouldn’t refer to myself as a thrill-seeker (unless, of course, you count mixing four kinds of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream together in preparation for a Lord of the Rings Director’s Cut marathon; but even that I can do in my pyjamas). I planned this long-awaited trip to Wales and it seems that I was so close to the edge. Why not step off?
The first major leap came after I signed up for a coasteering session off the coast of north Anglesey. For those of you who are new to outdoor freaky fun, coasteering is a fancy name for insane cliff-jumping. We climbed onto some of Britain’s oldest rocks, dating back to the Neolithic era, learned how to safely grab on without being torn apart by barnacles, and we jumped into the multitudes of green that is the Irish Sea.
Only, the jumps kept getting bigger.
You’d think that after my first big jump I would have felt confident, that I would have conquered my fear in some profound way that I could then share with you today.
Nope.
Legs were jello.
Couldn’t breathe.
But I jumped all the same. Through the dizzying panic, the chill, and the racing heart, I jumped off into space and flew free-falling into the ocean. Bobbing along in that clear gemstone water afterwards had to be one of the most peaceful feelings I’ve ever encountered.
The second major leap came after I booked my poor, weary body to fly down the fastest zip line in the world in Bethesda, Wales. After being meticulously arranged in what seemed like an eighty-two point harness, and outfitted with a helmet and head cam, I was pointed towards a hut overlooking a turquoise lake at the bottom of an old quarry. This isn’t so bad, I thought.
Then the guy asked me to lie down.
On a red gurney.
Face down.
Head pointed to outer space.
I remember suddenly losing my God-given ability to swallow, although amazingly enough my body did remember how badly it needed to pee all of a sudden. Lying down, I was hooked up to the zip line, the gurney beneath me lowered away, and I was left to hang there. In space. Waiting.
“Three, two, one…!” The staff at the top cried. And I was flying again. Pushed off a cliff.
