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.

That's What We Do

'That's What We Do'

Sitka Mountain Rescue doing what they do on Gavan Hill - Sitka, AK

I have been a member of Sitka Mountain Rescue. The life of a search and rescue person can be quite interesting. Below is another of Dave's experiences.

"That's What We Do"

That was the response by Don Kluting, captain of the Sitka

Mountain Rescue Team (SMR) after another successful mission by the SMR

(Sitka, Alaska) and the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard and SMR combined to rescue a 16-year-old girl who had become seriously ill while hiking with a group on the local Gavan Hill trail. She was hoisted by a helicopter off of the heavily wooded slopes of Gavan Hill by the Coast Guard's Air Station Sitka and flown to the airport where Emergency Services personnel were waiting to take her to Sitka Community Hospital. She was released that evening by the hospital.

I am a new addition to SMR and as my first mission, the Gavan Hill 

rescue was an eye-opening experience. I had received a message on my 

pager for volunteers to assemble at the Fire Hall. Teams, gear, and 

directions were already in progress as I stepped into the Fire Hall 

about 20 minutes after the initial page. Being on my first call, I 

wrangled with what I needed to throw into my 24 hour pack. A gear junkie at heart, I had plenty of "stuff" to choose to ride with me on the mountain. Did I pack the right things? Having diabetes causes one to be prepared and to analyze(and over analyze) what to bring on

different outings. I loaded first aid supplies from the Search and Rescue command center(Fire Hall) and was sent out as part of the first team. We arrived with needed medical items and began clearing the 

area for a helicopter rescue.

As the U.S. Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter arrived, it began to look like something out of a Hollywood script. Truth was that this was reality and our semi-coherent hiker needed to take the first bird out of there. A litter was dropped and the hiker was hoisted up, loaded into the helicopter and transported to Sitka Community Hospital. Mission accomplished.

As I finally connected with a computer to plunk out a story on the 

incredible helicopter rescue, my pager pulls me from the MacBook and 

into a frenetic shuffle to prepare and fly out the door for the next 

search and rescue mission. A hiker has been injured on Gavan Hill and 

will need to be carried down the mountain. It is a different set of 

circumstances than last week and a litter, litter wheel, a large 

number of volunteers, and good ole muscle power will be needed to see this rescue through. Finesse and rope will also be involved as the hiker is hauled down a rugged, winding trail etched into the Alaskan hillside. This will be the second successful mission in one week and was another eye-opening (in more ways than one)experience.

The SMR is a group of volunteers dedicated to providing wilderness 

safety education to the public, and prompt, professional emergency 

services for people who are lost, injured, stranded, or in need of 

rescue primarily within the City and Borough of Sitka. I have 

diabetes, but my active lifestyle creates a good fit with being a member of the team. I joined the team to help the community, forge new

experiences, and learn whatever I can cram in. Have you considered 

being a part of search and rescue?

Below is a Thank You letter written from the hiker who rode our litter 

taxi service.

Used with the writers permission.

I just want to again thank all the men and women of the Sitka Mountain 

Rescue in assisting me off Gavan Hill last Sunday. I would especially 

like to thank Dave Patt, Nils & Lucie for staying with me and 

convincing me it was not a good idea to come down off the mountain 

without the help of the Rescue team. I tore my ACL and probably have 

damage to the meniscus in my right knee. I know now I would have done

much more damage to the knee and possibly sustained other injuries if 

I had tried to get down on my own. I will have to go through therapy, 

wear a knee brace, and eventually have surgery but it could have been 

much worse. It is a very humbling experience having to ask for help 

and being strapped into a litter to be carried down, but everybody was

the utmost professional. I felt totally safe in their care and their

upbeat attitude made the trip down much more bearable. The Sitka 

Mountain Rescue provides an invaluable service to the community and 

you should all feel proud.

Sincerely and always in your debt,

(name withheld)

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/.

Race Across America Team Type 1

Steve Holmes on Team Type 1 during the Race Across America - photo by Joseph Linaschke

I was fortunate enough to be a crew member for Team Type 1 (http://www.teamtype1.org/) during the amazing Race Across America. It was a great experience and I would like to ride in RAAM in the future.

By Mile 33

After the Peterson Ridge Rumble Race - Sisters, OR (35 miles) with Matt Score
A story I wrote on the Peterson Ridge Rumble experience:

"BY MILE 33"

In a quest for new adventures, I pulled out the current Trailrunner magazine and
scanned the list of races that would challenge me, travel through terrific scenery, take me
one stop beyond the marathon and provide me with that all important, valued race
t-shirt. A $35 check in the mail and I was on the registered list of suffering
wannabees for the Peterson Ridge Rumble, a 37-mile ultra marathon run on the trails
near Sisters, Oregon. Due to a generous supply of snow, the course was rerouted and
shortened to 35 miles. They did promise that suffering would not be in short supply
and as luck would have it, race t-shirts would also be in short supply.
I ended up working the day before the race, so Matt Score, my partner in
extreme adventure, and I would slide into Jamie’s home in nearby Bend after midnight.
Jamie, who also has diabetes but may possess more sense (he did not run), would
have his own adventures this day working backcountry ski patrol on Mt. Bachelor.
By 5 a.m. we were up and…well…we were at least awake.
The snowy, jagged peaks of Central Oregon were at their grandest as we sped toward escapades unknown. The Rumble is a low-key affair for those who like to run a really
long way and are not overly concerned about receiving a cotton prize at the end. These
are truly the diehards of the sport. If I did finish, I would receive a pair of screaming, loud socks. Very loud. But first I had some miles to cover.
Our friend and supplier of our secret carbo stash (Pear and Paley Energy Bars), Jeff
Warren, shook his head, wished us well, and shook his head again as we strolled to the
starting line. With little fanfare, we were on our way, and I would start my 34-mile “kick.”
A threatening evening and dismal forecast had us wondering what the conditions
would throw at us. Throughout the day, we would encounter snow, rain, hail and cloudy
conditions--but all-in-all it was a great day to be running (and running and running).
I was continually encouraged by the ever-present camaraderie of these incredible
individuals involved in their self imposed battles of physical ability, emotions, will power, conditions, mental challenges…not to mention the cute blond (Christel) who kept passing me. One extra battle I would be dealing with: my blood sugar was not coming down very quickly. Not the start that I had hoped for, but this disease has often presented extra me with obstacles and I chose to keep moving forward.
By mile 26, I had found my gear. I was still stalled in second gear, but I had the blood sugar where I wanted it and I continued to dig a little deeper. As the skies unleashed, we pulled into the only checkpoint that I had arranged for a supply drop. Considering myself lucky, I pulled a jacket on and continued ambling toward the finish. Cramps would kick me back to first gear and I encouraged Matt to run his own race. Christel would painfully pass me one last time.
Hours of striding through a beautiful forest allowed for some deep reflection.
I thought about how fortunate I am to have chosen a life of participation. To live
life as full, big, and fat while seeking those challenges that stretch me, pull me,
and transform me.
The last 300 yards were on a running track. Coming upon a pair of hurdles, which were set up in the outer lanes, I contemplated an impressive act, but realized that I had had a stellar day and did not want to end it sprawled out on the ground in lane 4, 100 yards from those prized socks.

No Limits Blog

Welcome to the NO LIMITS blog!

My name is Dave Nevins and I have Type 1 diabetes. Living with diabetes can be a challenge, but this blog was created to encourage those with the disease to live life to the fullest. No Limits.



I have been blessed with participating in many exciting races, events, unique opportunities and creating a few of my own paths. It is my strong desire to share some of those tales, encourage those with diabetes and to possibly connect with other adventure seekers.



BBAD Tour (Border-to-Border-Against Diabetes - Arizona to Idaho)

No Limits Blog

Welcome to the NO LIMITS Blog. My name is Dave Nevins and I have Type 1 diabetes. If you have diabetes you are aware of the challenges it can present. This blog was created to encourage those with diabetes to live life with No Limits, to pursue your goals, and to hopefully be a means for fellow adventure seekers with diabetes to cross paths.

I have been very blessed to have been able to participate in many exciting races, events, unique opportunities and to create some of my own paths.

(Picture) After the Peterson Ridge Rumble in Sisters, OR (35 mile running race) with Matt Score

No Limits logo (Boise, Idaho)