I’m not sure how to define daredevil either. Perhaps some of the things I’ve done will count and perhaps not. Readers can decide.
Rode horses cross country in my youth (not cross country as in CA to ME, but “eventing”)
Hiked on some “trails” where one misstep could send someone tumbling longer distances. Some of these now have fences, but they didn’t “back in the day.”
Traveled to Jordan in the Middle East (It’s amazing how many people I know consider this to have been dangerous! It’s not.)
Scuba diving, including some deeper wrecks
Helicopter rides/airplanes
Driving on beltways around cities
A couple of the military obstacle courses in my younger years might have been considered daredevil
I am a very risk averse person. But according to my definition of “daredevil”, I’ve done the following FEW things (most of which involve heights, which is a pretty strong phobia of mine):
-Hot air balloon ride over castles in Loire Valley, France
-Several zip line excursions. On one of them, to finish, you had to lean backwards and “free fall” to the ground off a very tall platform, trusting people on the ground to safely control your fall. Terrifying.
-Traveled over the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado even while completely terrified. The bridge seemed really rickety (it’s probably not) and I have a severe fear of heights.
-Done some helicopter rides that made me pretty uncomfortable;
-Held several varieties of snakes (of course none poisonous);
-Did an absolutely terrifying car ride on some ridiculous mountain road in CO that had few railings. Was covered in sweat afterwards.
-Scuba diving, which I don’t actually consider very daredevil-ish;
Most recently - walking into restaurants and stores WITHOUT a mask!!!
In my former life,
Scuba Diving
Hiked to Angel’s Landing
Trekked to Base Camp Mount Everest (Tibet side)
Worked in China in late 70s early 80s in the days before China was ‘open’
I’m sure there are lots of other things, some I can’t speak about!!!
I’m curious - has anyone ever died ziplining? It’s not something I considered daredevilish TBH. It’s just fun akin to roller coasters. Scuba is similar for me, but I know there are deaths with that occasionally, so I listed it.
I’ve never had an interest in skydiving or bungee jumping.
I have a good friend who is a forensic medical examiner and he thinks I’m crazy to scuba dive given the number of scuba diving deaths he’s seen. shrug I don’t view it as particularly dangerous if done right.
Lol, all my fears and panic triggers are in this thread - you guys are brave! Heights! Deep water! FAST things! Things in the air! Things with weapons!
I’m thinking about going skydiving for my 50th bday. I flew a plane on my 40th. May as well jump out of one for my 50th.
Upside down ziplining in Mexico
Whitewater rafting, but I didn’t think that was unsafe
I owned a ball python for over 10 years.
Walking on the side of the road on some of those streets in Rome might qualify with traffic zipping by 6" away.
re: rollercoasters. I LOVE them and count them as safe. But H & I once got stuck on one at the old Myrtle Beach Pavilion. It was wooden and very tall and pre-dated any kind of safety standards. We had to get out of the car over a large gap and walk on this tiny plank. The railing just had a wooden top rail 48" tall.
My DD almost died white water rafting. It’s a good thing neither of us looked up the number of deaths on that particular river before she went. It is one of the most dangerous. But I’d still do it. She may never white water raft again.
I’m not a daredevil at all. I’ve had “daredevil experiences” though completely by accident. Some I didn’t realize how stupid I was until after the fact.
Oh yes, that is true. There are several different levels. Ours was nothing dangerous. Of course, I told everyone to make sure they held on tight so they didn’t fall out. Guess who fell out in the first 2 minutes? The guide remarked “Wow. We’ve never had anyone fall out here before.”
I’m also the one who cracked their tailbone tubing down a river. Grace is not my middle name.
I’m not much of a daredevil, but I have done ziplining twice and will do it at my next high school reunion if the zipline is still there. I plan to be the oldest one doing it!
I went to Jordan the year of the Arab spring. It felt very safe and was one of the top travel experiences of my life.
I think you can miss out on a lot by being too cautious. My father’s last piece of advice to me when I was heading out on my first cross country car trip (a mere two months after getting my license) was, “Don’t drive too slow.” I like to think he meant it both literally and figuratively.
Summer of ‘77, freshman roommate and I hitchhiked up the California coastal highway from Mexicali to San Francisco, staying mostly in campgrounds along the way, then rode Greyhound back to Ann Arbor. Had a blast. Giving birth for the first time at 39 is probably the most adventurous thing I’ve done since.