So this past weekend, a solid group of “Adventure Buddies”* and I went to bungee jumping at the Bridge to Nowhere and it was definitely a thrill.

Out of all the extreme things on my bucketlist, which includes skydiving and running a marathon, I would have to say that bungee jumping is the scariest. Partly because humans have the fear of heights ingrained in our DNA so the depth perception freaks the crap out of us. Also, the only lifeline that keeps us from plummeting down to Earth and smashing into a big boulder is this huge rubber band attached at the ankles.

I wasn’t afraid of the bungee jumps. As a matter of fact, the only thing I was thinking about was how I was going to defy gravity and leap as high and far as possible into the vast, unvacuumed space. It wasn’t until I stood on that 8 by 18 inch danger platform that my hesitating, lizard brain took over. My body screamed, “This is NOT SMART!”.

Once the countdown hit zero, the only thing left to do was to leap.. and that’s what I did. Beautiful. It was the most free I’ve ever been. Like an eagle soring through the sky..

Well, until the bungee cord hits its limit and yanks your harness like a slingshot retracting from it’s most destructive position. I swung back up towards the bridge, having my hair nearly brush the cement, merely missing the arch of the bridge. What an adventure!

Bungee America was our host and they did a good job coordinating the entire event. Supposedly, they have 22 years of experience and no one has died during their watch (self-proclaimation). The staff, Ron and Albert were exceptional at accomodating us and even more surprising, convincing us to make the jump off the bridge.

To get to the Bridge to Nowhere, it was a 5 mile hike there. This is no easy hike on an empty stomach. After traversing several hills and crossing the ice cold river 6 times, I realized that eating breakfast and packing lunch would have been a smart move. Multiply that trip by two — for the hike out and in and in addition to a full day of bungee jumping, the calorie count easily tops 2000+. Luckily, “Adventure Buddies” came prepared extra sandwiches, water, and Clif Bars (which saved me in the last 3 miles out).

I would definitely recommend this now that it’s been crossed off my bucketlist of items to do. If anyone is down, let me know and perhaps we can plan another bungee jumping adventure! I’m sure you’ve heard of the phrase “The Leap of Faith,” which makes complete sense when it comes to bungee jumping.

Me, leaping into the un-vacuum space.

Adria Holtzinger, the only brave, volunteer to go first.

Hong Vo prepares for her bungee jump with body signals as though disaster had strike.

Hong, a starfish free floating on a bounce.

The Adventure Buddy crew prepping mentally with smiles.

Braydon Holtzinger, ready for his dive on the danger platform.

Braydon hacking into a sophisticated carabiner, Mission Impossible style.

John Vantine, giving awesome aviation flight instructions on a bungee adventure.

John, seeing ninjas jump after him prepare to fight back.

Nick Paolino, doing a Spiderman maneuver on his way up.

Cheers, from the Bridge to Nowhere.

*By the way, Adventure Buddies are “Cool as hell” friends that are down for mentally and physically strenuous adventures that are adrenaline spiking fun. You definitely need such awesome people to experience everything amazing.