I find that throughout my twenty some years on this earth I’ve developed some fears. In the process, I’ve also realized just how hard it can be to overcome said fears. Take for instance my fear of roller coasters. I remember loving to ride them when I was little but somewhere in between my adolescence and adulthood I got scared.
Luckily for me, I had friends who wouldn’t take no for an answer and dragged me on them regardless of how much kicking and screaming I did. In the end, it turns out I had a blast riding them, though I will admit still to this day as I approach a roller coaster I’m still a bit scared but I bear it because I know afterwards I’ll love it.
Now for the point of all of this. I love nature and I’d love to experience it in as many ways as possible, but once again my fear seems to be a slight problem. A very loving person in my life has been continually harassing me with shark articles for instance in response to my fear of sharks and of going in the ocean. I can say that I think I may be developing an appreciation of sharks and hopefully given the opportunity soon I will take a dip into the ocean.
Thus let me introduce this list. It’s a list of five adventures I’d like to embark on to interact with nature and even if they scare me.
- Scuba Diving in Kona, Hawaii
Everything I’ve read and the pictures I’ve seen just paint scuba diving in Hawaii as an ultimate way to experience ocean life, especially the diverse sea creatures in Hawaii. There are sharks, manta rays, turtles, and a very colorful collection of fish. While, I may be finally overcoming my fear of sharks I’m not sure how I’ll feel coming face to face with a hammerhead, but I’d wager the overall experience of swimming with a manta ray or sea turtle would make it worth it.
2. Ziplining in Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio
As a firm lover of trees and greenery, ziplining has always been something I’ve wanted to try! But you may have guessed I have a slight problem with heights evident from my fear of roller coasters, so I may have avoided these for awhile. The great thing about ziplining is there are so many great opportunities to experience it across the United States! One such venue is in my home state of Ohio in Hocking Hills State Park, so it’s nice to know I can accomplish something without traveling too far to do it. This is an item on this list I hope to accomplish soon!
3. Hike the Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail spans over 2,000 miles from Maine to Georgia so it’s a tall order to hike the entire thing. I love hiking and I love nature so I think it would be a fun summer adventure to take on this endeavor, though I imagine it may be a challenge to find someone willing to participate in this one with me. But I can only imagine the wonderful sights that can be seen along this trail. Though I’m not the biggest camper because spiders and snakes are two other creatures you can add to my fear list, once again I find the benefits of an adventure like this far outweigh my fear.
4. Take a ride in a hot air balloon over the Rocky Mountains
Once again my fear of heights plays into this one, but I can just only imagine what it’s like to view the Rocky Mountains from above. I’m sure everyone of us has always imagined of floating up into the sky with a bunch of balloons so this just seems like a way to kind of fulfill a childhood fantasy as well. But seriously though, can you argue with the opportunity to see a view like this?
5. Whitewater rafting the Green River, Utah
I love water, but I’m not the greatest swimmer and I have horrible balance so when it comes to things like boats or rafts I get a little scared about falling in. Whitewater rafting just seems like a really exhilarating experience, especially since you get the chance to experience not only the power of water but the beauty of it and it’s surroundings. In the case of rafting the Green River you get to see the Dinosaur National Monument, and I LOVE dinosaurs so that adds to my inclination to go.
These are just five adventures I’d like to try, but surely this list will grow. Hopefully, I can start scratching some of these off the list sooner rather than later. Here’s to kicking and screaming my way to new experiences!
an adventure of sorts 