WRAL's own Spiderman: Bryan Mims rappels 30 stories off downtown Raleigh high-rise for charity
Yet another member of the WRAL TV news team has gone "Over the Edge" to raise money for the Special Olympics of North Carolina. Bryan Mims rappelled 30 stories down a high-rise in downtown Raleigh on Friday.
He says it was one of the greatest thrills of his life.
He described the experience in all his storytelling glory, saying, "It's like a seatbelt for your car. Right about the time they snap you into the harness, that's when the 'gravity' of it all sets in."
Just as the harness goes 'click,' your mind clicks, too, telling you, "This is crazy" as you try not to look down.
Dangling 30 stories over the Raleigh skyline, Mims got himself a 'crash' course – now there's a poor choice of words' – on rappelling.
"If for some reason you go too fast," the instructor explains, "It has a panic feature."
In truth, this is all incredibly safe. Over The Edge is a company of people who know what they're doing. Co-workers like Ken Smith, Elizabeth Gardner and Aimee Wilmoth have all taken the same plunge in years past.
The ropes are strong enough to hold a Hummer. Grab on with both hands and just sit back – relax – over the 400-foot drop.
Imagine smiling and talking live on TV while dangling over the city.
SpiderMims makes the drop, slide-jumping down the side of the Wells Fargo high-rise. He waves to people at their desks through the windows. He drops in on people eating lunch in their offices. Just on the other side of the window pane, people are safely sitting down in their normal workday, instead of soaring over their city.
But the fear has flown away, morphed into euphoria. It's more fun than you realize.
It's "true awesomeness," said Mims.
Below him, the song 'Staying Alive' blares, a comforting reminder. He stayed alive. He raised money for the athletes of the Special Olympics that overcome their own skyscrapers with courage and determination everyday.
"Help me take my fundraising to new heights in this experience of a lifetime as I raise awareness for nearly 40,000 North Carolina athletes across the state," he wrote on his fundraising page.
But when it was all said and done, he had to say, "Standing on solid ground never felt so good."
Help SpiderMims save the day! You can still help him raise money for the Special Olympics by donating on his fundraiser page.
