02-15-2021, 06:02 PM
Probably skydiving. This was back in the days before tandem jumping when you leapt out of the door solo (but with a static line to pull the ripcord). The danger was highlighted by the preceding intense full-day training course that trained us to go through various emergency maneuvers while plummeting towards the ground in the event that something went wrong. Also, there wasn't much time to execute those maneuvers because we jumped from 1200', which gives you only about 12 seconds before you splat.
Other than that, it was probably spending weeks at a time alone in a remote part of the Nevada desert conducting geologic mapping and sample collection for my dissertation research. I would at times find myself scaling a cliff in the middle of nowhere, wondering how many weeks it would take them to find my body. No GPS, sat phones, or even cell phones back then.
Then there was the time I was working on my dad's VW bug in the garage and accidentally pulled the fuel hose off the bottom of the gas tank, resulting a cascade of gasoline, right next to the gas WATER HEATER with live pilot light. We managed to quickly push the car out into the driveway. I honestly don't know how we didn't burn the house down.
Other than that, it was probably spending weeks at a time alone in a remote part of the Nevada desert conducting geologic mapping and sample collection for my dissertation research. I would at times find myself scaling a cliff in the middle of nowhere, wondering how many weeks it would take them to find my body. No GPS, sat phones, or even cell phones back then.
Then there was the time I was working on my dad's VW bug in the garage and accidentally pulled the fuel hose off the bottom of the gas tank, resulting a cascade of gasoline, right next to the gas WATER HEATER with live pilot light. We managed to quickly push the car out into the driveway. I honestly don't know how we didn't burn the house down.