I’m starting the next chapter of my adventures! After spending the summer flying all over the European Alps and vol-biving (or para-camping) in Kyrgystan, I’m gearing up to explore all of the friends, vast landscapes, and van-life that my home country the USA has to offer. Staying mostly in the south to avoid winter, my first destination is as far south and west as I can go: San Diego. Wherever I am, I hope to fly as much as I can whenever the weather cooperates. After San Diego? We will have to wait and see where the wind blows me.
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
– André Gide
This quote flicked across my phone screen around the time that I was steeling myself for the big decision. After years of mind-tickling dreams of breaking from the norm, I was stumbling upon a real chance to leave everything and begin what felt like a real adventure.
My passion (or many friends might say “addiction”) for paragliding had gained a firm foothold by this time (November 2018.) My other hobbies were systematically replaced by continuous forecast debate with my new flying buddies followed by often and long drives to the area’s paraglider launches. I took full advantage of the flexible work hours afforded to my engineering position during this time. (There were more than a few conference calls conducted at or in transit to paragliding spots. Thanks boss!)
But even with the flexibility, besides my insatiable inclination for flying paragliders I had grown unfortunately jaded about other aspects of life at the time. It was a perplexing time because everything was objectively great but I simply saw less and less fulfillment in continuing my current path and was ready for change in a big way. Finally, circumstances built enough to scratch that tickling itch. You’ll usually only regret the things you haven’t done, right? After months of belaboring the decision, I finally realized “I’ve gotta just go for it”. I resigned from my engineering job and booked a flight to my first paragliding destination: Mexico! I haven’t looked back.
And so began this spontaneous chapter of travel and adventure that shapes how I see myself and the world. I have grown to thrive on the uncertainty and excitement of not knowing what’s next. As I gain practice, so too my confidence grows. I realize now that this relatively new tendency is reinforced regularly by the sport of paragliding itself. You prepare and plan for flight, but eventually you just have to pick the right time and start running. And again, once you’re airborne all that pre-flight planning might vaporize as you adapt to the ever-changing atmosphere that is now your playground. This theme will return when I discuss cross-country (aka “XC”) flying in a future post!