I woke up (at 8:30), got ready, went grocery shopping, ate breakfast, packed up, and left to go hike to the base of the Eiger today. I just missed the train that will take me to the trail head. I guess the next one was an hour away, which means it left at 1:10 pm. The hike was about 3 hours, and being in an unfamiliar place I felt that was too late to start a longer hike. This left me feeling lost, as I really only want to be outside and not wandering a city while I'm in Interlaken. The nice train station lady asked if I had other plans and I mentioned I'd thought about paragliding. She proceeded to call a company and a few minutes later they were picking me up to go paragliding. Honestly, had I had a day to consider running off a hill with nothing but a few strings and some nylon keeping me from plummeting to my death I probably would not have done it. As it happened, I was committed.
They had a group to take first that was already scheduled which left me with about an hour and a half to contemplate my decisions in life and how I felt about dying. I didn't really feel like dying. But honestly, I sure felt like doing something amazing. So fear of dying lost out to my need to do something amazing and I have no regrets.
As you all probably know, I'm a fat ass. I mention this, not for "oh...no you're not" (I am, I know it) but because there's a weight limit and I'm over that limit. Not by a lot...but this is gravity I'm competing with. The guy that I'm to go with explains the weight limit and says it's really only for takeoff. Takeoff is the hard part and if there's not enough wind, two of us, one being heavier, is very hard to get airborne. I still waited anyway, because he said we would try and if there weren't good wind conditions for take off, we wouldn't go. I had a lot of time to sit and debate just leaving because of my fat ass. And well, I still waited.
He and his other pilots landed with their group and I met them and told him he's not obligated to take me, he can just say I'm too heavy I'm fine walking away. He insisted that with the right conditions we can fly. So I proceed to go with him to the takeoff point. He tells me that they put a weight limit on the flyer because they don't always get a chance to see their customers first. But seeing me, he knew it would be ok. He also told me he mentioned to his other pilots that he had a customer that weighed xxx lbs and needed a pilot (to get me in the air earlier). They all said "hell no!" So he took me. He claims that once they all landed and saw me they were like "That's her? No way! We'd have taken her." I like to think he's not lying to me. He did explain that depending on fitness and the size of the person, they would say no to someone else my weight, but because I'm fit and tall and not short and round, they were ok with it. I trusted him.
So we waited and waited and waited on the hill for the right conditions. We let everyone else go before us, and that was fine. I didn't want witnesses to my failure. Well it turns out that our patience was rewarded and within seconds we were airborne with no problems whatsoever.
At one point in the air he asked if I liked roller coasters. I replied that I love them! He asked if I wanted to go for a roller coaster ride and of course I said "YES!" At which point he took me on an AWESOME ride! A.Tid. would have been making epic vomiting noises. As it was me up there and not her, I was laughing hysterically. It was SO FUN! I would not trade this experience for anything! And when I am rich I'm picking up a new hobby. (This hobby apparently keeps you looking young. He is 44, his friend 51. I thought they were both in their early 30s.)
So there you have it folks. I flew today in Switzerland! I got to see Interlaken from the sky. I got to see it's rivers, mountains, and two lakes from the air. (In fact we flew over one of the lakes.) Today was an epic 4th of July!
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