Growing up in Eastern Colorado there were two things I had little, if no, experience with and never developed a like for. Deep water and high places.

In a region with about 12 inches of annual precipitation, I grew up without seeing much deep water. We had the Poudre River which ran too fast to get in when it was deep enough to swim in. Then the water was 34 degree snow melt, not many opportunities for swim lessons. Later I moved farther east to South Platte River country, often described as a mile wide and an inch deep. No diving lessons there. To this day, I don’t like deep water...