"Adventure Activities" class in college

1997:  During my senior year in college, I took a class called "Leadership and Adventure Activities".  Over the course of the semester, the class went indoor rock climbing, went rappelling down a cliff face, did a ropes course, went hiking on the Appalachian trail and went rafting on the Lehigh River.  This was an inspiring class to me because it sparked my desire to push myself to do things out of my comfort zone and to frame new challenges as exciting new experiences.

swimming with dolphins in key largo, florida

2003: On a trip to Miami for an academic conference, I went swimming with dolphins in Key Largo with a colleague.   In hindsight, I regret doing this and wouldn't participate with swimming with captive dolphins again.  While it was an interesting experience, these dolphins should be free in the ocean and not used in this way.  (A place in New Zealand does a "dolphin encounter" experience where you can swim alongside free dolphins in the ocean.)

paragliding and jet-skiing in malaysia

2007: Penang, Malaysia

skydiving in hawai'i

2007:  North Shore of Oahu, video from my camera strapped around my wrist

hang gliding in new york state

2015:  New York State

indoor skydiving

2016

WHITEWATER RAFTING ON THE LEHIGH RIVER

2017

hot air balloon ride in bucks county, pa

2017

zero gravity flight

2018: A ride on the "Vomit Comet" aka a "reduced gravity" flight - 15 parabolas in a plane with about 22 seconds of weightlessness when at the top of each arc as we fall toward the earth.  With only approximately 15,000-20,000 people having done this in the history of humankind, this is inarguably the coolest, most unique thing I've ever done! (...and, no, I did not vomit!).