Reflection

It is scary how fast this semester has gone by, and even more so to realize that we are already 1/8 of the way through our college careers. So with the end of the first semester, it seems appropriate to reflect upon what I learned in amped up.

Of course, the primary reason for taking this course was to broaden my knowledge in the field of adventure-based learning and adventure in general. As someone who has always been more involved with math and science, this was a really good opportunity to expose myself to alternate learning styles.

But perhaps I learned more about others, life, and myself as a result of taking this course. The living learning community offered such a great environment to get to know people both as a student and as a person. Because of taking amped up, I have made my best friends in college so far. In no other dorm or class would I have the same first semester experience and I feel extremely fortunate.

I would recommend to anyone to get involved in a living-learning community, and I strongly urge UNH to continue the program for many years to come.

The Skydive

Now that I've had a few weeks to reflect on my skydiving trip, it's time to write about my adventure. In short, jumping out of a plane from 14,000 feet was truely a life-changing experience. I wish I knew how to put into words how much of an exhilarating feeling it was to fall towards the Earth at over 120 miles per hour.




I remember the scariest part of the whole trip was the 5 seconds before I left the plane. As I watched Kelly and Jess jump out and fall at a rediculous speed, I was in such utter shock that I was not at all ready for it when my instructer, Paulo, pushed me out of the plane face first (as I requested). I always thought there would be a "1...2....3...JUMP!" but that was not the case. As I made my way to the door with my instructer on my back, I had the most amazing shot of adrenaline in anticipation of what I was about to do. And before I could even react, we were falling at 120 mph.


Looking back at it, that 45 seconds of freefall was perhaps the best feeling I had ever experienced. The mix of adrenaline, cold air slapping my face, and spinning in circles is simply unexplainable.

The parachute ride down was so serene, yet at the same time, very exciting. I was able to grab the steering straps and steer the parachute for a few minutes. Paolo showed me if I pulled my left strap down to my left knee, we would enter a fast downward tailspin that was so cool. He also showed me that if I pulled both straps down, we would stop on a dime. This was such a weird feeling; to be freely floating through the air, then to suddenly just... stop. Before I knew it, we had reached 1000 feet from the ground, and Paolo took control and landed us perfectly on the ground.




The perfect way to end our trip was the minutes after we landed. All of us were out of our minds on adrenaline and pride, and just hugged and tried to put into words what we just did.





I feel I may still not be far enough removed from the experience to fully express how much it has impacted me, so I hope before the end of the semester to re-visit my skydive. I can confidently say that in the spring, when Skydive New England re-opens, I will skydive again. Paolo told me that skydiving is addictive, and I have a strange feeling that I am addicted.

Choose Your Own Adventure

I think I have finally settled upon an adventure for the "choose your own adventure" project. Some weeks ago, my friends Joe and Wyka brought me along to a kayak "rolling" class, held in the field house swimming pool. It was only $5, so I decided it might be cool to try it out.

The first class turned out to be a very frusterating one. Not one of us could get the roll down, but we left the class determined to succeed next week.

For those who don't know, a roll in a whitewater kayak consists of turning yourself upright after you've tipped over in the boat. It requires a great deal of technique, muscle memory, and coordination.

The hardest part of rolling is fighing off the fight-or-flight response of being upside down in a kayak. The initial shock and fear or drowning made every instruction we learned before go completely out the window.

However, the next week we did get our rolls down. The sense of pride and accomplishment was well-worth the hours of frusteration we endured the week before.

This adventure could fit under the "purposeful" account of adventure, according to Richard Mitchell.

...Justification is of importantce, for it helps legitimate the participation of one group of persons likely to involve them in activities...

I feel that this kayaking class holds great importance, because I hope to go on a whitewater kayaking trip in the near future. If I don't know how to roll back over when I tip, I will be in serious trouble.

Our definition of 'Adventure'

Probably the most discussed topic so far in class has been "what is adventure." And after hours and hours of repatative banter about whether or not an adventure can only take place outdoors and so on, it seems clear that there is not one solid definition, and it therefore depends on the individual experiencing the adventure.

With that said, my personal definition for adventure is the following:

Adventure is the encountering of an obstacle that poses some sort of challenge, threat, or danger determined solely by the adventurer.

The Browne Center

About two weeks ago, our class went on a trip to the UNH Browne Center, a complex complete with ropes courses, and rock climbing walls. This was not my first time visiting the Browne Center, as I went there in middle school on a field trip. But even so, the challenge of the high ropes courses never got old.


After some rather wet team-building exercises, we broke off into our three "adventure groups" and tackled the high ropes course. My team was first on the high-jump, where we climbed up to a small platform about 40 feet off the ground then jumped off to hit a dangling ball. All of us who got to try succeeded, despite a couple technical difficulties with the wet rope.



On the next course, two people climbed up on opposite sides of a log parallel to the ground 40 feet in the air. They then had to walk all the way across the log and cross in the middle. Needless to say, it was a bit challenging, even though a few fell prey to overconfidence and fell off the log.



The final course was arguably the most challenging. Known as Jacob's Ladder, this course featured several horizontal logs supported by cables on each side. It took incredible upper body strength and teamwork (well... not for Steve G.) to reach the top. One of my most memorable moments of the trip was watching Joe and Connor scale the ladder with relative ease, as shown in the picture to the right.



When it was all said and done, it was safe to say that everyone had a good day. Though some of us would be nursing our bruises and sore muscles for the next few days to come, the personal feeling of accomplishment that we felt when we conquered the ropes courses made it all worth-while. As David Roberts describes, "Nowhere else on Earth, not even in the harbors of reciprocal love, have I felt pure happiness take hold of me and shake me like a puppy" (1980).