But, that’s just it - we are not the rock. Sometimes, I wish I were the rock instead of the jumper, without fear. Does this mean I am afraid of “normalcy?” Do I desperately seek the next thrill to avoid confronting other fears I might not be able to topple? Now, that being said, I have been accused of being an adrenaline junkie, which to me always sounded a bit dramatic. Fear is a survival mechanism, so, by overcoming fear, we are doing more than just surviving - we are actually living. It is something of my ode to fear: I run and jump before the fear takes hold of me, in a “get it before it gets me” mentality. The thing is, jumping for me is still scary. I came out of the water elated - a phoenix. I thought this was just a simple jump, right? I eventually “mustered up the courage,” as they say, and jumped. I was confronted by my own identity, ego and insecurities. In the back of my head, I also fought with the fear of hurting myself again. I had attached this meaning to the jump, something about getting back to my “extreme self” and, therefore, living up to that reputation. When I approached it for the first time, I was nervous, even though it was not the biggest cliff I’d ever jumped. It took me over a year before I returned and was able to step up to the edge. When I first went to Radium, I was recovering from a blown knee and could not jump. It is dealing with a universal feeling called fear, something we all deal with on so many levels. It is unnerving, and, once unnerved, it’s hard to get nerves back. A cliff jump is a call to action, and, much like Don Quixote’s windmill, a 50-foot cliff can start to look very big. Pushing yourself over the edge is rewarded with a glimpse at weightlessness, a shot of pure adrenaline - free fall. There is nothing quite like it: So simple, when literally all you need to do is jump - but so difficult when you first have to break through the barrier of self-preservation. When we became old enough to drive, we would visit a different spot every chance we had.Ĭliff jumping was one of the first big-time adrenaline spikes I received as a kid. Where I grew up in New Hampshire, there are lakes, ponds, quarries, reservoirs and even 12 miles of coastline. We have survived, and, with adrenaline pumping, we make it back to land and hike up top to jump again. I hit the cold water, pop to the surface and then in leaps my girlfriend after me with a splash. I take a few steps back for a running start, clap my hands (3… 2… 1…) and go. Calmly sizing it up, he decides to go first, then takes two steps back and jumps, much to the excitement of the crowd below. My friend, JP, is visiting Summit, and this is his first look at the leap. I have jumped off here before, but that doesn’t necessarily calm me down. My heart beats, and I am nervous when I ease up to the edge and look over. The pressure mounts as they shout for us to jump. We ask if they have jumped or seen anyone jump today, to which they reply, “Yes.” But, they want to see some more action. It is noticeably hotter here at lower elevation, and the water will be a welcome cool down.Īt the hot springs, there is a full group of people who just arrived via raft. The sun is high in the sky when we arrive. We gather our things and start a short hike up a steep hill that will bring us to the cliff jump and hot springs. Once you make it through the construction, though, it is only a 30-minute drive to the cliff diving pull-off. It should be noted that there is a road construction project between the Heeney and Radium exits, where traffic can only travel one way on a single road. Overnight rafting trip on the Upper Colorado River in Radium, Colo.Big Kahuna is a 50-foot cliff jump into the Colorado River, found next to the hot springs and two miles south of Radium, a small town that is a little over an hour north of Silverthorne. Probably the state’s most epic whitewater rafting on the Upper Colorado River is found northwest toward Kremmling in Gore Canyon.Ĭamping: Read about the Camping near Radium and Kremmling. Fishing, hiking, and camping are all found a short distance from town. The main activity in town is the local hot springs, which most would prefer to keep a secret. It’s scenically located on the banks of the Colorado River, making it one of the region’s more popular remote hot springs. Radium Hot Springs – This primitive hike-to hot springs, requires a short twenty-minute trek to reach. The town was named for the element Radium, which had been mined nearby. The Union Pacific Railroad (formerly Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad) tracks past the townsite. Visitors to town come for recreation and solitude, although the hot springs are quite popular. The community is just a heaping of houses, with no restaurants or shops. The rural unincorporated village is located in Grand County. Radium is hidden away southwest of Kremmling on a remote part of the Colorado River.
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