Maybe last week or so you felt like hurling yourself over a building. For my latest uncomfortable experience, I did.
I’ve done a bit of canyoneering, and I’ve never been “scared” of heights. However, when you’re 29 stories on the highest hotel on the waterfront of the West Coast (The Grand Hyatt in San Diego) with your ass hanging by a relative thread, your body cannot help to alert the brain that something is very, very wrong.
This experience was facilitated by “Over the Edge,” a company that puts on fundraisers for all sorts of causes around the nation. In this case, the cause was fundraising for brain cancer. I didn’t mind so much what the cause was since I was more interested in the experience itself, but it was wonderful to see so many people scared out of their minds to do the loooooong trek down the face of the building on behalf of a loved one fighting cancer.
You spend about an hour to get prepped, going from one volunteer to the next who helps you with the ropes, the harnesses, the GoPro, and the “dos and don’ts” for ensuring you don’t have a panic attack on the rope. A few people have fainted before, for instance. They do strap on walkie talkies so you can talk to the crew in case of an issue. When you get to the floor of the rappel and see the stunning skyline of the city at eye level, it strikes you how indeed high up you are. I looked at the bearings and ropes clamped onto the ledge and building itself. Sure, a lot of people had already gone, but how was I to know for certain that one little fastener just didn’t pop off a corner on some contraption? How many And how long did it take legal to work on that release form? Hmm, I wonder if they spent 100K just on that. This is the shit you think about.
When I got to the “edge,” a team of guys helped clamp me in. The conversation went as follows:
Guy: “So, how are you feeling?”
Me: “You know. Good as long as I’m strapped in here.”
Guy: “Oh, for sure. Look down! It’s amazing.”
Me: “Jesus.”
Guy: “Why don’t you do the plank?”
Me: “From where?”
Guy: “Right here. No one has done it yet. Just lean all the way back. Then put out your arms.”
And I did. You pretty much have to have your mind convince the rest of you that everything will be fine. Then I went down, which took a good 10 minutes or so. The Go Pro footage is probably filled with a number of F-bombs I would say on occasion for 1) for how long indeed that wall was and 2) how absurd the height was.
More details later in the book format. If you get the chance to do one of these “over the edges,” then take advantage.