Always Learning....

Yesterday, after an afternoon spent writing Thank-You notes, de-homefying my room, cleaning up the kitchen, and doing other various things, Amanda, Rosa and I embarked on a journey into the mountains in search of a watering hole called Charcol Frio. The drive through the country and around the mountain was absolutely lovely. We then parked the car before beginning our long, treacherous hike up the mountain....Now, this is the point in our journey where I should have paused to asses the situation. Had I done this, I assure you that I would not be in the predicament I am right now. But, be that as it may, I see now that I should of have first, invested in some decent footwear. Having only flip-flops, I decided to make do with what I had. Please take care that you heed my warning: one must never neglect something so crucial, despite the fact it may seem trivial at the moment. I wish now that I had followed my own advice. And also, find a reliable resource and remember to ask detailed questions before setting out on your excursion. I too, neglected this. I was told there was a dirt path leading to the river (or swimming hole.) My feeble mind envisioned walking for ten minutes along a wide, dirt path and soon reaching a large body of fresh water. Such unrealistic expectations! I have decided to never trust myself again.
     I soon discovered that after leaping rocks and walking through the current, it was a complete upward climb as we scaled the side of the mountain, using only trees and roots as hand-holds to avoid slipping in the mud. We finally crested the top of the mountain and to my discouragement, I saw a rocky trail, only two feet wide. I would not even dare to bring a horse through there. Moreover, my flip-flops were constantly falling off and after struggling on for ten more minutes, I admitted defeat and threw them to the side. Who needs shoes anyway, right? Wrong. It wasn't until I began seeing shards of glass littering the trail, did I regret my decision to continue barefoot.
     Thus, muttering a prayer with every step, we trudged on ahead. Climbing over bamboo limbs, scampering for footholds in the mud, and clambering over roots, we finally made our way towards the water. Gosh, I have never seen anything so crazy-steep and treacherous as that trail! But alas, half an hour later, to our relief, we reached the watering hole/spring at the top of the mountain.
     With sweat dripping from our chins, we dove straight into the fringed water and swam across the stream. We hiked through the forest until we reached a huge rock formation. Amanda, our fearless leader, led us atop a cliff, "This is a natural rock slide," she motioned towards a legit rock-slide, formed by two boulders next to each other. She demonstrated the importance of keeping your arms and legs close to your body and rocketed down the steep slope. I followed and with a rushed of water from the waterfall, I slid down and jutted out the other end; falling ten feet through the air into the water below. When I came to the surface, I gasped for breath and tried to reorient myself. So far so good!
     Amanda led us to another ledge where a rope hung precariously over the edge. "Scale the cliff using the rope to pull yourself up!" She called when she reached the top.
     I eyed the worn rope suspiciously before shrugging off my doubt and swinging on the rope.
     Once on top, I slowly made my way towards the edge of the cliff. My heart skipped a beat as I peered at the now tiny people below. This was utterly insane! I couldn't believe I was about to do this. Had I completely and totally lost my mind? Suddenly, I was having second thoughts. I took another weary step closer to the edge. "My mother would never approve of this," I muttered to Rosa as the guys below encouraged me to jump. I was convinced I had lost my mind. I glanced again at the couple who stood with their phones poised, already video-taping my jump. So you can look for me on Youtube. Oh, lovely. Suddenly, with a burst of adrenaline through my veins, I crouched and prepared myself to jump. Go in straight, go in straight...the words pounded rhythmically through my head, matching the beat of my raging heart. I was going to do this--I had to. This might be my only opportunity, and I couldn't waste it by being a scaredy-cat. It was time to put my new-found boldness to the test. I glanced over my shoulder at Rosa..."But if I die, tell my mother I died happy!" I called. And without another thought, I launched myself over the edge!
     Falling...falling...falling! I felt the wind in my hair and watched at the water became closer and closer. Ten feet from the water, I suddenly wondered what I had just done. "Oh crap..." were the only words that came to mind. Too late! I had already scrunched up my body and was now in the fetal position. I was falling to fast and had no time to correct my posture. I braced myself for the sudden impact. But not good enough. With a sickening thud, I slapped the surface of the water with my butt and thighs. O.u.c.h! All of my internal organs had suddenly migrated North and I felt they were all trapped in my ribcage. With the air completely knocked out of me, I struggled to swim to the surface. That was such a bad idea. As my head popped up, I heard my audience collectively draw a breath and all said, "Oh, ouch!" Duh, ya think? I drew in a shaky breath and slowly managed to make my way back to the group who sat on the rocks. I eased my traumatized body onto a rock and tried to figure out where all my organs had relocated. I could certainly cross this off my list of stupid things to do.
     I couldn't feel my toes and ran a hand over the backs of my legs. Within minutes, I could already feel the welts forming. Great. My tail-bone was already so sore, I couldn't move. Gosh, one would think water would absorb the impact of a fall--but I've heard that from such a height as that, it's like falling on a sheet of glass. I understand and can now agree whole-heartedly!
     When Rosa finally jumped, she was falling straight...until the last ten feet, when like me, she curled up. We all heard a deafening slap and said, "Uh-oh! That'll leave a mark!" And that it did, too. Her thighs are all black and blue and splotchy from the welts. I on the other hand am not quite as bruised, but my tail-bone is so sore, I dread sitting. I couldn't sleep well last night and it was quite the awkward experience today in church, sitting in a pew, propped up so as to not sit on my bottom. And I refuse to answer any questions on the matter...but I will admit, it was certainly a pain in the butt!
     But as Rosa so honestly said, "I hate the pain, but don't regret doing it--it was a once in a life-time experience. But I won't ever do it again!"
     But she sums it up even better when later, I was explaining our adventures to Francis and I turned to Rosa and asked, "How deep do you think the water was?"
     Rosa simply stared at me, "I dunno, but I really wish I would've stayed straight!"