Life Moments

From Alyse:

“Hey Dave, it’s Alyse. Not sure if you remember me but a year ago yesterday was the day that we went bungee jumping at Navajo Bridge. I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for getting me excited, easing my fears, and capturing my adventure. Because of that, I’ve learned more about myself, my passions, and life itself.”

Alyse airborne at the Navajo Bridge (Grand Canyon - Arizona). Photo composition by Eric Peffer Photography

From Dave:

I recently received this grateful and inspiring email from Alyse, who was visiting the Navajo Bridge (Grand Canyon, Arizona) with her family when she was ‘invited’ to jump off of the bridge.

Adventure and taking on new challenges will unveil new learning opportunities about yourself and possibly others who are hovering within your adventure space.

Photo by Barry Glazier

Alyse would write a memoir for her English class sharing her reflection on this unique experience and the impact it would have on her life.

From Alyse:

From her paper (which she received an A!), she shared some of her thoughts and steps toward doing the unusual.
”Hey, Wanna jump?” Of course, I didn’t hesitate to respond. Being as outgoing as I am, I replied with, “Heck yeah.” My response, even though said in a normal tone, was just me kidding around. I obviously did not plan on jumping off of a bridge just because a stranger invited me to.

Dave Nevins - photo composition by Eric Peffer Photography

From Dave:

After some family dialogue on whether they were going to watch their daughter jump to her death or not, Alyse got the thumbs up and she received instructions on how to perform the perfect swan dive.

Let me ask you a simple question. Are you taking on the challenges that call your name?

From Alyse:

It was just me. Standing alone on the edge of a 467-foot bridge. I felt ready, adrenaline pumped through my veins. I heard everyone on the bridge start to count, “5….4….3….2….”
I jumped. I let out a scream as I went from diving horizontally to plunging vertically. I wasn’t even thinking about the danger I just faced or the height I was conquering. All of my worries and thoughts just slipped out of my mind.

I looked off the bridge once more and smiled. That’s when I knew I was hooked. That life to me isn’t worth anything if I’m not risking it. I realized what it is like to actually be alive and what it’s like to really be scared of dying. I had experience something that no other event could compare to. I had felt a way that for the rest of my life, could never exactly be matched or repeated.

From Dave:

Let me ask you a simple question. Are you taking on the challenges that call your name?

Video of my jump.

Similar to Alyse, I have heard the voice calling my name, sometimes I take on an adventure or challenge, sometimes I do not. I confess that I am truly thankful for every yes that I take on when a new challenge has presented itself, and those memories are lasting and those experiences have shaped and molded me into who I am today.

Dave Nevins during the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo with Team No Limits (all type 1 diabetes riders)

I have shared before that a neighbor in Boise, Idaho came by the house and asked if I wanted to go bungee jump. I realized I could have come up with some excuse to avoid a “scary” challenge, but I thought about it and decided that if I do not have a solid reason for not doing something then let’s do it!

Snorkeling during a No Limits (for people with type 1 diabetes) kayak expedition near Sitka, Alaska. Photo taken by Scott Harris.

Taking on challenges can also happen in the work world. This is me during my time as a bicycle messenger in Boise, Idaho.

Canadian Death Race with a team of runners with type 1 diabetes. Dave Nevins on the left and Will Schock on the right.

The Call came at 3 am

The Call Came at 3 am

The call came at 3 am and it was a zinger.  The voice at the other end of the line said something along the lines of 'how would you like to jump off the Royal Gorge Bridge?'.  Now that got my full and undivided attention, grogginess be gone.  I was receiving a once in a life time offer.  Bungee jumping off the Royal Gorge Bridge is illegal, but every now and then the jump is legal, for only a few days.  Go Fast, an energy drink company, will take out insurance on the bridge to run the Go Fast Games and create a festive swirl of adrenaline activities which include Base Jumping, slack lining, jet suit flights, bungee jumping, etc.  I am not sure exactly how many Go Fast Games have been run but it appears to be 5-7 times and definately not every year.

I had been jumping and helping crew with Over the Edge Bungee (out of Stanley, Idaho) to help fill my adrenaline needs.  We had discussed the 1,053 foot (321 meter) Royal Gorge Bridge as the ultimate destination while packing bungee cords, carabiners, etc.

Over the Edge Bungee had been asked to run the bungee jump at the 2008 Go Fast Games.  I would help on crew, take photos and film, and of course, leap.........it would be an amazing experience I will never forget.  It also appears to have been the latest, but, hopefully, not last, Go Fast Games.

I have a previous blog story on our Go Fast Games adventure so I will share the recent discovery of a slideshow I had tried to put together after the event. It was on a seriously inadequate lap top that had trouble with the project.  It essentially had problems with just about everything.

About a month ago I was offered a much newer lap top. It works.  Bells and whistles included.  While scanning my photos I  came across the  unfinished slideshow, laying dormant in a corner of the Go Fast Games file.  

An opportunity to relive a grand time and to finally share with others.  Enjoy!
Link below:
Music by Sittser

The Go Fast Games Slideshow with Over the Edge Bungee

Gravity Testers

Published in "The Challenge" put out by DESA (Diabetes Exercise & Sports Association)

"Gravity Testers"

The countdown begins and the anxiety meter rockets upward as the rope crew sends out a booming 5, 4, 3...My mind fights the battle to resist the urge to step off the narrow railing I had cautiously inched on to.  A nervous glance downward and I catch a heart pounding view of the Snake River flowing 500 feet under my tenuous perch.  There is a lot of air space between my frame and the water far below.  I take one more look at the array of crazy characters that have joined me in this unique sport of bungee jumping.  

Our take off point is the Perrine Bridge near Twin Falls, Idaho.  At 1500 feet in length, it is the longest span bridge in the West.  However, I am much more aware of the vertical qualities. 

My confidence in the gear and the experience of the crew puts me at ease in a sport that few venture into.  Today I am joined by some of my dearest friends who I trust will remind me to disconnect from my life support before the final countdown.  I doubt that my insurance would cover an insulin pump donation to the Snake River.

My leap of faith draws near.  Marcos Rojas of Over the Edge Bungee, a  close friend, is in charge of today's operation.  He spots the bungee as he echoes ..2...Fellow gravity tester Matt Score also joins us on the bridge.  Matt does a whirlwind of work with our No Limits group that was formed to promote, educate, and inspire an active, healthy lifestyle for all people with diabetes.  Bungee jumping is a unique fit to this equation.

The Biggest Danger in Life is Not Taking Adventures

I am constantly approached with the question of why a person would leap off of a perfectly good bridge.  Yes, the question has surged through my mind and fear is definitely a factor.  However, the fear of falling pails in comparison to the fear of missing opportunities to live life more abundantly.  George Mallory (of Mt. Everest Fame) stated it in terms that adventure seekers can relate to.  "The biggest danger in life is not taking adventures."

People tend to live life inside the limits of their designated "boxes".  Like many of you I deal with the barriers that diabetes can impose.  We are faced with physical, mental and emotional challenges that we must overcome to break the barriers the disease inflicts on on.

Letting Go

The count reaches..1...Despite firing nerves, jumbled thoughts and a nano second prayer, I dive off into space.  Gravity is now my partner as I accelerate towards earth at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.

Despite some earlier reluctance and thought, I am now immersed in the moment as I put my arms to my side and do my best imitation of a torpedo.  I reach a split second where I am motionless then the stretched out cords recoil, sending me back toward the under carriage of the bridge.  After a number of rebounds I slowly reach a point where I am handing upside down and loving the moment, dangling about 250 feet above the river.  I can only smile as the retrieval rope is lowered to me.

More...Over the Edge

Further adventure took us to the Navajo Bridge near Page, Arizona where we connected with a film crew working for the Discovery Channel.  They took some great shots of our flights into Marble Canyon above the Colorado River.  A couple night jumps off a local bridge in Idaho added a different spin to our memories.  Leaping into a "black hole" was a novel experience for this gravity tester.

No Limits had their second fund raiser of the year (other fund raiser was a sky dive event) with a bungee jump off the Hansen Bridge (400 feet) near Twin Falls, Idaho.  We were fortunate enough to be featured in the Times-News newspaper (Twin Falls, Idaho) and had a very successful day with 13 jumpers, many of whom were first timers.  I especially love helping first timers.  What an experience for them!

Bungee jumping is not for everyone, but if you can muster the courage to escape your box for a little air time, you too can become a gravity tester.

Over the Edge Bungee - www.overtheedgebungee.com / 208-731-1648

Helicopter Bungee Jump

Heli-Bungee Jump with Over the Edge Bungee

January 30, 2009

Over the Edge, Inc. Bungee has scheduled for Friday, January 30th a Heli-Bungee event at Lake Elsinore, California. (Exact location to be announced). Sharp Entertainment will film the event for the Travel Channel for their series television program called "Extreme Adrenaline".

Each jump costs $700. Reservations must be booked in advance only prior to January 9th by check or money order to Over the Edge, Inc. P.O. Box 386, Stanley, ID 83278, or by online credit card through PayPal

(earnestweatherspoon@yahoo.com) payment for half the total. Upon receipt of deposit Over the Edge (OTE), Inc. will confirm payment and the balance will be due on jump day. Please contact us by email or phone to schedule a tentative jump time.

The Jump:

Over a grassy field the A350 helicopter will hover approximately 1200 feet in the air at the moment the jumper exits the open door while attached to a four-hundred foot bungee cord. The cord will double in length at furthest stretch.

The last Heli-Bungee in Toronto, Canada was a huge success which has been televised on the Travel and Discovery Channels and other syndicates worldwide. Recently, OTE was the sole bungee company at the "Go Fast Games 2008" at the Royal Gorge Bridge in Canon City, Colorado. There on the world's highest suspension bridge amidst jetpack pilots, rock climbers, BMX riders and BASE jumpers from around the world doing what they do, a record number of bungee jumpers leaped off the Royal Gorge Bridge.

Over the Edge, Inc.
208.731.1648
http://www.overtheedgebungee.com/
bungeejumps@yahoo.com

And yes, Dave does plan on being there with harness in hand.

An Opportunity at 124 Miles Per Hour

An Opportunity at 124 Miles Per Hour

"An Opportunity at 124 miles per hour"

A dramatic, inspiring site perched high above the Arkansas

River, the Royal Gorge Bridge is a popular spot for tourists

to death-grip the railing, and take a heart thumping view to

the river 1,053 feet below. I have a special fondness for

bridges. For four days every year adrendaline seekers descend

upon this special bridge for base and bungee jumping, slack

lining, rock climbing with a few jet pack flights thrown in for

good measure.

With a call at 3 am I received the invite to participate in the Go

Fast Games by my friends at Over the Edge Bungee. I wanted

to be part of the unique experience by working on the bungee

crew. Of course, I was also there to jump. As a person with diabetes, I have chosen to live life as fully as possible. I am not sure how many is in my quota, but this will be one notch in my 'adventure' quota.  

The crew and I have shared the long-lasting dream to leap off of what is probably the ultimate gravity experience on the planet. So, when Over the Edge Bungee was invited to be the sole bungee company working the festival, I knew this was my ticket to adventure.Ticket punched and harness in my suitcase, I made my way to Canon City, Colorado.

This was not the first time I had spent time on the Royal Gorge

Bridge. As a child, the Nevins family had made an excursion

to the bridge. I don’t remember much about the visit except that

there was a definite cloud of fear while on the bridge. Never

did I envision (nor did my poor parents) jumping off the

highest suspension bridge in the world. Come to think of it, I

have spent a large chunk of my life doing things that would not

be on most people’s lists. Sometimes life presents unusual

opportunities and sometimes we need to say yes.

Not wanting to loaf around and allow fear to permeate, I made

sure that I would be dangling from bungee cords on the first

day. The Go Fast Games are four days of intense craziness

held at the end of September. You have to be invited in order

to participate in all the activities except our bungee gig. It

was a real highlight to assist over 80 people make the leap of

a lifetime. It is my guess that almost half of the group, who

were from distant points all over the globe, were first-time

bungee jumpers. In my jumping career, I had started off

slowly (all of 95 feet on my first jump), working up to

loftier bridges. These participants were not messing around.

The novelty of the event truly hit home when I found out that

less than 100 people had ever bungee jumped off this structure,

before we had arrived. It is illegal to jump the bridge unless

it is during the Go Fast Games.

Early on the first day of the Games I climbed over the railing

and onto a platform that had been created for our time on the

bridge. What an amazing place to be! Was I nervous?

Standing at the end of a platform over 1,000 feet above the

River, ready to do my best imitation of a torpedo and fall at

Terminal velocity (124 miles per hour), I had some anxious

Thoughts. But thankfully the anxious-meter was low and I

was smiling. Gravity works exceptionally well at the Gorge

and I had a grand leap. Another phenomenal memory

forever stored into the brain bank.

Navajo Bridge (AZ) Bungee Jump

Sita Vaughan in flight

With some encouragement from the Discovery Channel a few of us headed down to Arizona for a bungee jump off the Navajo Bridge. I jump with Over the Edge Bungee. Terrific group of people who know their business and know what friendship is all about. http://www.overtheedgebungee.com/.