The thing that caught us off guard the most was really how fast they rushed us into it. Just 45 minutes after walking in the tandem dive classroom, we were already airborne and watching the airstrip disappear beneath us. Inside the plane, all 24 jumpers sat quietly with their eyes front, almost as if they were each silently reciting their death rites. At five thousand feet, the door in the back of the plane slid up and three skydivers jumped out. “Oh no! That guy fell out!” cried the cameraman in front of me, finally breaking the musty silence in the plane. My palms wouldn’t stop sweating and my heart was racing, but I was also laughing at the joke loosening myself up for the most extreme thing I was ever about to do. We would continue on to 13,000 feet above the ground in Ottawa, Illinois before I would actually jump out of a plane. I could hardly believe what I was getting myself into and how just two days ago, I would have never guessed I’d be dressed up in a flight suit getting ready to plummet towards the ground at 120 miles an hour.

If I were to tell you when this all started, I’d have to go back to when Jed and I met for the first time. But for the sake of relevance, I’m going to fast forward to when Jed woke up early one morning in Goodyear, Illinois. We were parked for the day and Jed was starting to look ahead to find other campgrounds with Wi-Fi internet. When he came across one campground called Skydive Chicago, he assumed that it was just the name of a campground and not actually a skydiving place. After calling the place, he found out that it was actually a world-class skydiving facility and it was right on our way to Michigan, just 45 minutes away in Ottawa. Jed became so hyped up about this that he woke me up at 7 am and said, “Wanna skydive!?” I happily replied yes, and grumpily returned to sleep. But nonetheless, when I woke up, my first thought was skydiving. We found out that not only did they have a great campground with all the amenities including Wi-Fi internet where we could stay for free, but they could also take us in the air the following morning. We pulled in to a hangar in the middle of nowhere, and walked in to register for tomorrow morning.

One of the first things I notice is a wall with countless framed pictures topped by a large centerpiece pictures with the words “Guinness World Record: 246 Jumpers” placed above it. The photograph shows 246 interlinked jumpers who held the world’s largest skydiving formation for more than 15 seconds. Holding that record was impressive, but what was even more impressive were all the smaller pictures around the record-setting one. Each of the pictures show a different formation, and underneath almost every single one are small plaques that read, “World’s first 8 man jump,” “World’s first 99 man jump,” or “World’s first 150 man jump,” and so forth. Skydive Chicago has continued to dominate the record books, breaking their own records countless times. They even boast their track record in their brochures, but their reasoning stunned and impressed me. They say that, “It is not Skydive Chicago’s goal to outdo other parachute centers, but rather to be the best that we can be.” These people weren’t in it for the money or business. They were in it because they loved jumping out of planes at 13,000 feet. As I walked around inside the building there are televisions with a video loop of countless jumps that never escape my eyesight. The video taunts and dares anyone that walks in the building to do the same. It hits me just then, after seeing more than 15 people jump on the video, just what I was getting myself into. The epiphany doubles my heart rate, and my breaths become considerably shorter. I am going to skydive.

Jed and I are handed a stack of papers to fill out, and it wasn’t until I actually felt the papers in my hands did I realize just how much there was to fill out. There are easily more than 10 pages, front and back, of initializing here, signing on the line, and dating over there. The paperwork is a liability release for Skydive Chicago, something I had expected. What I did not expect, however, was that I would be required to sign my initials after every single paragraph, at least 30 times. Every single “if, and, or, but,” is covered in the contract and there were a few alarming things that Jed and I did not feel comfortable initializing. For instance, the release states that any death, wrongful or accidental, is not the responsibility of Skydive Chicago, EVEN if there is proven intent. In other words, if I am falling at 9,000 feet and my tandem master decides to unlatch me just because he felt like it; Skydive Chicago still isn’t liable because I basically just gave them permission to do so. Another paragraph that I attested to read, “If you decide to file a lawsuit against Skydive Chicago, you can and will not win.” It goes further to emphasize that I am assuming responsibility for all court costs and legal fees if I do decide to go ahead and sue. But of course, we didn’t want to stop there. We went on to sign away not only our right to sue, but our heirs’ right to sue, our parents’ right to sue, in addition to taking away any organization or class action lawsuit on our behalf’s right to sue. I could have easily summarized the 10 pages of legalese into one sentence: I’m jumping at my own risk. ________ (Initial Here)

After what felt like signing away my soul to the devil in exchange for 60 seconds of free fall, we found our spot and parked for the night. If Jed and I weren’t so tired from a long day, we probably never would have gone to sleep. After a great sleep, Jed woke me up and it was probably the first time in the entire trip that I got up after just one nudge. I couldn’t wait. We walked apprehensively to the hangar and were greeted by three other first time jumpers who were in our class. Class started at 9:30 promptly and we would jump at noon. I’ve never been more excited to sit in a desk and stare at a teacher before in my life. We had no interpreter for our class and our instructor, who was aware of this, still did not feel like any special accommodations were going to be needed for our class. Jed and I were too excited to jump to actually think about whether or not we’d be able to understand a word that was said. Fortunately for us, not only did our instructor practically speak in slow motion, but he used as much gestures and visual aids as much as possible. After a brief five minute lecture on what we would need to do in exiting the plane, he turned on a video and we followed a tandem jumper from the plane to the ground. This video, which clearly enhances each important step, was enough for Jed and I to finally understand what would happen in each phase of our jump. The video was just 10 minutes long and I watched it with out really paying attention to the details or techniques of jumping because I was captivated by the skydiving itself. We had the entire morning to learn the material before we jumped out of the plane, didn’t we?

Naturally forming a single file line, we left the classroom and followed our instructor upstairs to the hangar where we would get in our jumpsuits. Getting into the suit, Jed asked our instructor to give us 30 minutes notice before we flew up so that Branic could double back to the RV and get more tape, a different camera, and the tripod so that he could film our takeoff. The instructor replied, “We’re going up in about 15 minutes.” Stunned that we were going up 2 hours earlier than expected, Jed and I looked at each other with delight and unease (take your pick). Right about then, we were approached by our tandem masters who would resume our instruction as well as take us up in the air for our first jump. Our jump masters were Donovan Bartlett and Donna Wright, who have more than 7,000 combined jumps of experience as well as participation in several world records. They were just some of the friendliest people I have met, looking almost as excited as Jed and I were getting ready even though they have jumped out of a plane almost as many times as I have gone to sleep in my entire life. In addition to our own tandem masters who would be jumping with us, Jed and I both had our own cameramen who would follow us all the way from the ground to the sky and back again. Interestingly enough, our cameramen were both married and obviously shared the same passions. All of the workers for Skydive Chicago, while keeping in mind the severe risks of the sport, lead by example in saying that skydiving should be nothing but fun. They loosened us up and cracked jokes while going through the checklist of things we would need to do and what to expect in the following phases of skydiving: Getting set up inside the plane, jumping, freefalling, parachute deployment, parachuting, and landing.

Just as we were emptying our pockets into a locker and getting ready to leave, a man sporting a ponytail as well as jeans and a plain t-shirt approached us and asked if everything was still alright. He had helped us out last night in connecting to the Wi-Fi service and seemed to be the technician of Skydive Chicago. We couldn’t be sure because it looked as if he worked inside the Skydive store as well. We weren’t prepared when the person we affectionately call “the Wi-Fi man” said, “I’ll be your pilot today,” with a smile that would rival any politician’s. Talk about a Jack of all trades, would you? He was on his way to start up the Twin Otter that would take us up to 13,000 feet, and by now, everything was moving so fast that Jed and I could hardly believe it. Branic didn’t even have enough time to come back from the RV with the equipment he needed before we were already sitting in the plane and feeling the initial jolt of the plane.

Inside the plane, every diver sat quiet with their eyes faced forward. Every time I turned back to say something to Jed, several eyes fell on us and I could clearly see a distinct difference between the Deaf and hearing. If the plane were filled with Deaf skydivers, I know for sure that hands would be flying sharing dirty jokes and the only way someone’s eyes would be faced forward is if there was someone talking to them. I kept a close watch on the altitude meter which was strapped to my left wrist. It was the first time I was actually able to see how high we are when flying, rather than just seeing the ground fade away when flying in commercial planes. It stunned me when the Earth turned into plaid after just 2,000 feet and we still had another 11,000 feet to go. At five thousand feet, the door swung open and three jumpers jumped out without any hesitation. I peered out the opening and couldn’t fathom doing the same myself. I checked my altitude meter every 30 seconds for the rest of the 15 minute plane ride which felt like hours. Approaching 8,000 feet, I was taking deeper breaths and pinching myself just to be sure. At about 10,000 feet, almost like clockwork, every one of the remaining jumpers got busy. Our tandem instructors casually reviewed the procedures we would undergo and at the same time, hooked the four straps that would be the difference between a soft landing on grass and a splatter on concrete. The instructor’s light hearted tone on the ground was nowhere to be found up here, and I was as concentrated as I ever could be in making sure I completely understood what I would need to do during the jump.

Everyone got up from sitting on the floor to our knees and the door was pulled up. The muffled noise of the engine spilled into the plane and the still air inside was churned. Without parade or fanfare, each jumper quickly made their exit from the plane and as I crawled in unison with my tandem master attached to my back towards the door, the line in front of me got considerably shorter and the blood in my veins had never flown faster. I turned to Jed, who was right behind me probably going through the same emotional and physical chaos that I was, and we gave each other a high five. As previously instructed, I lined my knees at the door, giving myself an inch of security before I would be actually outside the plane. The plane was still flying at full speed and the clouds swirled thousands of feet beneath me. I was so overwhelmed by the sight which made me realize that window seats on planes are extremely unforgiving. My instructor, apparently not satisfied with how close to the edge I was, shoved my legs forward another few inches, placing my body practically halfway out of the plane and our planned two-count started before I even had a chance to fully gather in my surroundings. Without hesitation, we leaped out of the plane and skyrocketed 120 miles towards the ground. The plane vanished behind me within seconds and for the next 60 seconds, my mind was completely blank and I was wholly encompassed by everything I could see. Looking straight down beneath me, I could see the clouds, so far away and yet rapidly approaching me. I looked straight ahead and saw one of the greatest sights I had ever seen in my life. We were so high above the clouds that I could actually see the curvature of the Earth and I swear, infinity.

About an hour after my 60 seconds of freefall was up, I dejectedly pulled the parachute and practically went from 120 m.p.h. to zero in an instant. The chute deployment jerked me up and the frenzy I had just experienced turned calm in an instant. The clouds weren’t moving so fast and the hurricane-like wind we had just endured slowed to a gentle breeze. All of a sudden, we were gently floating to the ground and I had front-row center seats to the best view on Earth. I settled myself in for a calm ride back to the ground when I found out that parachuting was an entirely different thrill ride. The more you play around with the parachute, the quicker you find out just how versatile it is. You can pull down on both strands, and the parachute will quickly soar upwards again. If you pull down on just one of them, you’ll spiral downward to the ground faster than you can say, “Oh Jesus.” The neat trick of the whole thing is, you can easily come out of your spiral and zoom back up in the air with the right techniques and that is exactly what we did over and over again as the ground loomed closer and closer. As the ground got nearer, our tandem masters took over control of the parachute and glided us in for a landing that was as soft as it could get considering the fact that we jumped out of a plane 13,000 feet ago.

I was filled with a wave of excitement and my blood had never stopped boiling from the instant I first got in the Twin Otter plane. Jed and I did not even have to think or consult each other before we decided to make a second jump out of the plane. Less than one hour later, we were back on the tarmac taking off for a second time. The plane flew up to 13,500 feet for our second flight, and the same excitement and anxiety that we had in our first jump just an hour ago still existed. Since this was our second and final tandem jump before we could jump solo, our experience was slightly different than the first. Our instructors gave us a wilder ride during the free fall which was longer than the first, and we did two 360s in the air which was simply fantastic. Instead of making a straight landing in the field, Donovan took me over the parking lot just 50 feet in the air and swooped us over people’s head before dropping down to the ground with the same ease as the first. Donna, Jed’s tandem master, had attempted the same maneuver when a sudden breeze blew them off course. While Jed’s heart jumped in panic, Donna masterfully compensated for the unexpected breeze and they dropped down to the ground as light as feathers.

Jed and I have both decided that there is no way we could go the rest of our lives without skydiving again. After my experience, I firmly believe that man has been aerodynamically designed to jump out of planes and there is no valid reason for me to deny myself that need. The thrill, the rush, and the experience goes unparalleled to anything I have ever experienced before. Every time I find myself watching the video of our jump or retelling the story to my family and friends, my body involuntarily reacts with a faster heart rate and my lungs gasp for more oxygen. It’s like an addiction that I can’t control.

I’m Anthony Mowl and I have not skydived for five days.