NEVIS SWING!!!
Trip Start
Jun 03, 2010
1
81
129
Trip End
Feb 04, 2012
Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
When we got to the swing site, the swing was on hold for maintenance. Some woman was getting really worried that this meant the swing wasn't safe anymore, but I wasn't nervous. I checked in, where I got my weight markered onto my other hand, then went outside for a look around. There was a little swing bride that led out to a covered platform suspended in the middle of a deep canyon, whcih was where you swing from. It looked SO high! As I looked out at the swing and the height of the platform, the magnitude of what I was about to do started to set in. I pictured myself freefalling from the platform, imagining what it would feel like. I actually started to get scared, so I went back inside so as to not psych myself out. They had some computers there with free internet, so I updated my facebook status and ended up in a mini conversation with my mom, who eagerly awaited my "I'm still alive" message afterwards.
Finally it was time to go, so I headed out along the bridge to the platform. An 11-year-old was just getting hooked up with her dad, and the guy counted down "5-4-3" and dropped them without getting to 1! It was crazy seeing them just disappear. After that, all my fear was gone and I was just excited about doing it. A few more people went before it was my turn, so by this time I realized that the operator liked to mess with people, never letting them know when he was actually going to drop them. For me, he told me not to hold the harness, so I was brave and let go. But once I actually had to step out over the edge to hang in the harness, holding on to the harness that would be falling with me somehow made me feel safer. I wasn't scared, just a bit nervous, wondering (but mostly knowing) what it would feel like. I also knew I could be dropped at any second. My countdown went like this: "3-2-1... ... ... Uh oh, it's broken again. We'll have to bring you back in" DROP! I didn't fall for his antics, but it was still a shock to suddenly be falling. There was a split second of... almost longing to not be falling, as everything in my body seemed to rush up, but then it was just fun! I tipped forward and let go of the harness, arms outspread as I soared through the canyon. It didn't last long enough. I arced up the other side, then swung gently back and forth in a much smaller arc a couple of times before being raised back up. It was amazing. I wanted to do it again right then. I wasn't entirely confident that he wouldn't drop me again unexpectedly just for laughs, and I sort of hoped he would.
I had asked another swinger to use my camera to take pictures of me, and he got some good ones along with a video, nice guy. I stayed on the platform a little longer, then headed back to the hut to upload all my pictures and let my mom know I was fine. Then it was back on the bus. Today (4 October) is the first time I've actually looked up the swing's stats. Here they are, quoted from their site:
The World's Biggest Swing
300metre Arc
120m rope length (That's longer than a rugby field!)
160m above the river
What fun :)
Comments
I think I would actually like to do that!
I would LOVE to do that swing!
SOooooooooooooooooo jealous!
I bet that canyon has an awful lot of vomit at the bottom.
It's going to be impossible to do a 9 to 5 job after all this excitement! Miss you!