Victoria Falls III: Death Defied One Last Time

The Falls from the entrance to the park

The next morning we were all sore from the kayaking but there was no time to rest.  We checked out of Jollyboys and rushed to the falls and purchased our entrance fee to be led to “The Devil’s Pool.”  The excursion included hiking across the dry riverbed atop the falls as the water had not yet risen to its full potential and we had to avoid streams and currents shooting straight down into the falls.

Walking along the dried riverbed on the march to Devil's Pool

Crossing the Stream, 20 feet to the left is the canyon, you do not want to fall in the stream

People stepped less than a foot away from the edge taking pictures and I got sick just thinking about the slips and the consequences.  Then we had to swim across a 50 foot section of the river to get to the pool.  Now we were at the pool and were instructed to jump in from the rocks and swim immediately to the left to avoid getting caught in the strong currents rushing directly over the edge.  I went first taking a cannon ball into the water and was fine and then swam on to the edge looking up over and below at the enormous drops and the rainbows from the clouds of water rising up that give it its native name of Mosi oi tunya or “The smoke that thunders.”

From L to R: Helena, Meagan, Brian, Salim, Mel, Me (it's no accident I'm furthest from the edge)

Jumping into Devil's Pool, if you jump too far well...you see the edge

The Edge of Victoria Falls: What you can't see are two guys holding my legs so that I don't fall off

Finally, after we’d completed the Devil’s Pool it was time for the grand finale of bungee jumping.  Our guide led us there and Salim, Helena, Mel, and I strapped up and one-by-one faced down the sickening heights of the falls from the bridge connecting Zambia to Zimbabwe.  The bungee workers brought us first to the platform then strapped our legs together and wrapped them with thick towels.

Trying not to vomit.  Last words to the camera: "I love you mom and dad."

Jumping off the ledge.  I went all out.

I was instructed to hop to the edge with my toes hanging off.  Once there I lifted my arms up and sideways and on the count of “5,4,3,2,1, bungee!” leapt from the platform into an insane and incredible feeling of weightlessness and acceleration while screaming “oh my god!!!”  My body flying towards the ground was then yanked up and I yo-yo’ed a bunch of times loving the rush and the feelings and the views.  Then I was slowly pulled up and I made my way back to the bridge on the Zimbabwe side.  I was in a daze.  I’d never faced so many fears in a weekend.

Follow the rope down to the end to find me

Me, falling, screaming, probably crying