Paragliding!

 

Recently a few families from our ward experienced paragliding. The first family to do it (the Mitchells) said it was an incredible experience and suggested others try it. I said “That’s something I’ve dreamt of but don’t know if I will ever be brave enough to do it.”

Shortly after that a second family (the Pratts) went and then said that everybody should try it. Even children! Their kids including a seven year old went paragliding near Mt Fuji.

So I found the bravery to plan to try it. I found a friend to go with me and made a girl’s trip out of it.
Monday May 8 Liz Monson and I had an appointment to paraglide near Mt Fuji. But it rained Sunday and Monday so the paragliding school allowed me to push my appointments back by one full day.

Tuesday morning was beautiful! At 8am , after sending the kids off to school, Liz left her kids with a sitter (Karrie Shirley). Karrie would have likely come with us to paraglide if she wasn’t needed to babysit. L That would have been fun to have all three of us on the trip.

Liz drove for our girl’s trip and it was an amazing day. We drove for two hours (paying tolls to drive per usual) and started our sight seeing at  Fuji Hakone-Izu National Park falls. We paid to park (as you always have to in Japan even for shopping) at the Falls area. Then took a walk to see a few different falls. The first one was indescribably magical. Fuji was in view above the trees and below the trees was a set of glittering waterfalls dropping into a colorful and clear pond! It was a blue sky and green leaves kind of day! The air was perfect. Not warm and not cool. Liz and I were both stunned at the beautiful of that first waterfall scene. We then walked to others falls with clear water and a boulder journey to climb to get to the water. We chose not to do the climbing but went straight to the bridge. Then up a long set of stairs to a gift shop where you could see the second falls from a high viewpoint. And lastly an incredibly giant waterfall but that was hard to see. It was more of a sound experience. You could see over a fence or climb small stands to try and see the falls but it was hard to see.
We stopped into a café right there for refreshment. 600yen for a drink was the requirement for eating there. But we really wanted to try their scones which came with a small bit of ice cream. Mmmmm.

We only had a ten minute drive from there to the paragliding school. In this area we were sight seeing that day we were impressed at the country. The beauty of the area. And we were surprised to see dairy farms . Lots of cows. And lots of cowboy themed places! Haha Cowboys are considered American. As we passed one cowboy theme park I couldn’t believe my eyes. I recognized it as a place I have visited in my dreams more than once recently! A month or two ago I was having a reoccurring dream about being in Japan but in a cowboy theme park with my family and my Boren family as well. It might not be exactly the same as the one in my dream…I can’t be sure. But it was crazy to experience seeing it in real life. Even though it was just in passing as we drove.

 

As we approached the paragliding school we could see people paragliding in the sky with the mountains in the background. Upon seeing how far away the paragliders were I freaked out. I became scared to do it. I had been so confident that I could paraglide because I always wanted to fly like a bird. And being above the forest calms me. I’ve dreamed many flying dreams that were realistic when I was a kid. So, I can paraglide in real life! But I became overcome with fear, looking up at the sky. The sky, mind you, which is a fear of mine. The sky, space, anti gravity. Huge fear of mine! But the earth and looking down at it is not a fear of mine. And I did not want to back out leaving Liz to experience the flight alone.

  Mind you, Liz has jumped out of a plane before! She doesn’t look like it but she is brave!
So we signed the forms inside the building and I imagined myself from the cliff and soaring over the trees…which calmed me enough to watch the instruction video. And the video convinced me I could, maybe, go thru with this. SO I paid the money. It was 10000yen which is about $75. A great price when you realize the experience is near Mt Fuji and can be the most incredible experience of your life.

Liz and I drove over to the the landing sight where the day was still gorgeous and Fuji was in clear view!!
Watching the paragliding take flight and even land made me feel more comfortable and happy.

We climbed into a van with instructors and other customers and drove up the cliff. One of the instructors asked Liz and I, because we are clearly not Japanese, where we are originally from. Liz responded “Ohio.” Now, this sounds exactly like Ohayou which means Good morning, in Japanese. So as soon as Liz said it, all of the Japanese in the car responded enthusiastically “Ohayou!”haha
The instructor found Ohio on the USA map on his phone to see where it was.

 

At the cliff, all strapped with a safety seat which attaches to the instructor who attaches to a chute and equipment, we saw the beautiful view! And we had thirty minutes to wait our turn to fly. So we sat and talked and watched the paragliders in this heaven on earth. That is the best way to describe it! Strangely enough, sitting up there made me more confident than ever that I could run right off that cliff with a chute. One thing that makes it easier is that you don’t jump or run off the cliff. By the time you reach the edge the wind has already lifted you off the ground in a gentle float!

A little bit of nerves crept back as I ran toward the edge with my instructor and as we left the safety of the cliff. But soon all my uncertainty melted away.
It felt like being a bird! Like you belong there, in the sky, looking down at the earth. It was as peaceful and graceful and incredible as in my dreams!

It wasn’t too fast or bumpy or jerky. It was grace and beauty. I loved it! And I thought “Athena would love this! She would be brave enough to do this with me. One day, maybe in America, we will probably do this together.

Sterling had said he would go experience it with me but he was okay with letting me have a girl’s trip.

Living in Japan for four years was worth it, to experience this one day of heaven on earth!
Now, my life is amazing. My husband, my children, all the blessings God has given me. My life, you could say, is Heaven on earth. But this was something else. This was a day I never imagined could be true. Was I in reality dead and gone to heaven without realizing it? It sure felt like it.

The instructors were fun. They flew us around each other so Liz and I could take pictures and videos of each other while in the sky. Our phones were secure so they could not fall down to the earth during flight.

When we came to the earth I ran a little to help us land and stop correctly and I thought “I can’t believe we did this!” I can’t believe we were, I was, brave enough to go thru with it!
I had prayed and prayed for help to brave enough to do it but I still couldn’t believe I had. And because I actually did it I now know it isn’t scary. It’s incredible!

It’s not heights I am afraid of. It’s planes. When I am in a plane I have to see out. I have to see the earth or sea. That comforts me.

The paragliding school gave us each a free keychain to commemorate the event. It’s really cool.

Next we drove ten more minutes to our last stop of our girl’s trip: Fuji Shibazakura (English Garden/ Peter Rabbit themed). We walked the gardens and stopped for lunch. I ate a cheese filled pancake shaped like a giant 10yen coin.

We drove two hours back to our area of Japan. I was sad to leave. It was the prettiest part of Japan I have seen! But, I wouldn’t want to live there…so close to an active volcano. Right by Mt Fuji! No, thanks!

We arrived home before dinner. It had been the best day! And I couldn’t stop beaming. The joy radiated from within me.