My name is Seth, and this is my story.
Risking it all for nothing. This notion must seem insane. Why would anyone want to risk everything for absolutely nothing? I mean, if the reward justifies the risk, and there is seemingly no tangible reward, then why do it at all? Well, fortunately for this life, 'to each their own' is a viable method of justifying individual behavior. Different strokes for different folks. As long as you understand the inherent risk of the activity and deem it acceptable in terms of the reward, then this notion becomes all the more interesting. What can be perceived as nothing to some, could very well be perceived as everything to others. The general point of this post relates directly to an activity known as B.A.S.E jumping. What is B.A.S.E jumping? It is the act of exiting your body from tall fixed objects and then deploying a parachute to safely land back on the ground. The acronym stands for (B)uilding, (A)ntenna, (S)pan, (E)arth. Occasionally there are (O)ther types of objects, but for the most part each jump falls into one of those main categories.
Have you ever been at the edge of a cliff and looked over the edge? How about walked across a bridge and stared down to the bottom of the valley? How about from the rooftop of a building and gazed out at the horizon. Did you get weak in the knees, or experience some form of crippling fear that made it extraordinarily uncomfortable to be near the edge? Now try to imagine yourself on that same cliff, bridge or building standing at the edge wearing only a 'magic backpack'. This time you have every intention of launching yourself out and away from the sturdy structure into the unknown abyss of space, somewhere between safety and imminent death. What is the purpose of this? Is it just a cheap thrill? Is it an adrenaline junkies' way of getting 'high'? Sure, those answers might seem reasonable to some, but to the participants it's far more complex. So then why does anyone do anything that is dangerous? Why ride motorcycles at high speeds through winding rural roads, climb up the side of mountains without any safety equipment, or zoom down the side of mountains on a snowboard or skis? From the outside looking in this all looks like madness. From the inside looking out this is life at the purest moment. There are no scrambled thoughts tearing your attention away from the present circumstance. There is only an overpowering paradigm shift in your perception of time plus a heightened sense of intuition and balance. You are only this moment. You are only ever this moment. Future and past thoughts tend to rob us of our ability to truly be present in the only part of our lives we actually have, right now.
Hopefully in writing this blog I can shed some light on an either unknown or grossly misunderstood recreational activity. I'm only offering my perspective of an experience which I am consistently engaged in. B.A.S.E jumping is a rather obscure and potentially dangerous hobby to occupy one's time with. To most the thought would never cross their mind. To some the attraction may be there, but the overall desire is not enough to pursue it. Then to the few, there is no question of if, it is only a matter of when. Don't be fooled though, one does not simply just go out and B.A.S.E jump. There is a recommended amount of training one should accomplish before attempting it at all. Furthermore, understanding the equipment is paramount. It's also helpful to already have an intimate relationship with deploying parachutes and flying them safely back to the ground after exiting from an airplane. A process known as skydiving that will be covered in another chapter. However, there are exceptions to every rule and there are people that with minimal if any true experience from an airplane delve right into B.A.S.E and are true rockstars.
Have you ever watched someone do something exciting and wished you could do it? Whatever it was that initially inspired that feeling of awe in you. Flying has always fascinated me, whether it's in an airplane, a helicopter, suspended beneath a parachute or even in a hot air balloon. It is quite literally a different perspective on life. Whether flying parachutes and dealing with heights is your thing or not, I hope it's still somewhat awe-inspiring to imagine. Look to the sky and watch the birds glide over invisible currents as they gracefully meander through the air. Then visualize yourself flying through the sky, focused only on the flight at hand. Imagine the dimensional freedom. B.A.S.E jumping offers a radical new perspective of the same world which has always been around us, waiting to be observed. For those whom never wish to taste its mutton, I understand. To those who dream of trying, I dare you to go for a skydive, or 200.
I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! There are many more to follow, should the audience deem such a thing necessary. Here is a video which I put together along with my crew back in 2013. The footage is all filmed from a drone with a go pro camera.
