Personal Narrative: Snow King Ropes

At that time, I felt like a rookie sky diver preparing for his first plunge. The cabin door opens to reveal the extreme distance of his fall, which leads to either sheer excitement or eventual death. The naivete that sheltered his fear disappears at the sudden reality of the moment. By then, of course, it is much too late to turn back. The very thought that this was his idea seems absurd to him, and he feels like the only person on the face of the planet. And so he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and

Fear is a part of life, however, how we face it is what makes each of us unique. In the story, “Breaking Through Uncertainty-Welcoming Adversity”, McCormick faces a fear of death. Although he is a very experienced jumper, one day, the lines of his parachute twisted and caused him to spiral down out of

Beep! Beep! Beep! I wake up to an alarm screaming in my ear. I smack the alarm to shut the yelling off. It was a January day, in the middle of the cold, brutal winter. I finally got up after sitting in bed for what felt like hours, and looked outside like I do every morning. I noticed that there was no sign of grass to be seen. All that could be seen was white, frozen blanket of thick snow. I started to get ready for the school day and I just prayed that school was going to be canceled. As soon as I was fully ready I stepped outside and my food sunk down a foot and a half below the snow! I could not believe it that school was still open. As soon as I got to my car that was completely covered in snow, my mother comes out and yells that school was closed. I felt a huge wave as release and I ran back inside and went right back to sleep.

We all were making our way cautiously through the course when all of the sudden I heard a scream from above me. When I looked up I saw that Jaidan had slipped off of one of the ropes and she was hanging onto the course with only her harness. I rushed up to help her, and saw that Lauren had slipped below me while she was also trying to reach Jaidan. I was so determined to make it to them that I almost slipped off of one of the obstacles too! By the time Kendall, Lauren, Jaidan, and I met up again, we were all so rattled with fear that we decided it would be better to climb off of the course. Lauren and I leaped across the course like kangaroos trying to get off of it. By the time we reached the wooden bridge that would lead us back to flat ground, our breaths were ragged and we were more scared than a cat in a lion’s cage. We ripped our harnesses off and threw them back onto the hooks. The other girls took a little longer to catch up with us, but once they also came off the course and met us, we were all relieved beyond belief. Although we were still left shaking, we all felt courageous. Even though we hadn't completed the course, or done it as gracefully as we might’ve hoped, we still pushed ourselves onto the ropes course that we had all been so afraid of. Now that it was over, the course looked less

Hiking through Rocky Mountain National Park the beauty was overwhelming, the next day our team was serving in downtown Denver in a Street reach meal service to people suffering from homelessness. The beauty of the mountains was overwhelming but then we surrounded by this vast issue of homelessness. Both of these moving experiences, along with many other moments during the week, that made this trip personally impactful and helped me to see the world in a more vivid light.

“I don’t wanna die!”, the lady next to me screamed. My already scared mind was now even more afraid. It had all started when I wanted to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain. It was Summer 2015 and we were in Los Angeles at the time. After much begging with my parents, we finally decided to go to Six Flags. As we pulled into the parking lot, I was amazed at how tall the rides were. Then I felt my heart sink as I started to feel nervous. We bought our tickets and walked to the Lex Luthor’s Drop of Doom ride. My dad said that it would be a good ride to get us into the mood. As we walked to the line, I could feel the heat of the black asphalt reflecting back onto me. It was over 30 degrees and there was no nearby shade. The sun was shining in my eyes, but we eventually made it to the lineup. The line was located in a building resembling a shed. The moment we stepped in, I could feel the air conditioning cooling my face. This was it, only half an hour worth of waiting in line left. Eventually, we started to move in the line and soon we got to the point where the line exits the shed and is outside. We were almost there. I could feel it! Then people started pushing against us. I heard murmur in the crowds. People were leaving the line. I asked one of the Six Flags employees what was happening. She told me that the ride had broken down and they were waiting to repair it. My heart started racing and my mind began to panic. The threat of the ride breaking down on me and potentially dying

Then That's when the anxiety kicked in. As the creaky cart started to go up the tracks creek creek as the cart went up. I kept my eyes open as I watched us go up. Once we reached the top I could see the beautiful day and the bright white clouds and the… aww as the cart went down, the cart was going so fast It was like I was flying a 100 miles per hour. All I could hear were screams of everyone and myself but mostly myself. Once we went down the big drop it was not that bad, I couldn't believe that I survived the drop that was normally the part I cried on. After the big drop we went in a big circle as it headed for the little drop we went down in the big circle as I had my hands up feeling free like a bird. Then the little drop hit you could hear the cart starting to speed up on the tracks again and I said “woh” and then the cart started slowing down again as we reached the station. We all clapped and said We SURVIVED! Once we exited the cart with are legs numb from all that excitement and impact we headed down to get some drinks and to discuss which to ride next, and that was the time I survived Six

My stomach twisted and scrunched up into knots after gazing up at the structure. The dreaded day had finally come: the day that I would conquer the high ropes course at summer camp. As a fourteen-year old girl who was frightened by heights of any kind, strapping on a harness and climbing up a bunch of shaky poles and shivering wires was definitely the last thing I wanted to do. Nonetheless, peer pressure got the best of me, so in order to satisfy my friends and to avoid being teased, I made the decision that I would climb up the ropes course no matter how much the voice in my head screamed at me to stop.

When I was 14 my brother convinced me to sign up for the Mcconnel foundation Yosemite trip. I had to do a lot of community service which consisted of picking up trash on the side of the road and teaching the kids at my local elementary school about the environment and global warming. I got accepted and it was definitely one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. I’m outdoorsy and love hiking but, this was a whole different level of hiking. The first couple days were really hard for me because of the extent of the hikes and hiking dozens of switchbacks a day. The yosemite made me realize how beautiful life is and I became a lot more outdoorsy. It helped me figure out who I am. I soon started spending most of my time outdoors fishing and hunting. The yosemite is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to and I’m extremely thankful that I had that experience.

After a lot of thought, our last ride of the night was going to be one I had been putting off. Tatsu. You’re strapped in by your shoulders and your legs dangle. When we got in line, I wanted to cry. I had heard screams echoing through the starting tunnel. It was our turn. While I strapped myself in, tears started in my eyes. The start was a long uphill (isn’t it always?). The downhill lead to a HUGE loop. I started screaming but my mouth immediately became dry and my throat scratched by the wind. The rest of the ride was pitch black. Finally, it ended. I sprinted off, grabbed my bag, and again yelled,” THAT WAS AWESOME!” This time was friends didn’t laugh, but they rubbed their necks and complained about the

Snow skiing. The first day learning to ski is rough for almost anyone you ask. The day before my first ski trip, I could not help but wonder. Was I going to fall on my butt? Would I fall flat on my face? Would I make a fool out of myself? These were all questions that I knew I would soon get answers to. I had built up such intense feelings of nervousness and excitement that I could hardly tell the difference. All I wanted was to make it out alive.

The ground looked up at me menacingly. After an agonizing 2 minutes, we reached the curve at the top of the hill. As we rounded the bend, I glimpsed the drop ahead. The butterflies drummed twice as hard now. Then, the end of the curve was upon me, and we stopped! “What happened? Is something wrong?” All of the sudden, the brakes gave way. A yell tore itself from my lungs as we flew down the hill. My hands gripped the armrests like there was no tomorrow. But then, after the initial drop, excitement flared through me. “This is the best rollercoaster ever!” I thought to myself. The coaster took me up, down, and all around. It felt like I was flying, we were going so fast. But, to my despair, all roller coasters end. As we pulled up to the dismount station, I thought to myself, “I’m never going to forget this!”

I stood and waited for the decision to be made. The anticipation was gnawing into my brain, feeding my adrenaline levels. As soon as he said ‘Go like a whip’ I was off, screaming at people to move out of the way. I pushed and shoved past the wounded men, my heart only briefly feeling sadness for those people before I pressed it aside and sprinted on. My dark hair stuck to my sweaty face as I ran. I then met the place with no hope of crossing. This path was quicker but a heck of a lot more dangerous. My first attempt to cross failed and I ended up on my back, my breath heavy in my lungs. I stood, my blue eyes darting across the barrier ahead of me, then sprinted as fast as I could, barely making it alive. I collapsed again at the other side, panting and

We all dream about doing something commemorative that you and your family will remember for years to come. Whether its doing something a daredevil would only dream about like climbing Mount Everest or something as simple as learning to ride a bike. These are the little and vital things that make our lives worth living. Fortunately for me, I have experienced many breathtaking adventures and accomplished the impossible, well at least I thought. My proudest moments include learning to ice skate, concurring my fear of heights, and of course getting accepted into the AP program here at Central Peel.

The rides entrance itself made my legs weak with sheer fear. The pathway was like a maze and then the stairs appeared to warn me, by saying turn back now. As I climbed each step I tried numerous times to escape. The escape attempts were foiled by my so called friends blocking the only exit. I said,” Come on guys I can die another day.” Audrey quipped,” Oh come on Taylor, man up and go on the ride.” Now I can’t really describe the feeling of having a woman tell me to man up. I said,” Ok I got this.” I shrugged off all my anxiety and nerves and just went with it.