....would you do it too?
If you're Cami, the answer would be resounding YES!
Don't ask me where she got the crazy idea from.
54 Month Clinic - 4 1/2 Years in Remission
11 years ago
Showing posts with label high adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high adventure. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
If Your Friend Jumped Out of an Airplane...
If you're Cami, the answer would be resounding YES!
Don't ask me where she got the crazy idea from.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Day 4: Zipping through the Trees, Jumping into Canyons, and Some Redwood Trees
Friday, March 13
We spent Friday the 13th experiencing some of the best of the adrenaline and adventure that New Zealand has to offer!
Make-a-Wish had arranged for us to start the day at the Rotorua Canopy Tours….an awesome zip lining tour through a native New Zealand forest!
We had done an adventure ropes course last summer in Asheville, so really we weren't nervous at all about zipping around in the trees 72-feet above the ground. In fact, even Adam and Ellie happily jumped right in (or off the edge as the case may have it) without even a moment's hesitation.
The ziplining itself was pretty exhilarating, but honestly I enjoyed the walking and the guides teaching us about the native New Zealand forest almost as much.
We learned a lot about the 500-year-old trees we were standing in and the danger to the unique forest ecology that small land mammals (like possums, stoats, rats, etc) were posing. Because of the geographical isolation of NZ, ecologists estimate that up to 90% of native wildlife and plant life found there is endemic, meaning that it can be found only in New Zealand, and nowhere else in the world.
All in all, other than the lack of bathroom facilities along the way, it was an enjoyable morning that we would happily repeat….at a course closer home or back in New Zealand. :)
After zip lining was done, we drove about an hour south to beautiful Taupo, New Zealand to try what was one of Spencer's most anticipated activities of the whole trip….bungee jumping! The first commercial bungee jumping operation in the world was founded in New Zealand and Spencer latched onto this idea that bungee jumping was one of the quintessential items he needed to cross off his bucket list while we were there!
Spence talked Cami, Emma, and Glen into joining him in his venture, but there was no way on earth Ellie, Adam, or I were going to have anything to do with it. I think Adam potentially could have been talked into it after having watched everyone else do it safely, but by that time it was too late and Ellie and I were perfectly content to watch from the sidelines, pet the resident cat, and ponder over the American vs. New Zealand way to spell bungee (or bungy)!
Spencer wasn't looking much at the scenery though, was excited to get the jumping started! He was really happy to be there and didn't even seem all that nervous beforehand. He had hoped to be able to dip into the water a bit at the bottom, but because of the strength of bungee cords they had to use for his weight, he never did touch on either jump and you can hear his dismay at just missing it!
Cami volunteered to be the next one to take the plunge (literally and figuratively), but you can see in this video how incredibly nervous she was. She missed touching the water in her first jump.
Emma went next and definitely had the best scream of the day! I could hear her loud and clear even from across the ravine where I was standing with Ellie and Adam. She was the only one to touch the water on both of her jumps.
Glen went last and was the one that got the best spin going.
Taupo Bungy (the New Zealand spelling) offered a significantly reduced rate for 2nd jumps, so Emma, Cami, and Spence all opted to try one more time. Spencer's 2nd jump looks pretty much the same as his first jump. Emma went off backward, did a lot less screaming in her second jump, but otherwise it is mostly the same. Cami's 2nd jump, however, was pretty spectacular. Not only did she barely look nervous, but she went off backwards, AND touched the water. She's practically a bungee jumping expert now!
The wending path through the trees proved to be the ideal way to end an intense day...
…and sealed the deal for falling in love with this beautiful country!
We spent Friday the 13th experiencing some of the best of the adrenaline and adventure that New Zealand has to offer!
Make-a-Wish had arranged for us to start the day at the Rotorua Canopy Tours….an awesome zip lining tour through a native New Zealand forest!
We had done an adventure ropes course last summer in Asheville, so really we weren't nervous at all about zipping around in the trees 72-feet above the ground. In fact, even Adam and Ellie happily jumped right in (or off the edge as the case may have it) without even a moment's hesitation.
The ziplining itself was pretty exhilarating, but honestly I enjoyed the walking and the guides teaching us about the native New Zealand forest almost as much.
We learned a lot about the 500-year-old trees we were standing in and the danger to the unique forest ecology that small land mammals (like possums, stoats, rats, etc) were posing. Because of the geographical isolation of NZ, ecologists estimate that up to 90% of native wildlife and plant life found there is endemic, meaning that it can be found only in New Zealand, and nowhere else in the world.
Being avid birdwatchers, we loved seeing the different variety of birds that resides on the other side of the world. Being in the middle of the forest, we actually saw some pretty cool birds along the way (that the guides told us all about).
All in all, other than the lack of bathroom facilities along the way, it was an enjoyable morning that we would happily repeat….at a course closer home or back in New Zealand. :)
After zip lining was done, we drove about an hour south to beautiful Taupo, New Zealand to try what was one of Spencer's most anticipated activities of the whole trip….bungee jumping! The first commercial bungee jumping operation in the world was founded in New Zealand and Spencer latched onto this idea that bungee jumping was one of the quintessential items he needed to cross off his bucket list while we were there!
Spence talked Cami, Emma, and Glen into joining him in his venture, but there was no way on earth Ellie, Adam, or I were going to have anything to do with it. I think Adam potentially could have been talked into it after having watched everyone else do it safely, but by that time it was too late and Ellie and I were perfectly content to watch from the sidelines, pet the resident cat, and ponder over the American vs. New Zealand way to spell bungee (or bungy)!
We had the option of a couple of different places to bungee jump, but ultimately picked Taupo Bungy based on the spectacular setting. The scenery is classic New Zealand and absolutely gorgeous. Poised 154-feet over the Waikato River, it was hard not to be enchanted by the beauty of this location!
Cami volunteered to be the next one to take the plunge (literally and figuratively), but you can see in this video how incredibly nervous she was. She missed touching the water in her first jump.
Glen went last and was the one that got the best spin going.
Taupo Bungy (the New Zealand spelling) offered a significantly reduced rate for 2nd jumps, so Emma, Cami, and Spence all opted to try one more time. Spencer's 2nd jump looks pretty much the same as his first jump. Emma went off backward, did a lot less screaming in her second jump, but otherwise it is mostly the same. Cami's 2nd jump, however, was pretty spectacular. Not only did she barely look nervous, but she went off backwards, AND touched the water. She's practically a bungee jumping expert now!
Here are some more crazy pictures of them….
After all that expenditure of adrenaline in one day, we needed somewhere a little more relaxing to finish off the day. I had read in the guidebooks about some New Zealand redwood forests and found that there was one right on the way back to our lodging for the night. We stopped there and were immediately taken in by the peacefulness and quiet beauty that lay there.
The redwoods were planted in the 1800's by settlers who intended to use them for lumber, so they weren't quite as large or as grand as the behemoth redwoods in California that are thousands of years old, but they were breathtaking nonetheless.
The wending path through the trees proved to be the ideal way to end an intense day...
…and sealed the deal for falling in love with this beautiful country!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Spencer's High Adventure in the Florida Keys
The first few moments after telling Spencer that he had leukemia were among the most horrible of our lives. We had no idea what his reaction to the news would be and so we just sat there, with prayers in our hearts, waiting as Spencer digested the news that life as he knew it would never be quite the same. In our naivete on carrying out these types of conversations, we had braced ourselves for dramatics on Spencer's end. Truer to his personality though, instead we were met with several minutes of stunned, yet restless silence as he processed what we'd just told him.
He laid on our bed. Got up again. Paced. Laid back down. Paced some more. All without saying a word.
When he finally spoke, he immediately started grilling us with questions. How long will I be in the hospital? When do we leave? What should I pack? What about school? Shortly after these practical questions, he started asking about his summer plans, particularly about whether he'd still be able to participate with his boy scout troop's scheduled trip to the Florida Keys for a high adventure scuba diving at Sea Base.
Our answer to almost all of his questions was that we had no idea.
He continued asking about the Sea Base trip frequently during his treatment, but even once we knew more information about his expected course of treatment, we still had no idea about whether he'd be well enough to go. It wasn't really until we had decided not to proceed with the bone marrow transplant that going on the trip became a very likely possibility and from that point forward I believe that his desire to go on this trip became one of the lights at the end of the tunnel that he clung to during his darkest days.
When we got to the end of his treatment a mere three weeks before they were going to leave we were a tad nervous that he might not be strong enough to go. We were thrilled, however, when his doctors gave him the go-ahead for the trip, albeit with the caveats to stay away from sick people, use tons of sunblock, and absolutely no scuba diving. (They were worried about how the pressure changes of scuba diving would affect his possibly chemo-weakened heart). Even with the caveats though, there was no lack of enthusiasm on Spencer's part as they departed early in the morning on June 26th. There were 23 scouts and leaders that went along for the adventure, most of whom did a whole lot of snoozing for most of the trip (not Glen though, since he was driving). They drove right through the torrents of rain that accompanied Tropical Storm Debbie on their way down, but luckily it had already passed through the Keys before they'd arrived.
Here is Spence with Glen and his best friend, Ryan, in Homestead, Florida where they'd stopped for lunch at a Golden Corral. Apparently he was a tad hungry when he got there, because he bragged about he and his friends were going to put this Golden Corral out of business. (In case you're wondering, he's been gaining weight at a steady pace ever since he's been home).
After arriving at their final destination, a condo in Islamorada in the Keys, it didn't take long before the boys were busy with their activities. Since Spence couldn't scuba dive, he and Glen usually ended up fishing while the other boys were scubaing. Here is Spencer with his one and only fish from their first day of fishing. It was a redfish, which Glen proclaims to be a very beautiful fish, personally I think it just looks a little slimy. The guide said that the fishing was very poor that day because of Tropical Storm Debbie which had just passed there shortly before the boys' arrival.
One of their nightly rituals during their 10-day trip was watching the sun set over the Islamorada.
They spent one afternoon in Key West (about 70 miles from Sea Base), where they saw some street performers (an acrobat using hula hoops). Despite their unimpressed demeanors, Glen said that they were actually pretty entertaining.
One of the days while the other boys were scuba diving, Spence and Glen rented some jet skis for the day. They jet skied out to 3 different reefs, where they snorkeled and saw some awesome sea life, including sting rays, coral, sea conchs, urchins, and tons of different fishes. Spencer proclaimed jet skiing to be "the single most fun thing he'd ever done in his entire life."
sergeant majors...pretty!
gray angelfish...boring!
Parrot fish...HUGE!
peaceful moment
10 days long time. Missed my boys. Happy they're home. Spencer happy. Had great time.
Now I do lots and lots of laundry.
The end.
********************************
"...since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief{er next time}."
~William Shakespeare / Lara
He laid on our bed. Got up again. Paced. Laid back down. Paced some more. All without saying a word.
When he finally spoke, he immediately started grilling us with questions. How long will I be in the hospital? When do we leave? What should I pack? What about school? Shortly after these practical questions, he started asking about his summer plans, particularly about whether he'd still be able to participate with his boy scout troop's scheduled trip to the Florida Keys for a high adventure scuba diving at Sea Base.
Our answer to almost all of his questions was that we had no idea.
He continued asking about the Sea Base trip frequently during his treatment, but even once we knew more information about his expected course of treatment, we still had no idea about whether he'd be well enough to go. It wasn't really until we had decided not to proceed with the bone marrow transplant that going on the trip became a very likely possibility and from that point forward I believe that his desire to go on this trip became one of the lights at the end of the tunnel that he clung to during his darkest days.
When we got to the end of his treatment a mere three weeks before they were going to leave we were a tad nervous that he might not be strong enough to go. We were thrilled, however, when his doctors gave him the go-ahead for the trip, albeit with the caveats to stay away from sick people, use tons of sunblock, and absolutely no scuba diving. (They were worried about how the pressure changes of scuba diving would affect his possibly chemo-weakened heart). Even with the caveats though, there was no lack of enthusiasm on Spencer's part as they departed early in the morning on June 26th. There were 23 scouts and leaders that went along for the adventure, most of whom did a whole lot of snoozing for most of the trip (not Glen though, since he was driving). They drove right through the torrents of rain that accompanied Tropical Storm Debbie on their way down, but luckily it had already passed through the Keys before they'd arrived.
Here is Spence with Glen and his best friend, Ryan, in Homestead, Florida where they'd stopped for lunch at a Golden Corral. Apparently he was a tad hungry when he got there, because he bragged about he and his friends were going to put this Golden Corral out of business. (In case you're wondering, he's been gaining weight at a steady pace ever since he's been home).
After arriving at their final destination, a condo in Islamorada in the Keys, it didn't take long before the boys were busy with their activities. Since Spence couldn't scuba dive, he and Glen usually ended up fishing while the other boys were scubaing. Here is Spencer with his one and only fish from their first day of fishing. It was a redfish, which Glen proclaims to be a very beautiful fish, personally I think it just looks a little slimy. The guide said that the fishing was very poor that day because of Tropical Storm Debbie which had just passed there shortly before the boys' arrival.
They spent one afternoon in Key West (about 70 miles from Sea Base), where they saw some street performers (an acrobat using hula hoops). Despite their unimpressed demeanors, Glen said that they were actually pretty entertaining.
One of the days while the other boys were scuba diving, Spence and Glen rented some jet skis for the day. They jet skied out to 3 different reefs, where they snorkeled and saw some awesome sea life, including sting rays, coral, sea conchs, urchins, and tons of different fishes. Spencer proclaimed jet skiing to be "the single most fun thing he'd ever done in his entire life."
On Sunday all 23 of them attended church at the very tiny Marathon Branch in Marathon, Florida where their presence more than doubled the size of the congregation. Glen and Spencer taught the combined Priesthood and Relief Society meeting during which they shared about some of their experiences over the last several months.
Later on they performed a desperately needed service project at Bahia Honda State Park where they cleaned up the beach and adjacent wooded area.
They got up at the crack of dawn this day and got to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean, while they went out for another day of deep sea fishing.
The effects of the Tropical Storm seemed to have passed and this day turned out to be a much more successful day of fishing than the first day had been. Here they are with one of many fish they caught that that day (both of these are yellow tail snappers, which later were eaten for dinner).
The captain let Spencer take a turn at the wheel of the 52-foot fishing boat. Since everyone lived to tell the tale, we will call his first foray into boat captaincy a success.
Glen was very proud of this mahi mahi he caught.
After they returned to shore they posed for this picture in front of the fishing boat with a sampling of the fish they caught hanging behind them. In case you couldn't tell based on the numbers of pictures they took, I have to say that they were pretty darn proud of their fishing exploits!
And they were even prouder when they discovered that they caught enough fish to feed 15 people at Lazy Days Restaurant where you bring the fish and they cook it up right there for you! Glen and Spencer liked it crusted in coconut and declared it the darn tastiest fish they'd ever eaten in their lives.
*Okay this post is getting realllllllllllllllllllllly long and I'm tired, so I'm going to take a little lesson brevity from the great William Shakespeare and you're getting the abbreviated version of this trip from here on out.*
On way to Doughnut Hole Reef to snorkel. yay.
Spencer and snorkeling gear
Snorkeling in Alligator Reef...
Later on they performed a desperately needed service project at Bahia Honda State Park where they cleaned up the beach and adjacent wooded area.
They got up at the crack of dawn this day and got to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean, while they went out for another day of deep sea fishing.
The effects of the Tropical Storm seemed to have passed and this day turned out to be a much more successful day of fishing than the first day had been. Here they are with one of many fish they caught that that day (both of these are yellow tail snappers, which later were eaten for dinner).
The captain let Spencer take a turn at the wheel of the 52-foot fishing boat. Since everyone lived to tell the tale, we will call his first foray into boat captaincy a success.
Glen was very proud of this mahi mahi he caught.
After they returned to shore they posed for this picture in front of the fishing boat with a sampling of the fish they caught hanging behind them. In case you couldn't tell based on the numbers of pictures they took, I have to say that they were pretty darn proud of their fishing exploits!
And they were even prouder when they discovered that they caught enough fish to feed 15 people at Lazy Days Restaurant where you bring the fish and they cook it up right there for you! Glen and Spencer liked it crusted in coconut and declared it the darn tastiest fish they'd ever eaten in their lives.
*Okay this post is getting realllllllllllllllllllllly long and I'm tired, so I'm going to take a little lesson brevity from the great William Shakespeare and you're getting the abbreviated version of this trip from here on out.*
On way to Doughnut Hole Reef to snorkel. yay.
Spencer and snorkeling gear
barracuda...yikes!
sergeant majors...pretty!
gray angelfish...boring!
Parrot fish...HUGE!
peaceful moment
Now I do lots and lots of laundry.
The end.
********************************
"...since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief{er next time}."
~William Shakespeare / Lara
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tough Boys...
When it gets hot like this:
most people search for ways to stay cool...
but not my tough boys...
they're on a Boy Scout high adventure....
Fri
20%
76 | 101
most people search for ways to stay cool...
but not my tough boys...
they're on a Boy Scout high adventure....
probably not looking quite so chipper and clean now that they're four days into their 70+ mile hike on the Appalachian Trail. Actually Glen might not be too grimy yet, since he only left this afternoon and was meeting the boys with a cooler filled with dry ice, popsicles, and ice cream, but I imagine that it won't take too long hiking in tomorrow's temps before he's as drippy and smelly as the boys.
Of course, if you need me the next couple of 100+ degree days, don't go looking on any hiking trails. You can find me either in our air conditioned house sipping cold water or driving kids around in our air conditioned car or most likely in an air conditioned store shopping for more school supplies.
****
Of course, if you need me the next couple of 100+ degree days, don't go looking on any hiking trails. You can find me either in our air conditioned house sipping cold water or driving kids around in our air conditioned car or most likely in an air conditioned store shopping for more school supplies.
****
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