Royal Gorge Bridge, Colorado, USA
10•04•03

This is something you don't see every day. For some, it's just too difficult to watch. Base jumpers parachuted Friday off the Royal Gorge Bridge west of Canon City. Base jumpers get their thrills from parachuting off stationery objects.

"It's a real honor to have the ability to come here and jump, legally, so to speak, and we'll leave it at legally," says a base jumper who calls himself Donk. "It's almost like a prize that's out there," says event organizer Heather Hill. "It's a location that people look at and they don't have access to."

The bridge swings from steel cables 1,053 above the Arkansas River. After a brief free fall the jumpers pop open their parachutes and float down, trying not to bump into the canyon walls. In some spots the canyon is less than 100 feet wide.

Only experienced jumpers were invited. There's no room for error. "You want to have at least about 100 base jumps before you even think about coming to a place like here," says Donk. Adrenaline is the attraction and the jumpers get a rush every time. "If you're not freaked out every time you go off on an object, you should re-evaluate because it's a pretty scary thing."

A base jumping competition happens all day Saturday and Sunday at the Royal Gorge