Clearing the Rocks

No, I am not promoting anything devil-related. This just happens to be a guy with horns, a tail, and hobbit-like feet.

I grew up in upstate NY a hundred years ago. Most of the land formations were gouged out by the glacier from the last ice age, thus creating many gorges and deep lakes. This makes for some incredible swimming holes. One that comes to mind is up at Judd Falls near Ithaca. The hole that I remember was at the bottom of a fifty foot gorge. Perfect for jumping off of.

When you jump off a cliff, the first thing that you notice is the air rushing by your ears. It gets loud very quickly. The closest you can get to the sound is sticking your head out the window of your car while driving on the highway. Now imagine going from zero to sixty in six seconds (with no engine).

Now, keep in mind the fall lasts about three seconds or so. It doesn’t seem like a long time until you try to keep straight (Usually by flailing your arms) and finally hit the water.

The force of the impact can give you quite a jolt, especially on the bottom of your feet. A few jumps and you’ll immediately feel the bruising, even through sneakers. I can’t imagine what would happen if you dove.

Overall, it’s worth it just to say you,ve jumped off a fifty foot cliff into water. I know someone who has jumed from one hundred and lived (insane, if you ask me). That’s a ten story building.