The Beginning of An Easy Adventure

Learning To Fly
I am not the kind of girl who hang glides. I don't even like to fly in planes. But something about it has always stuck in my head like a poem, the slow grace of watching someone run off a mountain side and then glide slowly turning through the air for miles. That image came back to me recently, and I decided to try it myself. If there were lessons, I could learn to do it. I would hang glide. I would become that girl.

For me, this is how most of my adventures begin. There is some idea or a memory, some late night Google search or a magazine article. 4 years ago it was a National Geographic Adventure article that lead me to trek through Tasmania. A Travel Channel special I saw when I was 20 brought me to Coober Pedy in Australia's Outback ten years later. My desire at 17 to go live in Montana finally came true last year when I quit my job and packed my car, heading west for the summer and writing about it along the way. Mostly, I get things in my head and see no reason why I shouldn't do them.

Hang gliding was different. It was never something I wanted to do, but when I found Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding school in a late night web search, I knew I wanted to go. Instead of the mountains of my youth, there were small sand dunes of 15-25 to jump off. The sand provided soft landings, and the price ($99 for a 3.5 hr beginner lesson) was great. If the Wright Bros. could make flight a reality for the first time at Kitty Hawk, then I could move hang gliding past the possible and onto the list.

Suddenly North Carolina loomed large as I started to think of the possibilities. There were mountains AND beaches. But unlike Oregon or Washington, there was actually warm weather and warm water. And just like that, maps were consulted, routes were planned, VRBO and Homeaway were trolled looking for a vacation rental. I quit my job, threw my bike on the car again, and headed towards the Smokies, the Outer Banks waiting for me at the end.



Adventure doesn't have to be hard. It doesn't even have to be something you'd usually do-- that's the point. I know everyone thinks there's a certain type of person who's an "adventure enthusiast". 3 years ago, no one one have thought that person was me; much the same way I didn't think I was the type of girl to go hang gliding. I'm glad we were all wrong.

Kitty Hawk Kites was a great place to learn to hang glide, and North Carolina was a great state. Easy as that, I'll be returning to both soon.