I considered this training ground for our NZ trip.

If I could hang from some aluminum poles and pieces of nylon cloth at 2,000 ft. in the air, then I could do (almost) anything.

As soon as we heard our good friend James wanted to celebrate his birthday by hang gliding, Drew knew he HAD to do it too. I (as usual–but I’m working on it!) took some convincing. I had to read on the Internet that you don’t get that free falling sensation when you hang glide. That’s the part of roller coasters I hate. I love the loops and corkscrews and the wind in my hair. But I hate that first big drop.

Luckily, I didn’t read faulty information. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it might be! (I’m not gonna lie though–I was still pretty tense the whole time I was in the air!)

We were towed up by airplanes instead of running off the side of a cliff (thank goodness).

Drew went up quite a bit higher than I did (does that surprise you?) His flight went up to 4,000 ft. Right above the clouds. His instructor made a point to tell us afterwards that Drew was a natural and nothing was stopping him from becoming a certified hang glider. In his 15 years of doing tandem flights, his trip up with Drew was one of his favorites!

I learned a few interesting pieces of information at 2,000 ft. The hang glider itself is actually stronger than a Cessna airplane. And while most people feel safer the closer they get to the ground, you’re actually safer higher up at an altitude where a parachute has time to open.

Also, my instructor, Mike, has taken up a 4 year old in a hang glider.

Yes, you read that right. A 4 year old.

When all was said and done, I was SO glad I did it! We both felt like we were in Avatar, flying high above the world.