Over The Edge

This was a crazy personal challenge--rappelling down the side of a 10-story building.  I'm sure for extreme sports enthusiasts, adrenaline junkies and regular practitioners of rappelling, 10 stories would be considered the "bunny slope."  But for someone who isn't any of the above, who never so much as zipped on a zip line, who loves amusements parks but doesn't ride the rides, it was a big deal.  A really big deal.

So why did I take a big leap 'way out of my comfort zone?  There were just too many reasons not to ...  First and foremost, my Girl Scout Council asked me to.  Well, not just me, of course--hopefully all of our adult members considered it a little.  I'm a real believer in the mission and goals of the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey.  I've been volunteering as a leader and in a variety of other positions for about 20 years.  I've learned so much, had so many fabulous opportunities, made so many friends, that when presented with the chance to help raise some money for our programs, it wasn't a hard sell.  I'd love for more girls to get the chance to challenge themselves, make lots of new friends and participate in exciting programs while learning all about themselves.  That's why I did it.

I understood that this rappel in the hands of a professional company that does nothing but travel the country helping non profits raise money in this unique way would be safe and controlled.  I'm not really afraid of heights but I have a healthy respect for edges, cliffs and slopes.  The company, Over the Edge has a great reputation (more about them later).  It was safe; I felt good about it.  That's why I did it.

I was ready for a personal challenge.  For lots of personal reasons.  It came at the right time for me and I was ready.  That's why I did it.

I have a troop of high school girls.  This is my second troop, my first troop having graduated high school in 2009.  So I'm a middle-aged leader of some pretty exceptional young women who are all such interesting individuals and spectacular as a group.  I thought it would be good for them to know that you're never too old to try something new.  That's why I did it.

Too many reasons not to go for it so and so I did.  But first, I had to raise a minimum of $1,000.  Because first and foremost, this was a fundraiser and an ambitious one at that.  But thanks to my family and very generous friends, within a couple of months, my first goal was achieved.  It's not easy for me to ask for money, no matter how good the cause, so fundraising also became a part of my challenge.  I'm so grateful to all the people who took the time to visit my little webpage and donate.  Every donation meant the world to me and I was truly humbled by the number of people who contributed.  It was exciting to watch the total grow.

Saturday morning dawned and I followed the rules getting dressed even though it was hot day:  long pants, long sleeved shirt.  No wall burns, please!  It was a short drive to the office building in Woodland Park where the rappelling and family festival was going on.  I checked in and was whisked away to the staging area where a confident person from Over the Edge got me all suited up with harness and carabiners, helmet, gloves and walkie talkie.  There were multiple check points and the equipment was scrutinized for anything that might be amiss--nothing was; the folks from Over the Edge know what they're doing.

The elevator ride to the roof was too short!  When the doors opened we walked through some of the building's HVAC equipment and out into the brilliant sun with miles of views of the gorgeous rolling hills of northern New Jersey.  It was breathtaking.  I have no pictures of the rooftop and the astounding panorama since we weren't allowed to bring phones or cameras with us.  There were four people working with Adam, the training guy.  I watched them learning how the apparatus works while standing on the roof and then a few feet off the ground, using a ladder.  While chatting with my fellow edgers, I realized I was very early for my assigned time slot.  Without my phone I had no idea if my family and friends had arrived yet so back down I went to wait until it was closer to my time.

Back in the staging area, the first people started arriving off the wall.  They were excited and exhilarated.  There were all types of people.  Some leaders and some Girl Scout supporters, all amazing people with great stories.  One woman spoke of the brain surgery she was to have within a couple of weeks.  I mean, how could I be scared of this adventure after hearing that?  Talk about brave.  Everyone was in the spirit of the day--adventurous, daring, happy to be there.

Soon it was time to head up to the roof again.  I was in a group of four people that Adam trained.  I went last and had the hardest time.  It took me a while to understand that I didn't have to hold my weight up, that the equipment would do that for me.  But Adam was really patient and caring.  He gave me a lot of confidence.  The people ahead of me and the people behind me in line were all making the descent as pairs.  I stood there waiting my turn and realized I'd be alone on that wall.  It occurred to me that I've done a lot of "firsts" by myself these last few years.  But those adventures weren't like this one.  This one was in a league of its own.

Photo credit:  GSNNJ

Then it was my turn.  Derek got me all attached to the rope I would travel down as well as a safety rope that was the backup and also prevent me from going too fast.  That wasn't a worry for me.  I was more afraid I'd be the slowest one they'd ever seen.  Getting over the wall that edged the roof proved to be the hardest part of the whole procedure.  I have a little trouble with arthritis and stepping up on the wall backwards just wasn't happening.  My hips would not cooperate with that big step.  So Derek said I would use the "getting in the pool" method.  I sat on the wall and swung my legs over.  He sort of caught me and got me in position, all the while reassuring me that I could do this.  I really wasn't afraid.  The height didn't bother me as I was literally "hanging out" there at the top.  It was more that I was worried I wouldn't remember all the things they'd so briefly taught me, that I wouldn't remember how to unlock the safety apparatus if it locked up, that I was by myself out there.  I kept asking Derek his name.  I'm really bad with names but I wanted to remember him.  Just before I started down, Derek said "You're why I really love my job."  I knew he meant he liked helping people get outside of their own boxes, facing a fear or achieving a goal.  Or, in my case, all of the above.

As I started my descent, another person from the Over the Edge team leaned over [the edge] and said "You're going to encounter some level changes as you go; it's okay."  What?  Well, it turned out the building was exactly straight.  The architecture had pockets for the windows.  Deep pockets.  Even though I wasn't on the "window" route the spaces between the windows, the route that I was traveling, were indented and angled so that each floor had a challenge I hadn't expected.  I'd thought I'd just walk down.  Like spiderman.  But I'd release the gadget (I'm sure there's a fancy rappelling term for that thing) that allowed me to travel down the rope with my feet against the wall and then the wall would disappear and I'd be bouncing around in the air.  I figured out how to grab the ledges with my toes and get stabilized on the wall again.  So there I was releasing myself down the rope, bouncing around my route on the wall and  wondering how the heck I'd gotten myself into this position in the first place.  I could hear people calling my name but little else.  I think someone was giving me instructions through the walkie but I couldn't make them out.  I was wearing a GoPro camera on my helmet but I didn't look around.  It took all my concentration to remember how to do what I was doing and limit my bouncing on the uneven wall.

Eventually I could tell I was getting close to the bottom.  I couldn't see it.  Because I really, really didn't take my eyes off that wall.  But the concrete of the top nine floors turned to brick when I hit the first floor and I soon felt someone holding on to help me find the solid ground again.  I turned around to see my son running over and got a big hug while they unhooked me.  More hugs and some official pictures for the Council and then I went back to the staging area to return the gear.  I was shaking.  I'm not sure why.  I really wasn't scared.  Honestly.  I knew how safe and controlled it was.  I can't say it was physically demanding because the harness did all the work of holding me up.  So it wasn't that.  I guess I was just relieved.  And happy.  A doctor came over and nonchalantly took my pulse, as if I wasn't paying attention.  He urged me to sit down and have some water.  And my friends who work for GSNNJ made sure that I did.  They thought of everything to make sure this was a safe process for everyone.

A bottle of water a cookie and a bagel later, I was feeling better but was still shaking.  I'm not exactly sure when I stopped but it was a while.  I was so grateful that my son and his girlfriend and my best friend were there.  I may have made the trip down the wall by myself but there were people waiting for me when I reached the destination.  And that's always a great feeling after a hard journey.

Everyone has been asking me if I'd do it again.  My initial reaction was a solid no.  It wasn't easy for me ... not the fundraising nor the rappel.  But a lot of worthwhile things aren't easy.  And this was so worthwhile.  I actually think I would do it again.  Now that I understand the engineering behind the gear, now that I trust how the whole thing really works, I'd like to do it again.  I'll look around.  I'll try to relax.  I think I'll enjoy the journey more the next time.

Photo credit:  GSNNJ

I want to send massive amounts of thanks to my friends at Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey for providing yet another opportunity to try something new.  Thank you to the staff from Over the Edge who were phenomenal.  My family and friends who supported the GSNNJ fundraiser and me blew me away.  I can't really properly express how much that meant to me.

Photo credit:  GSNNJ