I’m strapped in and waiting to take off. In an ultralight plane. Oh, and one more thing. I’m terrified, scared witless of heights. I freak out when I’m on top of a ladder. So, what am I doing here, sitting in the passenger seat of this tiny little trike plane on the top of a bluff in Spokane Washington?

It can all be summed up in one word:

Travel.

But let me give you the longer version of this story. I’m a woman that has on many occasions said: ‘no, I can’t,’ and in my lifetime I’ve also been told many times ‘no, you can’t.’

No I can’t afford to take two months off to backpack through Europe with my two best friends.

No you can’t work on this ship alongside of our male staff.

No I can’t do the Iron Woman Triathlon…

Last year, I decided to say ‘yes, I can.’

Yes, I can leave the job that I hate so much and do something I love.

Yes, I can take a risk and launch a travel website. Yes, I can travel.

That’s what led me to Prosser Butte, just outside of Spokane Washington, ready to spread my wings and take off. While on a travel assignment, I’d given a choice to try flying in the ultralight or to sit back and watch others enjoying this experience of a lifetime. I decided that ‘Yes I can.’

The flight, like this past year of my life, was exhilarating, freeing and scary fun.

Soaring high up in the sky, I saw the real beauty that exists in Washington State, the sparkling rivers, endless forests, cloud kissed mountains and brilliant blue sky. Flying in an ultralight allows you to get up close and personal with nature, skimming six feet over a corn field or flying over top of evergreen trees, feeling close enough to almost reach out and touch…

Thank you Denny Reed and Backcountry Aerosports for giving me the chance once again to say: ‘Yes, I can.’

Dian Emery on Google+