Getting Back to the Adventurous Roots of Childhood in My 50s

My exploits as a teenager were modest to some degree. Yet, I still managed to perform a few daring feats here and there. There was the time I jumped off my parent’s roof into the swimming pool below. No thoughts of missing the jump, just cheers as I hit perfectly in the crystal blue water below, red solo cups raised in my honor. There were nighttime swims in the ocean - a dark sea, no wet suit just the chill of the water and briny salt taste on my lips as I plunged fearlessly into the crashing waves of the Pacific.

And don’t forget skateboarding in abandoned pools attempting new tricks on my Powell Peralta leaving skin from my knees and elbows on concrete as a testament to my failed but oh-so-cool moves.

Then one day rather abruptly, I grew up. Although it may have been a gradual process, in hindsight, it seemed as if one day I was the tomboy daredevil and the next, I was a professional dressing up in suits for work, quiet dinners over wine with friends, in bed before 10. What the heck happened? Was I just getting old?
My life had become a doldrum of work, sleep, binge watching, errands, and paying bills.

Fast forward a few years. A trifecta of major life changes occurred all at once – my father’s passing, my granddaughter all grown up, and the breakup of a marriage that never should have happened in the first place.

The old Jen was awakened. I discovered how alive I felt and wanted to try all sorts of new things – there was yoga, e-biking, snowboarding, kayaking…

And of course, my favorite – canyoneering in Southern Utah.

Rock rappelling had always appealed to me, but I wasn’t sure of the equipment needed and the whole gravity thing seemed problematic. Was I strong enough to hold myself steady over a cliff? Would I end up soaring down, crashing to the ground below at the mercy of the Earth’s gravitational pull? There would be no safe swimming pool to land in if things went south. It was always easier to skip it than face the fear, but I decided to take a leap of faith and put it off no more.

Of course, anyone reading this who has rappelled before is shaking their head right about now with a big grin on their face – the kind of grin that experience gives the wiser of us.

Why? Well, let me tell you about my experience…

I was planning a trip to Zion looking for fun and interesting things to do and write about for my blog. I love finding unique things to tell my readers about. I was staying at the glamping resort Open Sky Zion and was looking at their experiences page for ideas when I came across Rock Odysseys. I called them up and spoke to Gabby Olsen (who I later learned is the owner of this female owned company).

I explained to her that two of the four of us coming had never rappelled before and were nervous. She put my mind at ease, and I became pretty excited. In fact, I could hardly contain my enthusiasm as I booked the adventure. She was so knowledgeable and sweet that my worries were laid to rest.