Mary's Jump

I just came across a video I took when Mary and I took a trip out west. We went to Yellowstone, Devils Tower and Jackson hole. It brought back some great memories and I thought I would try something different and share the video's with you along with a short story of it.

One of the most beautiful places I saw out there on, this trip, was Jackson Hole. It is just south of Yellowstone and on west of the Hole is the Teuton Mountains. They are just beautiful.

We stopped for a day and spent five. I wish I had had more time because there is so much to do and five days just wet our appetite. We did find time to go for a horseback ride along the face of the mountains. It was fun but sorta disappointing as we were in the trees and could not see much of the mountains.

We did a raft trip on the Snake River and Para-sailed off a dang cliff. :D

We were on the horse ride when I saw, far above me, looking like birds, some people para-sailing. I could not believe it and pointed it out to Mary. "NO way, says she! You want to, go ahead but I am not crazy" She then said that she had seen an advertisement in a paper for tandem rides in the dang things and it got me to thinking.

After the ride and we had gotten back to the motel I asked where the ad was. She just looked at me and said, "I knew it" and dug it out.

There was a phone number and I called it. The guy that answered said that he would be happy to take me up and today was a great day for it but there might be rain and if there was, no go. He asked how big I was and when I told him he said it would take on as big as a bomber to get us both into the air and he never saw one that big. It seems that he is a big old boy himself!







He did tell me that he had a friend, Rick Armstrong who was a little fella and should be able to take me up. He said he would contact Rick at Uprising Paragliding and see if he had an opening. He did!

I thing it was the same day, maybe the next that we were to go. We were to meet Rick at a restaurant, just outside of town and prepare to go. We met him, he was a little guy and just full of energy. He was like so many out there, free thinkers and sorta nonconformist. We chatted for a while and it seems he is in the National Ski Patrol and guides in the winter and does what he can to make a buck in the summer. Anything but a regular job it seems. I told him that I knew a guy, Ranger Rick, a ranger at Yellowstone and was killed in an avalanche a few year previously and he told me he was one of the guys that went in to bring him and his friend out. Small world.

Well we made our arrangements, signed the liability papers and headed out the door. I was to follow him in my truck as far as I could and we would then get in his beat up old International and head up the Mountain.

Now this trail is something. It is a foot trail and sure the hell was not meant to no dang vehicle! He had to drop the thing in four wheel granny and inch up the trail, hikers had to step off the trail to let us inch up. It was a heck of a drop off the right side but we did ok. He told us that he and I would make the jump and Mary could drive the truck back down to meet us at the bottom of the Mountain.

Mary said, "In a bulls ass" or words to that effect. Well she doesn't swear but I am convinced that is what she meant. I didn't really blame her either.

Rick said that it was no problem as he would just run up the mountain after the jump and get the truck. RUN UP THE MOUNTAIN?? What was he? Nuts? I bet it was four miles up that dang mountain to where we were to park and it was steep enough that we had to be in granny! He said, "No problems. I do it all the time" Geeesh. Not in my best day!

well we finally crawl to the top of the mountain and pull off. Heck I could not see squat it was so brushy but there was a small area that we could see that others had parked. We got out and I asked, "Where is the cliff?" I was getting a mite nervous. I am not one that is in love with heights!

He pointed to a little path leading off to the right. I told him I woud be right back to help with the gear but wanted to take a look. Mary followed. We came out of the brush and Mary said, "You are friggin nuts" or words to that effect. She don's swear much but I know that is what she meant. :D

It was just a stunning sight! I had asked Rick how high we were above the valley floor and he said 2500 ft! It sure looked it too. The little sucker was gonna run up a mountain side, 2500ft elevation rise to get a dang beat up International truck!! We stood there looking out over the valley and were just amazed at the beauty of it all. The cliff was not straight down but the hill just sorta rolled out and down and disappeared in the forest. We were looking DOWN at the top of pine trees! It was amazing and to think I would soon be running off that dang thing, on purpose, was hard to imagine.

we went back to help Rick manhandle the equipment to the top of the mountain in a small clearing. There was a long pole there that had a white rag tied to the top. This was to let him know what the wind is doing. It was a makeshift thing but it seemed to work just fine. He said the wind had tobe just right for us to get the lift we needed.

He told me that the para-sail is much safer than the hang glider. He said world wide, at that time anyway, there had only been two people killed in a para-sail, one had a helicopter fly over him and the other flew into a thunder storm. He said that people have passed out in a para-sail and still landed ok because of the physics involved. I imagine a person passed out and landing in the Grand canyon or into a big arsed tree could have problems though.

Rick started hauling out the sail and spreading it on the ground. He strung out the lines and made sure they were all straight and not twisted. He kept watching that flag and working. He gave me a harness to put on and donned his, watching the flag. I asked if it looked ok and he said that late in the afternoon the winds were usually better. He said that by the time we were ready it would probably be ok.

We looked off to the left and we could see a bit of a storm coming down the valley. He said it was moving slowly and we would be OK.

Mary was taking this all in and told me again that I was nuts. I told her that she ought to do it too but she said no way.

Rick finally got the sail all spread out, got me and himself in our harnesses and hooked us together. The way this works is I am hooked below him. I will be on a seat like a swing hanging under him. When the wind is right, he will yell at me to run, run , run and I was to keep running toward the abyss until my my feet were pumping air. If I were to stop we could crash and roll off the cliff and be in the top of those dang trees so far below. He was to be behind me and I was the first to go off.

Fist was the sail, then at the end of the lines was Rick, then down the hill, right in front of Rick actually,was me. I could not see anyone from where I was, below everything else and about 25 ft from the edge. He told me that once we were airborne I was to sling the seat under my puckering arse and relax. Yeah, right.

There I was, trying not to fall as the hill was very steep and Rick was a watching the flag and he kept telling me. "When I say run, run and don't stop for anything" I am a thinking, "Yeah you little pervert. Mary is a good looking lady and you want my dump arse to go a running off this cliff with no Rick and no Para-sail! I was a thinking that when he started a yelling, Runrunrunrunrun!! and I ran.

I don't think I took over six or eight steps when I was airborn. I kept a running anyway until he said, Thats it, Relax!

I looked down and I actually had no feeling of height at all. It was so relaxing and peaceful. No noise at all, other than my heart a beating in excitement. He took us out until we were far into the valley away from the mountain and swung to the right. I could look back and see Mary standing on the mountain and that gave me a reference to the size of the mountain, the valley and how high we were.

We swung out and to the left and far off, up the valley and toward Yellowstone, I could see the town of Jackson Hole. I think that is the towns name too. We ran up the valley and there was so much to see. My video just does not do it justice at all.
I have no idea how long we were up but the flight was far too short. Jackson Hole looked so small at first, We sailed around the town and everything was so small but as we got nearer I could make out my truck, which we left at the landing area.

Soon the flight was about over and Rick expertly took us right to the field where the truck was and landed us within 30 ft of the truck. It was just great!

We packed everything in the back of my truck and headed for the mountain to pick up Mary. Rick said it was a shame that Mary would not do it and I said, "She will go" He looked at me and asked if I thought so and I said, Sure she will. :D

We got to the trail head and there was Mary. True to her word, she did not drive that dang truck down the mountain.

As we pulled up she asked how it was. I told her it was just great! I smiled and asked if she was gonna do it and she gave me a goofy look and said, "Well I guess" and I laughed.

Rick said, "I will get the truck" and took off at a run. Now that is a heck of a run up that dang mountain. Mary started walking down as we took off and she had just gotten there when we pulled up in the truck. Now he was a running UP the thing. We sat down for a long wait.

It seemed no time at all we could hear that beat up piece of crap a coming down the trail. It was probably fifteen or twenty minutes but not nearly as long as it should have taken!

We loaded the gear and headed up again. We went through the same thing with Mary and soon she was ready. I video taped much of the preparation and the take off. Soon Mary was hearing him yell, Runrunrunrun and off she went. It was really something to see and an incredible adventure for both of us.

If I lived in an area that I could para-sail, I would have bought one by now. I loved it!!

I thank you for taking the trip with me