The Rope Swing

At about 4 miles from Stillwater, we paddled under a high train bridge.  Old and impressive it stretched across the river well above the surface of the water.  As we came under it Britta and I watched as a young guy swung out on a rope swing from the west shore.  The swing brought him up to between 30 and 40 feet above the water!  He hit and looked to us-no doubt he and his two buddies on shore had been timing this jump for when we floated by.

One of the dudes setting the example

(Look at that height...)

He threw out the invite to give it a whirl, but I said little while taking a few pictures.  We drifted past as the temptation grew inside.  I could not pass this bridge without trying it.  We pulled the canoe on shore and Britta, Tischer and I jumped out, camera in hand.  

The launching pad for this swing was from the V-joint, the bottom support of the bridge where it attaches to the ground cement pillars.  It looks more daunting from where I'm sitting than anywhere else, mostly because if the rope breaks or you let go during the first 2 seconds of flight, there is a lot of rock and ground to drag across.

Not me (above)

This is me about to hit the river.  Despite my form I actually hit the water well, losing no earrings and barely getting any water up my nose.  If you wait for the swing momentum to peak, just before the swing stops and starts to go back, to let go it is easier to control your bodies momentum, and you are the highest from the water.  I would compare this to some of the higher cliff jumps I have done.

It was so sweet that I had to hit it one more time.  The difference between this and a cliff jump though is that if you let go while still in motion, either forward or back, then your body is being propelled (not always a bad thing).  On my second jump I let go while still moving up and ended up landing in the middle of the river, at least according to my friends on shore.  Right on.