Desmond Murray

One of my most memorable outdoor moments happened when I was 10 years old. I was in Thailand with my family and we were staying in some old bungalows near Koh Chang, an island off the Gulf Of Thailand. We packed a lunch in the morning and took a hike through the jungle to our local waterfall where we swam. Where the water fell into the gorge there was a beautiful swimming hole, and next to it a large cliff that you could jump off. My dad took me to the cliff and we started to climb up it. I was ecstatic! This is and has been one of my favorite things to do ever since I was little. As I made my way up the only thing I could think of was how fun it was going to be, climbing up 40ft and lunging into the water. That was until my dad said "Hey Des, careful for scorpions and snakes when you're going up." When I heard this I turned around immediately and almost knocked him off the cliff, but he stopped me and said, "It's ok, I'll go first." So I followed him up to the point where the cliff jetted out and looked down to the water below. The people down there looked little, and I could tell by my moms body language that she was worried. My dad jumped first and when he popped his head up from the water he started talking to me, but before he could get out a few words I had already jumped! AHhhhhhhhh!!!!! Splash! Wooooo Hooooo!!! When I popped my head up I had a huge smile on my face! My dad looked worried for a second but quickly it turned to elation. I have always been somewhat of a water monkey but since that day every time I get out in the wilderness and see water, its the first thing I think about.