It is antithetical to human nature to back off a cliff – or for that matter the roof of the 200 foot high Hilton   Meadowlands hotel. But that is exactly what I and about 35 other people did last Saturday in East Rutherford as we rappelled down the 21-story building overlooking the Meadowlands with a bird’s eye view of Manhattan. 

And it was all for a good cause, the environmental efforts of the Highlands Coalition, whose  mission is to protect the natural and cultural resources of the New Jersey Highlands region and  its supply of clean drinking water on which 70 percent of all New Jersey residents depend. 

The coalition itself could not resist wry humor when promoting the event, saying “The New  Jersey Highlands Coalition will take environmental awareness to new heights this Earth Day  weekend” when announcing the event with the urban rappelling organization Over the Edge. 

Its poster features a play on words, showing a drop of water: “Welcome to Over the Edge  because every drop counts.” 

Although I have rappelled before as part of the four Outward Bound courses I have taken over  the years – the first one being 51 years ago at a Colorado Outward Bound course in the San Juan  range of the Rockies – it certainly is never boring or repetitive. 

And besides it being for a good cause, I thought it was an apt way to celebrate my 71st birthday.  It may be over the edge, but I am not over the hill, or some subconscious urge like that. 

It went like clockwork, which I imagine any potentially lethal fund-raising event must be to be successful. The Halifax, Canada-based business Over the Edge leads urban rappelling events to  raise money for non-profits all over the world and has partnerships with hotel chains  internationally. 

In fact last Saturday in addition to the Highlands Coalition event, the group had similar outings planned in Woodlands, Texas, Pensacola, Fla., and Durham, N.C. It is that first step off the cliff – or roof in this case – that gets your adrenaline going. Then after that, it is simply one step at a time – just like life. 

Forget all that stuff you see with people bounding off the side of the cliff. That is just for show and it wreaks havoc on what or who is holding the rope on the other end. 

Some 36 people went over the edge – I won’t say ”took the plunge” – on Saturday and raised  more than $55,000 to date in doing so. 

The rappellers were in a festive mood as they started gathering around 9 a.am. in the lobby of  the hotel to sign in, sign waivers, get their Highlands Coalition/Over The Edge green T-shirt and  silently hope this was not the last time they were going to say goodbye to their friends and loved  ones. Only kidding. 

What a way to celebrate Earth Day by silently hoping you were going to return to earth safely  from 200 feet up. 

The rappellers were divided into groups, with scheduled descent times, two at a time. The first  stop was to get outfitted, with helmets, ropes and other gear, in other words a full-body  industrial harness. 

The second stop was to learn how to manage the ropes and the speed of one’s descent, using  what the pros called an “industrial descender, ” a lever with which you can control your speed.  Should you go too fast, the back-up device will engage, and you will stop. 

It was a mechanical device I did not quite master. My previous rappelling experiences had  involved controlling the ropes manually; this adventure including learning how to manage a  lever. 

Let’s just say, mine was not a graceful descent and while I started out just fine, about halfway down I found myself  

resembling an upside-down turtle, desperately in search of the windows of the building on which to place my feet. I never feared the event would be the end of me. The mechanics of the apparatus itself and the safeguards and professionals on the ropes above and below me assured me of that. But I really did not want one of the many  pros to have to come and rescue me. 

Floor by floor, I lowered. One story down, good. Next story down, not so good. Will I ever get  the hang of this lever thing, I thought? 

Mercifully, the end was in sight – and not with a splat. 

Was it pretty? No. 

Was it great fun? Absolutely yes! 

Would I do it again? Of course. There is always my 72nd birthday.