Thrill seekers everywhere can (literally) jump for joy. There’s a new attraction at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs that offers some of the most excitement in town: the Bungee Jump. This feature offers a breathtaking vertical drop off of a 70-foot tower.
Before the bungee jump opens to the public, it was road-tested by some of the Caverns employees, and the first to go was Wade Beattie, tram operator/manager extraordinaire. Wade is an outdoorsy kind of guy who has partaken in his fair share of adventure, but he admitted to being a tad apprehensive before the big drop. “I was a bit nervous about it, because I had never bungee-jumped before,” he said.
Wade had his harness fitted at the bottom of the tall tower, then headed up the winding stairs to the top. “I noticed my heart rate going up when I was climbing up the tower, because I knew that pretty soon I was going to launch off of it,” said Wade. Employees at the top double-checked his equipment and adjusted ropes. Wade said that most people face backwards when they jump, but he opted to face forwards. “My thought was, if I’m going to do it, I’m going to face it.”
After a few more minutes of adjustments, the operators told him: Jump.
“I didn’t wait,” said Wade. “I’m the kind of person who just wants to go.”
So, he stood up as tall as he could, put his arms in the air, and stepped off the ledge. It was something like a swan-dive, although he didn’t jump outwards so he wouldn’t swing too much. It was more of a swan-fall.
“The second I went off that thing, it was awesome. There is a free fall-moment where it feels like there’s nothing holding you. It was peaceful in a way,” said Wade.
“Once I jumped,” he said, “there was no fear left, only exultation.”
Wade bounced a few times in the air, then landed softly on a large (7 foot tall) air-filled cushion, which he easily walked off of. The jump took about 55 seconds in total. Wade said that watching from the ground, the jump looks short, but when you are the one doing it, it’s plenty long.
So, after it was over, did he want to do it again?
“Absolutely!”
Wade’s advice to people is not to let their nerves get in the way. “A lot of people are going to be nervous at first, but then happy they did it. It’s smooth, safe, and a lot of fun.”
There’s a country song that goes, “Funny how fallin’ feels like flyin’,” and that’s exactly what any brave-heart out there looking for an adrenaline rush will be singing after a turn on the bungee jump. Be sure to check it out when the ride opens at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park next spring.
