Today my sister ran into my room, the happiest I’ve seen her in a while, proclaiming: “I have a new hero!”
She said, “you have to look him up, Dean Potter…” and as she began to tell me about him I already had his Wikipedia page up. I interrupted, “He’s a BASE JUMPER????”
I was hooked instantly.
And as I read on, I learned that he was a rock climber, an alpinist, a highliner (as you can see by the video), and flies in wingsuits… all things that I dream of doing one day. The way he balances on the thin rope, the way he balances on the edge of “dying and flying,” as he calls it, entrances me. His calm approach to what some people would never dare to think about makes me smile from every surface of my body. I can’t begin to imagine the sensation of grasping the rope with your toes just to dive off into the pool of the canyon and fly and then release your parachute. I love to rock climb, but I can’t imagine ropeless climbing. I am in awe of this man, I am envious of his courage. The things he can do because of the daringness of his mind; the intensity of the climbs he conquers; the precarious equilibrium between risk and precision; all the while physically extending his spirit and strong body…
Seriously, you MUST watch this video from National Geographic here. Even if you have no interest in BASE jumping yourself, you can’t help not being moved by Dean Potter.
keep falling, keep climbing
☼Brooke
