DID IT.

A Good Week

We’ve focused a lot on our jumps now, they still run the shit out of us in the mornings and throw in some suffering throughout the day, but we’re in the meat parachute flying and land skills. On Friday we did our 10th and 11th jumps, and each time I’m getting better at estimating my flight path and what the winds are doing to my parachute. I still need the streamers on the ground so I can tell which direction to turn to but a landing panel isn’t really necessary anymore. On my 10th jump, I treed up and while I’m not happy about missing the spot, I handled it well and I knew that I was not going to make the spot with enough time to look for where I was going and what to do.
I felt upbeat about the week and about successfully completing rookie training until Friday afternoon when they let a fellow rookie go because of his parachute manipulation skills. I’m not and I don’t think anyone of the rookies in training with me are so dialed with parachute skills that we still couldn’t wash. To be honest I pretty mad at the trainers for failing the guy. He’s a good guy and would’ve made a great smokejumper.

1st jump

Today we did our first training jump, which went pretty well considering I've never done it before and the first 3 seconds out the door are a total blank to me. I was nervous and afraid, but I don't know what I was scared of. It wasn't the chute not opening or injuring myself on the landing, I was just scared in the general sense.

I also got air sick in the plane and again on the ground.

I must really want to do this.

Week 2

Almost through week 2, we've moved on to the 'units'. Now were focused on learning all the skills we need to safely complete timber parachute jumps. So far everything been broken up into smaller pieces (like landings, or exiting the plane) but were starting to integrate things in to larger more complex units.

The completing the skills in each unit has not been difficult but there are some with time limits which also throws me off because I want to double and triple check everything I do.

While not as physically demanding, this week has been hard on the body. I pulled something in my ribcage and my forearm, and it's not like we haven't laid off the push ups. We're running tomorrow morning and I'm nervous that the rib pain will slow me down.

The other rookies are good group of people, everyone is looking out for each other and I think we all want everyone to make it through.