The RIP Thread...
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TreeHouser
I'll raise a beer to him. He went out doing what he loved, very few have achieved that. Anybody catch 'Valley Uprising' on the Discovery channel? They had a good interview with Dean.
Peter
Treehouser
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
At least he did not have kids, only a girl friend and a dog.
I guess its neat to live like that. Rubs me wrong that they had to activate SAR and eventually a helicopter, which, is always dangerous.
RIP
I guess its neat to live like that. Rubs me wrong that they had to activate SAR and eventually a helicopter, which, is always dangerous.
RIP
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
As is said, he died doing what he wanted to do, but I can't help wondering that if he were somehow able to know beforehand that his life would abruptly end as a result of his fun activity, if he might have made other choices. Abruptly dying at that age from unnatural causes, he has missed out on the possibility of many other opportunities that life has to offer.
I find it a little odd that people that do highly dangerous stunts and ones that are often illegal, get sponsorship. I think that when you consider it, plain old ordinary is not a bad way to go.
I find it a little odd that people that do highly dangerous stunts and ones that are often illegal, get sponsorship. I think that when you consider it, plain old ordinary is not a bad way to go.
treetx
Traveler extraordinaire
I hear you Jay. This may be why I eventually get out of cloud hopping as a hobby.
I don't do anything near as radical as this guy did. After all, you can only tie the record for flying close to terrain.
There are so many other cool things to see and do in this life. With the type of flying I do, I have people ask me about how to get into it all the time. I always say that it is something you should do only if you can't not do it. If you can't be happy on the ground you should do it. If you are happy on the ground, then stay there.
One's view of safety and what is possible gets skewed when one repeatedly gets away with a dangerous activity sans consequences. It is easy to fool yourself that you are in the safe side of the envelope when you actually crossed it some time ago.
He lived life on his terms and pushed the limits, in the end, he found his limits. RIP Dean.
I don't do anything near as radical as this guy did. After all, you can only tie the record for flying close to terrain.
There are so many other cool things to see and do in this life. With the type of flying I do, I have people ask me about how to get into it all the time. I always say that it is something you should do only if you can't not do it. If you can't be happy on the ground you should do it. If you are happy on the ground, then stay there.
One's view of safety and what is possible gets skewed when one repeatedly gets away with a dangerous activity sans consequences. It is easy to fool yourself that you are in the safe side of the envelope when you actually crossed it some time ago.
He lived life on his terms and pushed the limits, in the end, he found his limits. RIP Dean.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Good post, Nate.
Here's a current article on Dean and his passing. The video re him and his dog is cool, imo, and shows his attention to safety. Which makes the accident even more hard to fathom.
http://www.outsideonline.com/1981896/life-edge
http://www.outsideonline.com/1981896/life-edge
treetx
Traveler extraordinaire
Jay, this is a really good read. An insight into coping.
http://blueskiesmag.com/2013/05/17/death-in-the-sport-of-life/
It seems to be slightly different than aviation where the first instinct other pilots do is to differentiate themselves from the accident pilot so they can justify why that would never happen to them.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
That is an interesting read, Nate, and the guy offers a lot to think about. I can appreciate the sense of courage in accepting your fate. So many elements to life, and finding a way through it.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
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Not me! Nor will a bear or mountain lion ever dine on me!
woodslinger
TreeHouser
Excellent articles guys, thanks for posting them. I had heard about Potter but had not read about what actually happened till now. I have to strongly agree with the comment about going for it only if you cannot stay on the ground. There is a force there for sure. If you've felt it you know it and I don't think it ever really goes away. Every time I read or see something about skydiving, I feel a strong pull to get back into it again. My skydiving is not over for sure, just on a hiatus till Jax gets a little older I think. Wingsuiting is up pretty high on my bucket list.
treetx
Traveler extraordinaire
Despite all the peeling back of the layers, I think these solo-ists often miss the basic point that life is relational.
There is nothing that compares to the being in the moment nature of the intense activities. Activities that require you to control and hush your limbic system to keep making good decisions that come from a very visceral place (basal ganglia). It is nice to be in a place where you can control and separate realistic from unrealistic fears with enough precision to comfortably engage in death consequence activities. My involvement in them has forever changed my outlook on life and how I conduct business.
With life being relational, I find these activities incredibly selfish. When we engage in these activities, we place ourselves in a fragile circle. Selfishly, we also place a lot of people who didn't ask to be there in that circle with us. Their lives will be forever changed by a bad day.
It is the other people thing that will get me out of the activity, if anything. But where do I draw the line? No more general aviation? No more hanging out of a plane with a gun? Snow boarding? Kayaking? That rapidly brings me around to the point that a ship is safe in harbor, but that isn't what ships are for.
There is nothing that compares to the being in the moment nature of the intense activities. Activities that require you to control and hush your limbic system to keep making good decisions that come from a very visceral place (basal ganglia). It is nice to be in a place where you can control and separate realistic from unrealistic fears with enough precision to comfortably engage in death consequence activities. My involvement in them has forever changed my outlook on life and how I conduct business.
With life being relational, I find these activities incredibly selfish. When we engage in these activities, we place ourselves in a fragile circle. Selfishly, we also place a lot of people who didn't ask to be there in that circle with us. Their lives will be forever changed by a bad day.
It is the other people thing that will get me out of the activity, if anything. But where do I draw the line? No more general aviation? No more hanging out of a plane with a gun? Snow boarding? Kayaking? That rapidly brings me around to the point that a ship is safe in harbor, but that isn't what ships are for.
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Good post.
What happens is that you become like me. Afraid of everything, especially dying and leaving behind my family.
What happens is that you become like me. Afraid of everything, especially dying and leaving behind my family.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
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- #1,641
If you have a family that relies on you, then you don't have the right to participate in a hobby that could kill you.
So we should all give up treework?
Actually I get your point, but most of us here work in an environment where death is always lurking.
I'll bet most of us have been in work situations where only our quick thinking and experience has saved us.
Actually I get your point, but most of us here work in an environment where death is always lurking.
I'll bet most of us have been in work situations where only our quick thinking and experience has saved us.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #1,643
I edited my post.
Peter
Treehouser
At least have life insurance so your family will be finacially secure.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
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- #1,645
I wonder the premium would be for a wingsuiter?
woodslinger
TreeHouser
I see your point, Butch, and it is a good one, but most of my hobbies can kill / seriously injure me. Being an adrenaline junky leads to boredom and depression with a lack of such activities. Skydiving is by far the most risky activity I participate in, and that one is on the back burner for now, I think my last jump was about 4 years ago. Tree work has filled in some for the lack of skydiving, whitewater kayaking, rock climbing, downhill mtn biking / dirt jumping, but it has very similar consequences. My wife completely understands the mindset of these activities, she has done most of them with me. She also is very aware of how a lack of these activities negatively affects my mood, and she has come to understand and trust my risk assessment. For me its all in the risk/reward equation, and that balance point has shifted very much since Jax came along. I still do most of my favorite activities, I just don't "push the envelope" nearly as much as I used to.
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
I have been trying to get life insurance for four years. They wont call me back.
I ride a motorcycle as a release. I guess I weighed the risks and I guess I am willing to take that one. I could get killed for sure.
I ride a motorcycle as a release. I guess I weighed the risks and I guess I am willing to take that one. I could get killed for sure.
treetx
Traveler extraordinaire
So no motorcycles, no tree climbing, no rock climbing, no kayaking, no general aviation?
I do not want to leave a legacy of being scared of life. As you know, none of us are getting out of here alive. I come from a long line of people that don't live long and a handful that live long. Dying sucks, but I have been the sole caregiver of an 88 yr old. Getting old isn't a treat either. I talk to my kids often about the fact that I (we) are not owed any amount of time. More likely than not, we will live to be old, but life can change in an instant. I live next to the oldest cemetery in town. Heck, it is our play ground. We ride bikes, jog, and read headstones, and discuss what a blessing it is to spend each day on this side of the grass.
I've given thought to the subject in the past. I wrote the following after a fatality in 2010.
http://slaveofgravity.blogspot.com/2010/07/tragedy.html
I love this life, this world, and my kids. I'll miss it when I am gone.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
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I'm pretty much referring to extreme events, for the most part.
treetx
Traveler extraordinaire
I doubt it is available.
For a hang glider, it is outrageous. I have 2 policies. One to basically cover the house and a little extra so the family has a home if I bite it on a glider. Then another with an aviation exclusion that turns me into a winning lottery ticket if I get my ticket punched driving a car, by cancer, or slip in the shower.
