After almost two weeks in Swaziland it was time to bid farewell and set off on a new adventure! My friend was in need of a little break and some fun time so we headed off to the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa! We left mid afternoon just in time to show up to our backpackers for a sundowner right at sunset!! It was actually one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen in a long time!
Now I believe this story needs a little preempting before I get to into it.You wouldn’t know it by the all the ridiculous things I have been known to do in the past but I am absolutely terrified of heights! Although, I can ride almost any roller coaster in the world, you put me in a scenario where I am not strapped in there is bound to be tears! I’ve done many things in efforts to conquer this fear thinking it will help me but nothing seems to work…
When I was a teenager I did a baby bungee jump that landed you on a giant blow up pad! That wasn’t too bad at all, and I actually enjoyed it! You see, most things I do that involve extreme heights I always have that after feeling of “Wow! That was awesome! Lets do it again!” but there are a few I will mention in this post that didn’t give me the warm fuzzies and sometimes even years later cannot figure out if I actually enjoyed myself! Yea, I know I’m a total weirdo!
Freshman year of college, 2004 I was enrolled in the Outdoor Recreation Club and won a lottery to go skydiving for $25! Now, when you offered an opportunity of a lifetime for cheap it is not something you chicken out on. Unfortunately, I do not have any photo evidence of this happening other than the VHS tape, yes you heard me right…. I paid for the VHS tape of my skydiving experience, remember that thing we used to have to manually rewind?? Retro I know! I’m sure it is hanging out in a box in a basement somewhere but there were witnesses, I promise! Now this is normally the part when someone asks “Why would you jump out of a perfectly good plane??” and this is the part where I respond “You didn’t see that plane, you would have jumped out of it too!” Now, this was one of those times that I was absolutely terrified but once all was said and done I landed with a smile and on my ancient video stated “Lets do it again!”
In 2008, I took a family visit to the Grand Canyon in Arizona! one of my dodgy family members convinced me no one had ever fallen off and it was ok to go to the unfenced areas….. so I took this picture (sunglasses hide tears is what you learn when you’re afraid of things!!!)
Fast Forward to January 2012… Ziplining in Swaziland through the mountains! Was all about the zipping portion but I will say the walking on the edge of a mountain to each new zip scared the crap out of me!!
This one unfortunately does come with photo evidence! but this wasn’t even the worst part….after all of these small walkways on the edge of a mountain… they wanted me to cross…. this!
Seriously??? it took a solid 5 minutes to cross and that is if I am being generous… very very slow baby steps!!!
Then came July 2012… I was on a trip with my friend Nicolette as her tour guide of South Africa (long story to be told another day!) and we decided to do the big bungee swing in Durban, South Africa over the the World Cup Stadium. Sounds fun right?? My biggest fear was climbing up all of these steps….
ughhh I couldn’t even stand up straight! fortunately it was so hot that the sweat disguised my tears!
Then I had to climb down a ladder to the platform…. and then….
I jumped off! But this was one of those times that I think I actually enjoyed!
So while on this same South African tour I decided that one big thrill wasn’t enough and decided to do the highest bungee jump in the world…. 216 meters or… 709ft! It all seemed like a good idea at the time until I was all strapped up and walking to my death!
Thats a looooooong way down! So I made Nicolette and our other friend go first while I cried in a corner! Then it was my turn….
Cant you see all the confidence in my expression??? So here we go it’s now or never (I think this is why they make you pay before you go!) After I jumped back and turned around about 5 times and cried some more, the time had come!
I did it! Yay!!! and then I stopped bungeeing and realized I was hanging upside down really really high in the air….. My feet are slipping,,, oh my goodness this is how this happens… did I do research on how many accidents this place has had? ummmm why is no one coming to get me???? And finally there he was, my savior repelling down to get me “Hey down there are you ok???” “NO! I’m not okay! Please get me off this thing!!!”
Finally back on solid ground!!! well as solid as it was going to get for the next few minutes! At the end of the day I can at least say I did it! but I’m still unsure if I actually liked it!!!Little did I know they show everyone on the big jumbo screen at the base of the bridge for people to watch… Apparently my terrifying experience was so memorable that the next day when we were walking through town I was stopped by a stranger who says “You’re the girl that almost didn’t jump!” oh gee thanks! nice to meet you too….
So this was enough to make me steer away from big heights for awhile…. Until last week, which brings us to present day and the story of the terrifying ladders! So upon arrival to the Amphitheater Backpackers in The Drakensberg we met a young German girl named Barbara. Kieren had a couple big races coming up so his plan was to do some cycling while we were there. Without anything to entertain me the following day, Barbara says to me “Are you going on the hike tomorrow?” Anyone can do it she says….. It will be fun she says….Famous.Last.Words.
So I wake up early the next morning and go meet Barbara and the other 11 brave souls that would embark on this 14km hike that “anyone could do!” But I’m pretty sure when they said “anyone” they didn’t mean the girl who is completely terrified of heights…. especially the natural high heights that can’t always be depended on… But it sure was pretty!
So after we make our way up for about 2 hours or so… we are told its time to climb to the top of this….
How the heck are we supposed to get all the way up there?? I ask… When one of your guides says “Easy! up God’s Escalator…..”
Ummmm you want me to do what?????
But at least I had some company! and 45 minutes later (with only a few tears shed) we made it….
But this was just the first big battle in the war! Little did I know there were many more terrifying things to come! but in the meantime, time to keep on trekking!
So earlier we had to climb up “God’s Escalator” but nothing could prepare me for what I have self named the “devils ladder” Dun Dun Dun… Maybe it was the altitude… or… or… ok fine it was pure fear that made me hysterically break out in tears, I couldn’t help it they just came and I watched in horror as one by one everyone else started climbing down this wobbly ladders. Most everyone was brave enough to just climb on down, no fear, all happy campers, no rope or harness needed…. but me… I required a rope and an escort. Then came the wind… strong enough to make that ladder sway back and forth. AHHHHHHH! I’m going to die, I’m going to die! Death by ladder… I can see the headlines now! So I make it down and am so overjoyed but quickly lost that joy when I realized there were TWO ladders and the second one was twice as long! WHYYYYYYYYYYYY????? Please don’t make me….Is there a helicopter option here??
What seems like hours later I finally made it down to the ground welcomed by an embarrassing round of applause and “Good Job Amandas! Woo Hoo You did it!” When the whole thing was done I treated myself to an ice cream and vowed never to do this hike again!
When we got back to the backpackers I wasn’t planning on telling Kieren I cried like a baby, but it came out anyway and then the manager decided to tell me I should be proud of myself by retelling a story from the same hike in a blizzard… which only made me feel like even more of a baby!
Needless to say…. I think I have reached my capacity on extreme heights for awhile and this only provides evidence that just because you do stupid stuff to try and conquer your fears doesn’t mean you will actually conquer them but at lease it makes for a lot of fun stories!! 🙂
The Traveling Scarf 