One of the principles of operational risk management states to accept no unnecessary risk. I considered this recently when, on vacation to the Teton Mountains in Wyoming, my crew wanted to paraglide off the top of a 10,000-foot mountain. I counted the financial cost first and, in my typical fashion, immediately waived it off until friends removed that excuse for me. I considered the spiritual hazard, remembering Christ’s temptation in the wilderness: If it wasn’t prudent for Jesus to throw himself off a great height, should I? Very candidly, my friend reminded me that I wasn’t Jesus, and, yes, that thought was a bit hyperbolic on my part.

I also remembered the story my dad told me. When he pulled into my Granddad’s driveway on his motorcycle, my grandfather asked him if it was wise to drive a bike, considering his family and professional responsibilities. According to (Insurance Information Institute, 2023), the mortality rate is .60 per 1000 registered motorcycles. Comparatively, concerning paragliding (Bigdon, 2022) states, “The mortality rate is about 0.46 per 1000 persons at risk.” Additionally, 79.6 percent of airborne sports injuries result from paragliding, leaving the remaining 20.4 percent to skydiving and base jumping (Bigdon, 2022). I knew none of these statistics before the jump.

The Leap

Ignorant of the statistics, I wasn’t terrified to jump off the mountain because the side we jumped off wasn’t a sheer face but slopped downward gradually, providing you and your pilot, to whom you were tethered, a running start. After a failed first jump, we continued running down the mountain, then the wind picked us up, and we glided. Now, I was petrified. After minor adjustments, we circled the mountain ridge several times, gradually flying over the Teton mountain range and back toward the Jackson Hole valley. I was gripping the harness tightly, which appeared to me about as sturdy as backpack straps, but most assuredly, they were stronger. I didn’t want to move my hands too much to ensure I didn’t accidentally untether myself from the pilot and fall to my death. While we flew, he pointed out interesting sights, such as the mountain ridge nicknamed the sleeping Indian. He told me the story of Jackson Hole’s early history, which rose to prominence after a massive flood destroyed a nearby town in 1927. We discussed wind speed and convergence while I tried to keep my mind occupied by sharing my experience with anemometers and underwater convergence zones.

The Landing

 As we glided closer to the landing zone, soaring like a bird with the wind rushing past us at 30 miles per hour, I mumbled scripture: We shall mount up on wings as eagles. The Teton Mountain, Snake River, and Jackson Hole valley views were sublime, and there was nothing between us and the valley floor but the wind. About this time, the pilot mentioned that birds of prey had attacked his parachute in the past and had made holes with their talons while he had attempted to shake them off. He asked me if I wanted to drive, but I elected to let the expert handle the flight, a decision I later slightly regretted after my wife told me she drove. He asked if I liked roller coaster rides, then began a rapid circling descent that was exciting and nauseating. After leveling our descent, we circled the landing zone and glided in for a smooth and praiseworthy landing. I was praising God to be back on the ground and committed to never attempting that again, but it was an adventure I’ll never forget.

The Lesson

 If I had not lived this experience, there would be other stories from our vacation to tell, but not one so daring and of which I was so proud to share. I was reminded that the goal of life is not only to live but to live well and that courageousness is a mandatory component of a well-lived life. While that doesn’t necessarily mean paragliding off a 10,000-foot mountain, it might apply to something more common but often frightening, like changing careers, relocating, or getting married. The necessity of the risks one is willing to take depends on the value of the goal and the likelihood of achieving it. Nevertheless, whether the benefits outweigh the risks is often hard to ascertain in pursuing a purpose. The future is always uncertain and unpredictable, as are the outcome of our decisions. Therefore, living is an art; its degree of excellence cannot be readily quantified, nor can its risks be easily calculated. It takes an artist’s eye to judge the wind and a hero’s heart to leap.

© 2023, John R. Davis, Jr.

References

Bigdon, S. F. (2022). Injuries in alpine summer sports – types, frequency, and prevention: A systematic review. Retrieved from BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 14: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-022-00468-4

Insurance Information Institute. (2023). Facts + Statistics: Motorcycle Crashes. Retrieved from Insurance Information Institute: https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-motorcycle-crashes