Adventures Unlimited

I consider myself to be adventurous and a thrill seeker, but not to the extreme. One type of adventure I had was two years ago vacationing in Belize. I took the opportunity to swim in sting ray alley with about two dozen rays. It was unique to swim with the rays and to touch them as they glided around, but this adventure was not a heart pounding thrill. Another type of adventure I enjoyed was riding my bicycle in the mountains of north Georgia near Dahlonega. The adventure is in pushing my body and mind to their limit as each one fights for control to quit, but luckily neither decides to quit at the same time. The biggest challenge is riding to the top of Hog Pen Gap due to the long steep climb. On those occasions that I peddle up Hog Pen Gap I am thrilled knowing the descent makes the effort worth the suffering. The descent started quickly as the road dropped to a twelve percent grade which pushed me to speeds of 60 miles per hour. The ride down lasts only minuets however the thrill from traveling at top speed last for a time.

This past December I took a trip to Chattanooga Tennessee to participate in a caving adventure. I was hesitant with going for one main reason, I am a bit claustrophobic. This adventure was different then swimming with the sting rays and riding a bike up a mountain and screaming down the back side. My life was not in peril in the sense of riding off the side of a mountain or having a sting ray tail stab me. The peril was not real or a tangible situation only a mental struggle. As we ventured further into the cave I kept my fear at bay as long as I had some space to move. When we came to areas that were tight I was able to move through them as long as the group kept moving forward. There was one section of the cave system I could not travel through inspirationally called the birthing canal. I was attempting to enter the enclosed area but the people in front were having difficulties maneuvering through the opening. The claustrophobia started to take over so I back out of the opening and told them I would wait for them. It took about 20 minuets to come back for me and I used the time to settle my mind down. I thought about school and math problems I needed to solve for a distraction while I waited. That was the only section I could not complete. I was thrilled with completing the adventure and recovered from a mental challenge. The next big adventure I will participate in is hiking a 19,000 foot mountain called Kilimanjaro and hope it is just a physical challenge.

Revised from blog Limited Adventure published March 25, 2010 at 9:13 PM