The Day I Jumped Off A Mountain

Back in September, I got invited by a Japanese friend to go paragliding at Mount Shishiku, about a half an hour to the south of my apartment.  There are two paragliding centers there, and through my friend's connections I got to go for free with an instructor.

Checking out the paragliders on the way there.

These guys go all the time, so they were almost nonchalant about giving me a loose-fitting harness to wear and strapping me to some canvas that was supposed to keep me plummeting to my death.  I thought of asking if it was tight enough right as the wind picked up, we surged forward, and we were picked up into the autumn sky.

I can honestly say, cheesy as it may be, that the world looked different from up there.  Maybe it was the adrenaline, but the trees seemed more vibrant, more full.  The whole world had more dimension and depth--it was really quite wonderful.

Those are my big dumb legs dangling down before the instructor showed me how to properly sit in the harness.

I highly recommend it if you ever get a chance.