I love heights, it sometimes feels as if I have an obsession that keeps on getting stronger and stronger. It all started with trees. Tall Evergreens and Oaks as well as Maples, Birch, and Chestnut. I conquered them all whether they were short or tall. Next I moved on to mountains, starting small and maturing to some of the tallest and most dangerous in the northeast. As I am finishing up the 48 4K footers I am now looking at something more, and different. Skydiving is the ultimate expression of heights, and I am looking forward to experiencing that thrill. Whether it is climbing trees, hiking mountains, or my dreams of skydiving, I am always hunting heights.

From a very young age I have loved to climb trees. That was probably where my love of heights started. In my yard, I have two huge evergreen trees and a giant study oak, perfect for climbing. I started out on the evergreens because their branches reach the ground and I could reach them easily. I would spend my days climbing and playing pirates and spies in the tree with my sister, the lookout was perfect. We would be perched up to look down at the street traffic from above for hours and hours climbing as high as we darn (which was the top). At the end of the day, we would come back covered in the sugary, sticky, and gooey mess of sap that oozes out of the tree like puss on a wound. The love of heights probably all started there and then branched out to other interesting activities such as hiking and skydiving.

Hikes have led to some of my most amazing memories, such as the time when I hiked down to a narrow gully between Adams and Jefferson called Thunderstorm Junction. As I took those final steps to the end of the tree line the rush of wind was spectacular, it whips the scent of evergreen away and it is replaced with the smell of damp rocks. Off in the distance I can see the summit, the sight was amazing, I was almost there. It is some of the most amazing views I have ever seen. The wind is rushing at 40 mph and there are views of the entire Presidential range. On a good day, I can see the small postcard town of Berlin with is white church steeples and small paved roads with cars as small as ants. It is stunning. This is why I hike, and this is why I love heights. To get that adrenaline rush, and to chase those views. That is what keeps me going as I trudge up the muddy trails below the tree line where there are no views and no sight of the top, where the only way you know you are closer is the trailhead that says there is 5 miles to the top instead of 7 where you began. 

This last activity is a bucket list item for me that has a lot to do with heights. Skydiving. I have always dreamed of skydiving. It would be amazing to jump out of a plane 25000 feet in the air and have the ground rush up to meet you as you look over the “entire” world. I am so interested in this activity that I have even planned on picking a profession that includes it in the job description, United States Marine Corps Raider. The Raiders is a special force group that is similar to Navy SEALs. I can imagine myself at the US Military base Camp Benning in Georgia where they train all airborne troops. I am glad that there is a profession that can take protection of people and my interests of heights and combine them together into one job. 

Whether it is climbing trees or mountains, or skydiving my love of heights is strong and there are many lessons that I can learn from all of this. The hikes may be long and tough but the reward at the end is always worth it, and the same goes for climbing trees. What I am saying is there are always going to be sacrifices that you will have to make in life to get to your goals or that amazing view that you have always heard of.