5 posts tagged “firewalk”
|
I have to say I was not looking forward to the firewalk like I was the skydive. I was so excited about the skydive from months before, the firewalk was something I was just doing. I had doubts. For the first time, a couple of hours before I was due to arrive at Hearing Dogs, I looked on the Blaze website. It reassured me as they have 100% no injury record. I was a little excited by the time I arrived at Hearing Dogs and signed my life away just after 7pm. By 7.20pm all of those taking this challenge were seated in the puppy hall and met Martin, the guy who was going to instil in us the ability to walk on fire. After a brief introduction from Martin about how long he has been doing this and how he got into it in the first place he explained the physics of it to us, its all to do with how carbon burns. He asked us to put up our hands if we had a voice in our head, only me and three others raised our hands. Martin said “ right those of you who did not put your hands up, how many had a voice in their head saying ‘I don’t have a voice in my head’? Lots of laughter. Of course we all do, its called thinking. “That’s what you have to get past” said Martin. “Your voice is going to keep telling you that fire is hot and you WILL burn”. We carried out a few exercises showing ( with our eyes shut so as not to be embarrassed) pi**ed off and uncertain. Its all about reading our body language so he will know if we have doubts. We then went out to look at the fire, smell the smoke and walk next to it to count our steps so we have the distance measured in our own minds. Eight steps for me. The Blaze team had been carefully constructing and lighting the fire whilst we were in the hall. Then back into the hall after a 10 min loo and fag break to do practise walks ~ just on the hall floor, no fire involved yet. Building the fire    Ignition   Us getting to know the fire and checking our number of steps     Our supporters  This is the fire burning whilst we were doing our practise walks   We all did our practise walk three times. Martin then suggested to us that when we went back out not to look or wave at our beloved friends and family as they would look scared or worried or make comments which could cause us doubt, much as they love us and have come to give support. He told us we are heroes. He told us that people will try and take away from our fantastic experience but not to let them. So out we all go towards the fire not looking at our supporters. We all walk round the fire, it is HOT. The voice starts. We are all geeing each other along around the fire “Lovely fire. You are my friend. You will not burn me. I can do this.” Then Martins voice, “ Shoes and socks off now and line up. ARE WE READY!” The preparation of the fire for us to walk it   A few others went before me, we all cheer them on. Then I was up. Martin stood in front of me. “What’s your name?” he booms. “KAREN !” I shout back as per instructions from earlier. “Are you ready?” booms Martin. “YES I AM!!!” I shout back. And I was. Off I stepped, the first step still on the cool grass and then on the coals, shouting a word with each step, “ I -AM -KAREN- AND- I- CAN -WALK -ON -FIRE !"Then I was back on grass being hugged by those who had already gone. Shoes off and waiting  Me firewalking, my friend apologises for the shake in the pic but she was busy cheering me  It seemed like no distance, it was about 20ft, I felt like it could’ve been 40ft and I still could’ve done it. Whilst on the coals it felt like hot sand on a summers day temperature wise and crunched under my feet like crisp deep snow, compacting as I stepped. I knew my inner voice had some effect on how my first step on the coals had been. As soon as I touched the coals my voice said “Go really quickly now this is bl**dy hot.” So my first step was a bit of a jig but I paced myself and succeeded. It’s a fantastic feeling, personally for me not quite to same degree as the skydive but exhilarating all the same. We all returned to the hall really buzzing. Martin told us again that tonight we had gone from zero to hero and we should be so proud of ourselves. “ For each of you here tonight there are at least 10 others who have seen the poster and said ‘I could do that anyway’ but they haven’t and at least as many again who have said ‘No way, I could never do that.’ but they too could’ve been a hero tonight.” A round of applause for Martin for heartfelt thanks and off we went to meet our supporters and have a group pic or two taken. ( whilst saying "fire" of course)  Blaze also organise broken glass walks. This is another 20ft walk but the techniques used are different and the walk takes about a minute rather than some seconds. I think I will do this next year. Doing this has given me tools to achieve just about anything in my life. I feel empowered for sure. Why don’t you give it a go? After the walk whilst having the pics taken and chatting to people my feet felt warm and toastie like I had just put on warmed socks and a little tingly, nothing more.
Back at home with a couple of friends for a bottle or two of wine. My feet felt hotter and hotter but like a deep heat not to the touch. I had to take my shoes and socks off to put my feet on the cool, tiled floor and for Bookmole to take a pic of my uninjured feet. Byron being a lapdane with my friend Mel afterwards at mine  The feet  Many thanks to those who came along to support me and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
Dont forget you can sponsor me safely HERE
| |
I havent burnt my feet.
I am still buzzing from the experience.
I will tell all another time when not a bit drunk and I have collected relevant pics from F and F.
It doesnt hurt, give it a go !
the walk of my life. The walk will be only 20ft long. I walk miles every day but this walk is a little different. It will be over burning wood embers. It is the night of my Firewalk Challenge.
I have spoken to people who have done this. Each and everyone of them say they sustained no injuries and it did not hurt at the time. I do wonder though if I will be one of the small percentage who do get blisters or worse, after all you do hear about such things.
As this is a mind over matter exercise I guess such thoughts will not be helpful on the day.
I have to be at Hearing Dogs HQ here in Buckinghamshire at 7pm to receive training using, apparantly, " proven motivational and psychological methods.....", which " does not involve any element of hypnosis, chanting or 'brainwashing'......".
This is the second in my trilogy of challenges to raise money and awareness for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People who select dogs, mostly from rescue centres and train them to become the ears of deaf people communicating by touch, indicating sounds such as the doorbell, alarm clock, cooker timer, smoke alarm, baby monitor.
Bookmole, BF and family members are coming along to support me. If you would like to come along,watch and sponsor me then all you have to do is ring Ruth 01844 348 136 and let her know by Friday. If you cannot make it then please do still part with a little of your hard earned cash and sponsor me on line safely Here.
Well for a start I got up really bloody early for someone who didn’t go to sleep until after 3.30 am, that being about 6am.
This day, another of my dreams came true as I plummeted through the sky from 13,500 ft.
I have thought about doing this since I was about 16 and really wanted to for many years since, I nearly got round to it about three years ago but was due an operation on my knee. Also my Mum wasn’t keen on the idea. Late last year I bit the bullet and set the ball in motion to do a jump this summer, one of three challenges I am taking to raise money for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People for their 25th anniversary this year. My Mum said she wouldn’t come and watch and she wasn’t there when I jumped as she passed away on Feb 1st this year.
My two good friends ( Bookmole and our Best Friend ) came to get me from home in High Wycombe in BFs car at 7am and off we set to Hinton Airfield near Bicester in Oxfordshire. The paperwork said to be there for 8.30am, we were as was some rather scared looking lady and her bloke but no staff and everything was all shut up. Staff began to arrive just after nine and the snack bar opened not long after for a welcome cup of tea and bacon sandwiches.
There were complications. All my sponsorship monies had come through on my Justgiving website here so I had no cash to hand in to the airfield on the day, I gave them contact numbers for people at Hearing Dogs who were dealing with it and that matter was soon sorted. I had my medical form with me all signed by the Dr to say I was fit to do a tandem jump ~ being a person over 40 years of age this is a necessity and the reason I was doing a tandem and not a solo jump. This was not enough apparently the surgery had not rubber stamped the form so I wouldn’t be allowed to jump unless it was. So I ring the surgery, it takes ages as you have to go through all that press 1, then press 3 stuff. I get their fax number so we can fax the form to them, they can rubber stamp it and fax it back. Sounds easy enough. The weather was not good. There was cloud cover, it was grey and it rained at times. Staff said that the Met Office said there would be a break in the weather in the afternoon, why didn’t we all go off somewhere and they would ring us when we were needed back. Bookmole, BF and I went for a walk with Books dog Heidi round the outskirts of the airfield. When we had been walking for about 40 mins I get the call to come back, the cloud is breaking.
We arrived back to find that the surgery still hadn’t faxed back the rubber stamped medical form. I rang them again, repeated the number back to them which I had been given earlier as the receptionist was saying no fax had arrived from the airfield it had been sent. Again they sent the fax, again no reply. So I ring them again. I am stressed now as the first lift is ready to go and I need to be on the next one. I get to speak to a different receptionist. Yet again I go through the story and repeat the fax number to her. Its not their fax number and the one she gives me is nothing like the one I had been told twice earlier was the right one. Finally though the fax is sent, stamped and returned and I am allowed to jump. The relief was enormous. I had been so looking forward to this.
During the instruction we had been told that when the time came to jump the instructor would be the one sitting on the floor in the doorway of the plane and we, being attached to their fronts would be dangling until they jumped. It really wasn’t like that. We reached 13,500 ft and the big door was rolled back. There were four experienced solo jumpers and then me to go, Jeez do they move quick. Everyone slides forward and it happens quickly, I was in the middle of thinking “ off the seat,instructor sits, I dangle, then we go” when we were out of the plane whilst I was still in mid “ I dangle” part of the thought. Its cold and its strong and it feels as if you are tumbling initially. As it was cloudy all I could see was white, it was rather disorientating but not scary. It did whip my breath away but we had been shown how to deal with that easily. Once the instructors arms appeared in the white in front of me I was allowed to put my arms forward also. What an exhilarating experience. Bloody fantastic. I was whooping and shouting out. If you have ever toyed with the idea of doing a jump don’t think about it anymore, GO DO IT is my recommendation. Most of the freefall part was in the cloud, the canopy being deployed is a bit of a jerk upwards but nothing nasty and is followed by just floating through the air ~ brilliant, relaxing, full of freedom feeling. The instructor showed me how to steer and I was swinging from side to side like on the best theme park ride ever. More whooping and screaming and shouting out about how fantastic it was, half of Oxfordshire must have heard me. Coming into landing is not scary either as it is a very gentle approach, the ground is not rushing up to meet you and it really is just like stepping down from a low wall or similar. What a rush. When I had been detached from Jeff my instructor I gave him a big kiss and said “ I want your job. I’d love to do this every day.” I felt light and fresh and on top of the world.
I would like to do this again on a day with no cloud so I can see the ground from the moment I leave the plane. I will jump again but the British weather I have no control over.
My next challenge is to walk on hot coals. This is not something I have hankered after doing for many years. I am taking this challenge on the evening of Sat 25th August at Hearing Dogs HQ here in Buckinghamshire. There are others also taking the challenge at this time. If you are able you could come and watch me if you like ~ you would have to ring Ruth Dunkin at Hearing Dogs to let her know numbers though (for health and safety reasons). After that I will be swimming with sharks in September which is a real personal challenge as I am a claustrophobe and have to be under water for over half an hour. You can sponsor me here, it is safe a secure to do so and the monies go directly to
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
