A while back I attended a Veteran’s retreat in the boondocks of Pennsylvania at a place called Antiochian Village about an hour’s drive from the Pennsylvania-Ohio border. The place was a bit isolated but otherwise it was a nice place. I heard that there was an arranged activity on something called a Zip line at a camp ground not too far from the Village. I got to the campground and saw a set up where there was a wooden tower perhaps 50-80 feet and two thick wires running from the top of the tower going down to the ground covering some distance. While I was walking to the base of the tower, I saw two of the former Marines leap from the top of the tower perhaps having flashbacks of Jump School, they were attached to a life line that was hanging off the thick wires and they zipped away down the line quickly.

So it was my turn I climb the tower pole to the top when I got there I saw that the life line was nothing but a modified dog leash. One end clipped to the thick wire and the other onto my makeshift repelling harness. Then the person running the zip line told me to just step off the tower. On the count of three 1.., 2.., 3…my feet took me to the edge of the tower, but before the leap, my mind said “hell no” it overridden what my feet was about to do. No I did not leap off that tower, there was some idea that a modified dog leash supporting 200 plus pounds of little ole me may not happen. I must be getting old, cause I’ve done jumped off objects with no regard to safety, life or limb in lots of dangerous situations where the outcome was left to chance. I know if a Drill Instructor was there all he had to do was give that look and I would have leaped without a second thought. I heard the yells of the crazy ex-Marines, and Army Vets come on Soldier…. I said “what the hell…” I got up the nerve and took the leap off the tower and zipped down through the camp grounds…..

Leap

Nerve