Rediscovering self-determination via the unfettered dreams of my teen years.

When I was 17, my friend Josh and I would sit in his basement and stay up until the early hours of the morning watching the same YouTube video on repeat. Specifically this video of Loïc Jean-Albert wingsuit BASE jumping.

This was 2010. Still the very early days of YouTube and GoPro. It was hard to find videos like that unless you knew where to look. But one of us stumbled across that video of Loïc carving through the Norwegian mountains and we were both hooked.

Avatar had just come out a few months prior and the notion of flying your body through beautiful, earthy terrain fascinated us both. We agreed — this was surely what bliss and freedom felt like.

So on my 18th birthday, the first day it was legal for me to do so in the US, I went for a skydive. I even referenced the YouTube video at 8,000-ft.

At the end of that jump, with the most ridiculous hair you’ll hopefully ever see on me, I say, “I’m gonna definitely do it again.” But it would be a full decade before I jumped out of a plane again.

I specifically remember doing that cartwheel out of the plane thinking, “How much fun would it be to not be attached to someone right now.” Turns out: super fun.

The logbook entry from my first solo jump.

My next skydive and first solo was on April 18, 2021, just a couple weeks after my 28th birthday. It was the first of 25 jumps alongside other requirements I made toward getting my license.

As of today, I have 133 skydives and each one is more fun than the last. My favorite part is the endless progression in the sport — there’s so much to learn.

I did the accelerated freefall (AFF) program at Falcon Skydiving, located just twenty minutes north of downtown Kansas City. At the time, I didn’t realize how lucky I was to have convenient access to a great dropzone.

I’ve met some really great people at Falcon. Their staff is top-notch and I’ve been blessed with access to amazing coaches, including Kevin Stone, a world-class wingsuit pilot with thousands of skydives and hundreds of BASE jumps. I’ve made some great friends: Carl, Cortland, Kaan, just to name a few.

The Missouri River holds a special place in my heart now. I’ll always hold that little bend in the river, just North of downtown Kansas City, as my favorite marker.

Nestled between that bend, guarded by railroad tracks and trees to the east and hundreds of rows of soy and corn to the north, west, and south, a private airport — Noah’s Ark Airport.

Soaring under canopy just west of Noah’s Ark Airport.

I still have a very long way to go before I try wingsuit BASE jumping in Norway. Truth is, I may never get there. But I am enjoying the hell out of the journey and that long road to get there feels more exciting than discouraging. Fulfilling that dream of flying my body feels exactly like you’d expect. When you get it right — bliss, freedom. Time dilates, you’re nowhere else.

Who knows? Maybe we have more intuitive, unfettered access to our truest dreams and deepest desires as a kid.

I remember sitting in my room and having the realization that I could pursue a skydiving license if I wanted to. I wasn’t 18 anymore, I had money to spend. “Skydiving courses near me.”

I believe there are certain pivotal moments when life becomes enriched with opportunity, only requiring a foot on the pedal to actualize. For me, that Google search was one of those moments.

If you find yourself lost, unsure of what you want out of life, I recommend asking your younger self. It may seem counterintuitive. I wouldn’t trust a 17 year old with much. But this isn’t any 17 year old. This is you. I trust myself with my own dreams and I’m so glad I’m pursuing this one.

Follow me on Instagram @elijah.io for short clips from my latest leaps!