Marymoose walks on fire - for the moose of course! (Firewalking)

Member Name: marymoose

Product:	Firewalking
Date:	14/10/09 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting, something to tell the grandchildren, raised money for the moose

Disadvantages: Anti-climax, not empowering or life-changing experience

---The Invitation---
Back one weekend in February I was opening my post, and came across an intriguing invitation to take part in a sponsored firewalking event on 24th April at Edinburgh zoo. The invitation was from the zoo people (The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland to be precise), I get all sorts of stuff from them as a result of being the proud adoptive mother of several moose in Inverness (Lisa, Bob, Kol and Helka, and excitingly a baby who is the first moose born in the UK in over 1000 years!!!) who I have unfortunately not yet had the chance to meet.

Anyway, I sent hubby a text message (since he'd abandoned me) asking his permission - after all it would be him who had to care for me if I did lose my feet - and although confused as to why I'd want to do such a thing, he seemed ok with it.


---Signing my feet away... ---
I duly signed myself up for it, and paid my £25 deposit, and agreed to raise at least £150 in total (including the £25), proceeds going towards the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. Shortly afterwards I received more post - sponsorship forms (which I didn't use), and information about setting up an online fundraising page (which I did use - and for those who don't like that sort of thing I just took the cash from them and made the donation using my own bank card), and most importantly the disclaimer which I had to sign - basically saying that should anything go wrong I wouldn't have a leg (or indeed a foot) to stand on should I wish to sue them. Having satisfied myself with Internet research into firewalking that the risks were minimal I signed my feet away.


---April 2009---
We decided to make a weekend of it, and to do a bit of Edinburgh sightseeing. However, unfortunately only a week before I was due to be firewalking, I received a letter to say it had been postponed due to low numbers (What??? I thought there would be limitless numbers of people wanting to firewalk!), and I was extremely disappointed. The weekend away happened anyway, which was nice, but obviously no firewalk...


---A new date set - questions to ask---
With the new date set for 2nd October I was slightly concerned as I knew that we'd be trying for a baby mooseling by then, and I contacted the people running the firewalk (Blaze) to check that this wouldn't be a problem as I couldn't find conclusive advice anywhere on the Internet. They responded that so long as blood pressure was ok, and a person not more than 6 months pregnant (and liable to fall forwards), then it shouldn't be a problem. My mind was put at ease (as it happens I'm still not pregnant yet, so it didn't matter in the end anyway - but just in case anyone else does want to know, one can firewalk pregnant!). The issue really was the fact that people had sponsored me, so I still very much wanted to do it, so now I could put it all to the back of it my mind!
We had hoped to get a few people together and make another weekend of it in Edinburgh, but unfortunately this didn't happen. I was quite glad as the date approached since I was ill, and not sure if I'd actually be doing any firewalking anyway.


---Why am I doing this?---
It was just a couple of days before the firewalk that I started to wonder why I was actually doing this, especially since I wasn't feeling anywhere near to 100% healthy. My colleagues were asking me why I was going to walk on fire, and for the life of me I couldn't really work out why, except that I was doing it for the moose, and the koalas too (I do like the nice koalas in Edinburgh zoo).


---What is it exactly that I'd be doing?---
In a nutshell, walking barefoot across 20 feet of red hot coals burning at 1236 degrees Fahrenheit.


---Arrival at the Zoo---
Hubby and I arrived at Edinburgh Zoo pretty much on the dot at 5:45pm (and pleased to find no carpark charge at this time) when the doors were opening to the firewalkers. We'd spent the journey listening to an audiobook, so not much of a chance to think about what I was going to be doing!

Poor hubby was relegated to waiting in the carpark until the doors opened to spectators (I'd already paid £5 for a spectators ticket for him, although after the cancellation I actually did have 2 free guest passes) at 8pm (although he did venture across the road to the pub) while myself and several other eager/mad firewalkers were led towards our training session.


---Into the lecture theatre---
I was right at the front, eager to get in. I handed in a copy of my online sponsorship form to the admin people. For those who had done sponsorship in the old fashioned way (with forms and stuff), they had to give in a cheque (I think it could be post-dated so that people could collect money from sponsors afterwards). I could have raised more than I did if I'd pushed people. However, having been let down with the first cancellation I really didn't want to take money off other people in case it was cancelled again. As it happens I raised just over £200 (including my deposit), and it means I still have plenty of people I can make sponsor me next time I do something mad!

Those who hadn't yet signed the disclaimer had to do so at this point. Then, onto the T-shirt table where we got our bright yellow zoological society t-shirts (sizes ordered beforehand) and a name sticker, and then into a lecture theatre where we were greeted with a table full of water bottles and biscuits - nice touch.


---Waiting---
By the time I'd got my T-shirt on and sat down with a biscuit, it was probably about 6pm, and I got chatting to three other women. I'd been a bit worried beforehand that everyone would be in groups (there were some groups of friends all doing it) and I'd be all on my own, but thankfully it wasn't like that, and we were all in the same boat...or about to walk on the same fire anyway!

And we sat....and waited....and sat.....and waited.

People gradually arriving, probably spanning in age from about 18 to mid 50s, an equal mix of men and women - I think there were about 45 of us in total. One man was having a bit of a rest lying down by the side of the seats - perhaps it had got too much for him!
As it approached 7pm we were starting to wonder if anything was ever going to happen, and we were starting to get a bit bored of looking at the random animal skeletons in the room, and eager to get started on our "Learn or Burn" training seminar, when a man who looked like he might be something to do with firewalking appeared - he just had that look about him!


---Blaze---
Just after 7pm the man from Blaze introduced himself, and proceeded to spend about 5 minutes making jokes about his size (he was quite large), and telling us about the company, who specalise in firewalking, but also do other things such as glasswalking! Anyway, if you so desire, you can find out more on their website - www.blazefirewalking.com - and if after reading my review you'd like to set up your own corporate or charity firewalking (or maybe glasswalking?) event then you can find out the details there!


---Learn or Burn---
Being in this fantastic lecture theatre I'd expected we'd get some sort of short film to watch or something, but there was no multi-media presentation or anything like that (perhaps a bit disappointing), but then I suppose that they won't always be presenting in a nice lecture theatre!

Basically, the firewalk training was a combination of being talked to, and taking part in various exercises. Right at the start we were told that we wouldn't be hypnotised or anything like that (although our trainer told us he was a trained hypnotist), and I don't think we were (but then, would I really know?!) However, I had thought that firewalking would mainly be a mind over matter experience. I suppose to an extent it was (although as I'll talk about when I go through the actual experience, I think it was over too fast for it really to be any real experience like that) but I'm still left wondering a bit what the purpose of the 'training' was, except to leave outsiders in suspense about what we were actually doing in there.

My personal theory on how firewalking is possible (and our trainer told us some brilliant/bizarre ideas some of his past delegates have had) is that it's over so quickly that your feet don't get a chance to burn! That combined with the fact that everyone's cheering (etc), you just don't have time to think about it.

The trainer reassured us that in his 12 years of firewalks only one person he knew of had got a burn on their foot, and that was the size of the end of a pen, and disappeared with an ice cube applied to it. I can't say that I was particularly nervous though (I was confident that they wouldn't be letting people do something which is actually really dangerous). Other people seemed to be nervous, and I said that I was too in order to not look weird, and actually so as not to appear cocky. Quite honestly I'm more nervous before a team meeting at work (actually, they can be quite unpredictable!)


---The 'Exercises' ---
Since writing this review I have unfortunately been told that I was breaking copyright law by revealing what happened in the training session.

What I will say is that we had to participate in a number of exercises which were a bit like being back at primary school except far more embarrassing since I'm no longer of primary school age. These exercises made me feel pretty uncomfortable, and reminded me a bit of being at a pantomime, which I find excruciatingly painful! But I know that some people do enjoy audience participation type experiences, so others might enjoy it more than me!


---Don't get me wrong---
I realise I'm sounding quite negative. Really, the trainer was very good, he kept us entertained and laughing, and on the whole I enjoyed the 'training' session. It's just that this sort of exercise, and especially having to say "Wooohooo" does make me feel really uncomfortable and self-conscious.


---The Lighting of the fire---
At about 8:45pm we ventured outside. It was very dark (I think that's why we had been told to take torches, not that we used them), and slightly strange being at a zoo in the dark with the smell of the animals.

I spotted hubby who was playing with his camera, and ran over to give him my camera which he'd need to take a video of the firewalking. Then it was over to have a group photo taken, and watch the fire being lit, which was quite spectacular. However, it didn't instil fear in me as we'd been told it would, I really didn't feel bothered at all. Next job was for us to walk down the side of the firewalk and count the number of paces we took, I counted 8. Then back to the lecture theatre for last minute preparations.


---Last Minute Preparations---
We had been told all along that you can choose not to go ahead with the firewalk at any time (now that's hardly going to be an option is it after dragging hubby all that way?!), and that we would be asked two things before being allowed to make the walk. "What's your name?", and "Are you ready?" - we were told that if we had forgotten our names we would likely be held back!

Everything was going so quickly by this point, and we only just had time to do a practice walk in the room, two at a time, with everyone else cheering.


---The Firewalk! ---
When approaching the firewalk I realised that the people I'd been chatting to had got ahead of me, so I went towards the front to catch up with them. I was never really intending to be that near to the front (although I think the worst thing would be to go last), but that's how it worked out.

After a bit more raking of the hot coals, and as we took off our shoes and socks (I'd rolled my trousers up slightly too) our trainer did the first firewalk, basically to check it was all safe, and I suppose to demonstrate! Then almost instantly it was the next person, then the next person, and then it was me!

What's your name?
Mary!
Are you ready?
YES!

I walked across the fire as if I was on a mission, and as I did so several thoughts crossed my mind:
1. Buggar, my watch has just fallen off and I'm having to hold it while walking across the fire as I don't really want to lost my watch in the coals.
2. It feels warm, but not particularly hot, and not burning at all. In fact it's much hotter when you're stood on hot sand on the beach in a hot country.
3. I hope hubby's managed to get a good photo of me, and that he's also getting a film of me.

In reality the whole experience was over in seconds - it can be viewed on Facebook by those of you who are lucky enough to be my friends, but others will have to just imagine - not hard really as it's so dark (apart from when the camera flash went off) that you can hardly see anything!

Having walked across the fire I was eager to put my watch back on, and I remember the first firewalker (not the trainer) leaning on my shoulder while he put his shoes back on.
Whilst intermittently cheering (well, I felt I had to do my bit), clapping (I don't mind clapping) and shouting "More coals more coals" when everyone else did I wiped my feet (which I imagine were black - they were still dirty when I got home) on the wet grass and found my trainers and socks.

It did seem to take quite a while to get through all of the firewalkers, but it was probably only 5 minutes or so.


---Wine and Certificate---
After we were all done, and I'd long since found hubby and been satisfied with his pictures we headed into the Oasis Café (which is where hubby and other spectators had been waiting since 8pm). Firewalkers were given a glass (plastic) of wine, and we waited around for them to hand out our certificates. My name was read out first, and for some unknown reason the trainer gave my certificate to someone else, which I quickly grabbed off her.
Having seen everyone get their certificates, and saying goodbye to those I'd met that evening I headed back to the lecture theatre to grab my stuff, and then back to the carpark, and back to Cumbria.


---Final Thoughts---
Although I am glad that I had the firewalking experience, I do have to say that the whole thing was quite an anti-climax.

I had hoped that it was going to be this amazing empowering experience and that after doing it I'd feel that I could conquer the world. The woman at the zoo who had done it last year said she felt all these things, and what an absolutely amazing experience it was. But, it really wasn't.

The atmosphere was pretty good, and I'm not saying it was a bad experience, because it wasn't. However, I can't say I really felt any nerves at all (to put it into perspective, I feel more nerves before getting on a rollercoaster that I've already been on before), no blood pumping, no adrenaline. I felt no great sense of achievement, I didn't feel that I'd conquered any fear as I had no fear in the first place. So, whatever people say in response to this review, I certainly can't be accused of being brave, stupid perhaps, but not brave. My certificate says on it "Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to operate in spite of fear" - a nice enough quote, but I can't really say I had courage if I felt no fear can I?!

Perhaps the anti-climax was partly because I'd been waiting for it for so long, and possibly also because I wasn't feeling at my best. But hey, I did it, my feet didn't get burned (well, they were never really going to were they?) and it was an interesting evening which I'm certainly not going to forget, especially not having written an epic on it! And while I don't feel that I'm a changed person, at least I did something good for the moose in Inverness!

By all means go for it if it takes your fancy, just don't expect too much! My review can also be found on Ciao with photos if you want to see for yourself that I really did it!

Summary: By all means go for it if it takes your fancy, just don't expect too much!