Top 3 Wildest Adventures

Arete de Cosmique

Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix, France

Have you ever had someone invite you to do something, but they won't tell you what it is? They just keep telling you, "Tomorrow is going to be amazing. You're never going to forget this." Has this activity you're invited to ever been a mountaineering expedition with ice picks, crampons, and ropes for belaying when you've never used any of these items before or even mountaineered?! If your answers to these questions are Yes, then you must know the same crazy guide we do in Chamonix!

Some would call this mission stupid. To some degree I agree. It's been almost a year since this climb and I still can't believe we did it... and survived! Seriously, this was the first and only time I felt like we could potentially get hurt or worse. This summit is not for the faint at heart. We planned on staying in Chamonix for 7 days and on Day #1 met a guide who told us he would take us on a crazy adventure. We had a good idea it was the Arete des Cosmique because we mentioned we wanted to see this place we saw all over Instagram. So, as required, we spent the first 3 days acclimatizing to the higher altitude by hiking a few smaller routes each day. After Day #3, our guide met with us to asses our physical and mental health and to confirm that we, in fact, were going to summit the Cosmique route the next day. Holy s  t.

The night before we were able to rent gear from a local shop, Snell Sports (https://snellsports.com/). We took our gear back to our hotel and began preparing our climbing packs. We were given a long list of things that were extremely important to making our climb a success from chap stick to extra layers, waterproof cases to emergency whistles. It was tough going to sleep that night for sure.

After a seemingly long cable ride to the top of Aiguille du Midi, we arrived at the start of our craziest adventure. First, what we did was climb down a very narrow ridge (we're talking a 13,000 foot drop down on both sides), then we traversed through the most beautiful sparkling snow towards a large section of jagged slabs of rocks which we then conquered utilizing our ice picks for leverage and ropes for safety and abseiling helping us scale these unpredictable giant rocks, then (as a treat?) we got to a safe house where we enjoyed the most rewarding drafts we've ever had in our lives and some scrambled eggs! After about an hour break we began to get tired, this was our sign we had to keep moving and get back up the mountain ridge. The weather turned south bringing in a mini snow storm. This doesn't sound terrible, but if you can imagine a complete white-out it's kind of a mind f  k.  Everything around us was white. The ground was white, the sky was white, to your left was white and to your right was white. The only thing we could do was focus on our guides green jacket in order to make it back. This white-out was extremely tough on our eyes and eventually began to create spots everywhere and major head-aches. Not good signs. Luckily, we pushed on through the snow and got back to the base of the ridge where we (one more time) had to get ourselves on this narrow pathway with the 13,000 foot drop on each side. "One foot in front of the other and being careful not to step on the rope" are the only two rules in getting up and down this ridge. If you're not having a panic attack doing this, then the whole thing should be a walk in the park. Nearing the top we could see the onlookers and hear them cheer us on which was such an amazing moment. There was nothing but a sheer look of shock that Elliot and I both exchanged with each other once we set foot back on normal ground. We both knew, there was nothing we've ever felt like that before. This was something most likely beyond our capabilities, but we knew we wanted it. So we did it. Simple as that right?

This was a very unique adventure. It was easier to agree to do this than other things because, honestly, we were both curious of our capabilities. We both had never done a summit. We had no idea what our bodies and our minds were able to take on in this situation and we really wanted to know. I always tell people you have to do things you've never done before because you seriously might surprise yourself. I wouldn't say to put yourself in danger, but if you're curious enough to test your limits... you got to go for it!

Shark Cage Diving

Gansbaai, South Africa

Just a short ride outside of Cape Town is a little village, Gansbaai, South Africa's Shark Capital. We rode out around 4am from central Cape Town with 6 other individuals ready to soon be face to face with the most feared ocean predator, the Great White shark.

After a short debriefing, we were suited up in orange rain coats and lead onto our boat destined for Shark Alley. As my first shark diving experience, I will say it made me real nervous to be on a relatively small boat, filled to the max with people and equipment, heading out to open waters where below is an unknown amount of Jaws' closest relatives! I always seem to forget when having experiences such as this, it's not only the "shark diving" part that can be scary... there's the tiny boat, the large waves in the open Atlantic ocean, and the freezing cold water that all need to be accounted for.

Honestly, the build-up during the ride out might have been the scariest part for me... or maybe trying to put my wet suit on while my hands were trembling like crazy. Once we reached our destination (a spot between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock - a sort of "Seal Island" if I may) the staff through the cage overboard and it was go time! Of course, Elliot wanted to go first. His theory was that the sharks were the most hungry in the beginning of the day so we would see the most action by being the first ones in. I can't say he was wrong. The very second we were situated inside the cage we put our heads underwater and had a shark swim directly at us and bite the bars right in front of us! It was incredible! It was so freaking scary, I swallowed so much seawater and I puked right there (adding to the chum I guess). We stayed in for about 15 minutes watching this amazing shark family of 4 swim around our cage in all different directions searching for food. The smallest shark even jumped, full body style out of the water several times! Once our turn was over, we headed to the viewing deck and watched the sharks swim circles for the next 2 hours. Elliot wanted another opportunity to get in the cage later in the after noon, but had already taken his wet suit off... so they let him jump in the cage with only his swim trunks. Side note: the water was about 58 degrees F. He lasted about 5 minutes until his back started tingling. One time in the cage was enough for me.

To anyone who has ever remotely thought about shark cage diving, I say DO IT! The best part of it all is seeing these creatures from a vantage point that not a lot of people have the opportunity to do. It's literally Shark Week comes to life! The even better part, is you can do it safely. I'm a girl whose afraid of the water and afraid of what lives in it (even docile fish freak me out), this was a fear that I wanted to face and I walked away proud and excited to have accomplished this.

We booked about 1 month in advance with Great White Shark Tours (http://www.sharkcagediving.net/). This team was incredibly welcoming, friendly, and knowledgable about the area and these amazing sharks. The price was $168USD per person including transportation. Totally worth every penny! Book your flights, schedule your dive, and say Hi to our Great White friends chillin' out in Gansbaai!

The Nevis

Queenstown, New Zealand

@mrelliotgunther taking the plunge.

When in NZ, do as the Kiwi's do! Queenstown is the Adventure Capital of the World and is home to 3 EPIC bungee jumps! The biggest beast of them all is The Nevis. This bungee facility is not off a cliff or bridge... no, No, NO! It's a bungee platform suspended by cables 439ft above the Nevis River!!! So not only are you jumping from New Zealand's highest bungee, but you've got to take a tiny cable car ride off the side of a smaller mountain ridge out to this suspended platform for people who wish to s  t their pants.

My mission is to not scare you away from this bucket list favorite, but rather bring to light the realities of this experience and how much of a freakin' champion you feel after the 8.5 second plunge! A.J. Hackett (http://www.bungy.co.nz/) is the company that controls the bungee operations around NZ and with good reason. They're extremely professional at what they do, but also are a staff of really fun, relatable people making the experience a bit less nerve racking for those a bit shaky.

We chose the Trillogy package ($325USD) which included the Ledge Bungee, the Kawaru Bridge, and The Nevis. Upon arrival at the A.J. Hackett Nevis bungee quarters, you get signed-in, suited-up, and have a quick moment prepare yourself for the wildest free fall in NZ! In our case, Elliot got to go first. Whew. IDK, but it's always better when your friends go first. To start, he had to get his feet all strapped up and secured. It's a struggle to sit in this wobbly chair that automatically reclines back so they can access your feet, but it must be done. Second, Elliot had to get off the chair with his feet bound and "scoot walk" to the edge of the platform. This is the part where you hope not to loose balance. Third, Elliot was asked to smile to a few camera's before the countdown. This is the easy part... sort of. Last, the countdown. Elliot got the 3-2-1 and off he went! It took me 2 3-2-1's and a lot of f  k's before I took the dive. Now, because of his "grab life by the balls" attitude, he was able to master the jump and take his GoPro along with him on a selfie stick! Elliot captured a badass video with great quality and some hilarious facial expressions. I recommend not being a chicken (*cough*) and take your GoPro with you because the video footage is totally worth it. He was also able to pull the pin! The Pin? Ohhhhh the Pin! That's right. They don't tell you about this really important detail until your about to jump! See, this PIN, is something you pull once your done bouncing around and you're just hanging there. This PIN will allow your feet to detach from the bungee contraption while your waist contraption stays in contact so you get pulled sitting upward instead of hanging upside down the whole way! This PIN is very tough to pull and if you're handling this whole bungee thing like me, your palms are sweaty and you can't get the damn thing out.

The whole free-fall happens so fast it literally takes hours for it all to set in. Like you did it, you can't believe you did it, but you don't even really know what just happened! The best way I can think of describing it is a quick rush. It's a lot of air rushing at you, your eyes are watching the ground rushing at you, and your body feels a sensory overload of everything happening so quickly. And just like that, your bouncing... then maybe sitting or hanging... and it's all over. I swear for the entire rest of the day my eyes were open so wide like I'd seen a ghost. I think I just couldn't believe what just happened and have never been so happy to have my 2 feet on the ground!

The Nevis has become a sort-of household name for us. Something we compare everything we do from here on out to. Like, "I can climb this mountain, because I did The Nevis." You get the idea. Bungee jumps are a different kind of a challenge where you have any and every opportunity to break down and not do it. The challenge is all on your own shoulders. YOU make the jump. They don't push you. YOU, yourself, have to be willing to put your arms in the air and say F  k It! Trust me, if you get to the edge and you push your feet off that platform, you will experience a feeling only jumpers can describe. This is your ticket to bragging rights and this awesome strut walk you get after doing something this freakin' crazy!