"...I could see some broken tracks up ahead...wait.....BROKEN?"
Location: Disney's Animal Kingdom
Year: 2011
Mood: Terrified.
With every step we took along the line going up to the rollercoaster, more and more questions whirled in my mind. What if it stops? What if it makes me sick?
What if it kills me?
I took one glance at the ride as people's screams echoed and whirled in the air.
My stomach turned. We were steeply progressing up towards the ride, but I was clearly not ready.
What did I agree to?
I hated rollercoasters as a child. My family, however, LOVED them. They would always choose the highest, scariest ones with the most inclined death drops and I would be standing with my dad waiting and hoping for them to come out alive. But I wasn't too worried about it, I knew it was fairly common to be afraid of riding rollercoasters. In fact, it had been defined as an actual phobia. According to Wikipedia, "While roller coasters are the most popular theme park attraction, certain people feel nauseated, afraid, dizzy, or unsafe when riding roller coasters. In the majority of cases, this fear is related to acrophobia, claustrophobia, or a traumatic event. In rare cases, riders may be afraid of roller coasters due to a painful ride, tight restraints, being thrown around in the restraints, and excessive g-forces on the body of the rider." To most, rollercoasters are either the best thrill or their worst nightmare.
But, in 2011 when we went to DisneyWorld for the second time, I was older and thought that I would be over my fear by then.
Spoiler alert: I wasn't.
So here's the story that I wrote (when I was 12, mind you, it's a bit cringe-y) about the time I rode a horrifying rollercoaster and came out of it with a newfound love and appreciation for taking risks and...riding rides! (and, thankfully, I didn't die.)
What if something goes wrong? What If I puke? Will the ride be quick? PLEASE let it be over quick.
My fingers trembled as I looked up to the top of the mountain once more. My legs were shaky, I felt the mixture of pure fear and anger at my family for bringing me to this hell.
We finally reached the roller coaster and we could see the workers there dressed up and looking like they hated their job while trying to look somewhat cheerful. HA!
“Expedition Everest! Step right up!” the man said as I got into the rollercoaster along with my family. Oh no... I reminded myself yet again that I was NOT ready, and tried to convince myself that it wouldn't be so bad. As I desperately tried to calm myself, I heard the CLICK of the metal bars shutting and locking me in. I knew right there I couldn’t get out of it.
I’ll have fun! ....yet my sweaty fingers latching onto the bar said different. My back braced myself onto the back of the seat…and in one quick movement we lurched forward and got sent straight up the "mountain".
It’s totally safe… I think.
With every noise the roller coaster was making I was starting to think it was laughing at me. Slowly going up, I couldn’t look down, even if I wanted so much to see that beautiful view, I just couldn’t risk it. I decided imagining the view must be better than actually seeing it, right? Right? Oh god... The Rollercoaster did a quick, and sharp turn and I could see some broken tracks up ahead...
wait... BROKEN?
It was only when we slowed to a complete stop, that I could see it was all part of the ride. We weren't really going to ride off the edge of the rollercoaster and off to our deaths. Phew! Suddenly, a jolt pulled us backwards into the dark, spinning and dropping, spiraling faster than I could respond with a yelp.
I could feel the rush as my hair blew around in the wind and became completely tangled. “Woooooooh! This is awesome!” my mom shouted. All I could do was scream. The feeling when we dropped was like we had no gravity; like my stomach had just left my body, leaving me with just my arms clasping on. There was a beam of light. We stopped going backwards. My body relaxed from the tension and I finally got a hold of myself. As I looked around I noticed we were in a cave.
There was a dark figure, a towering shadow that looked to be a.......it can't be....a…Yeti? It appeared to be ripping up our tracks. Oh my God.
His shadow was of a towering furry beast, at least 6 feet tall with sharp, jagged claws.
You've got to be kidding me.
His growl shook the cave and I felt the world turn and flip all around me in my dizzy haze.
BANG!
We went forward in a swift movement, then came out of the darkness, and I knew then that we had come to the big drop. The fierce rumbling shook the entire rollercoaster and sent us whirling down the track. My fingers held on for dear life as my eyes teared up. Flashes blinded me as we went barreling down, corkscrewing and making sharp turns. I was sure I had made my family deaf, and lost my voice in the process. Finally, as we came to an abrupt stop, it was over. I....survived. Even more than that, I felt myself thinking....
That was......
SOOO AMAZING.
As my heartbeat slowed and my eyes stopped watering, I was as happy as could be. The exhilaration I felt from riding the scariest rollercoaster in my life turned in my stomach and became excitement and pure joy.
"Guys, lets do that again."
Nothing will ever compare to the excitement and fun I had on this ride, even if it did scare me half to death. I came out of it alive and even better for it, having had a memory I can tell for years to come. Just after getting off, I found myself wanting to get right back on. Well, that's if the dizziness wore off. I really enjoyed myself, and found that thrill that my family had always experienced on their rollercoaster expeditions. If it weren’t for me stepping up and trying something new and scary, I would have never had the wonderful and exhilarating experience.
My challenge for you is to do what as a child, before this ride, I never had the courage to do: Try new things, make bold choices, and take chances. You never know what will come of it.
Do you like Rollercoasters? Or are you terrified like I was? Tell me about your rollercoaster experience! Follow me @deanahutch for more stories, film and food articles and more!
BONUS: Here's a front-seat POV of the ride:
(It's much slower on camera, that's for sure)