Outside, the clouds are closing in on me as the plane soars higher and higher. I am holding my breath, fearful of what is about to happen — but it is too late to turn back.
As I make the jump, my heart pounds as though it is trying to reach through my chest to escape. At first, I feel so heavy — then weightlessness. I am plummeting toward earth, my body falling through the clouds.
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| The Austrian Alps offer a colorful backdrop for skydiving. |
The wind pushes my cheeks back, exposing my teeth to the brutally cold air — even though it is a hot summer day. My goggles are frosting over, and below me I see snow on the highest peaks of mountains. On the ground, it is 86 degrees F (30° C), but up here it is so much colder.
I scream, but no sounds are heard except the pounding of the wind in my ears. Suddenly I am lifted, with great force, toward the heavens. For a brief moment, I think this is what it must feel like to be a bird — completely free.
My heart slows as I drift downward. I am no longer plummeting to my death, but am floating with the breeze. I can breathe now — the ground doesn’t look as scary as it did just seconds ago. I have the chance to sit back and enjoy the ride, to view a part of the world with new perspective.
I look above at the blue-and-yellow striped parachute, wondering what it must look like from the ground. When I look beyond, I can see through the clouds. I recall thinking, as a child, that clouds were so heavy you could jump on them, and I smile at the lost innocence. I imagine this is what the view is like from heaven.
“Am I really still alive?” I wonder.
Continued: Austrian Air: Skydiving in the Alps
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