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Bits ‘n’ Pieces; 3 generations descend from the skies

By Stover E. Harger III
Published: November 8, 2014, 12:00am
2 Photos
Juli Bradley/courtesy photo
Juli Bradley and her son Liam stand on the rim of Mount St. Helens in July. Nearly 18 years earlier, Bradley, then a backcountry ranger with the U.S. Forest Service, regularly climbed the mountain as part of her job while pregnant with her son.
Juli Bradley/courtesy photo Juli Bradley and her son Liam stand on the rim of Mount St. Helens in July. Nearly 18 years earlier, Bradley, then a backcountry ranger with the U.S. Forest Service, regularly climbed the mountain as part of her job while pregnant with her son. Photo Gallery

First she watched her 78-year-old mother take a brave leap out of the airplane.

Then her 18-year-old son.

Though she had fears about falling through the air on her first skydiving trip on Oct. 19 in Mollala, Ore. — a birthday present for her adventurous son LiamJuli Bradley knew it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

“I’m watching them pile out the door and I’m like ‘holy smokes,’ ” said Bradley, who lives in Camas. “I did not want to miss this chance. I thought, ‘I’m going to do this.’ “

And in a split-second, she was out the door too, strapped to a skydiving specialist just as her son and mom, Carol Schafer, were. An intense one-minute free fall at 120 miles an hour soon gave way to a mind-blowing, relatively relaxed descent once she released her parachute.

When she softly landed and met up with her family on the ground, Bradley was certain it was a memory she and her mother and son would cherish forever. Because the three generations did it together.

“I couldn’t have imagined a better time to go skydiving than to go with your family,” Bradley said. “Going with my mom and my son was one of the highlights of my life and I think it probably was for them too.

“(My mom) was ready once she landed to go right back up,” Bradley said with a laugh.

Eighteen years earlier in 1996, Bradley was already sharing special journeys with her son. But he doesn’t remember those because he was still just a bulge in her belly.

A U.S. Forest Service ranger for much of the 1990s, Bradley’s job was to regularly climb Mount St. Helens. So, after consulting with her doctor when she got pregnant, it felt natural to continue climbing for as long as reasonably possible. She did that up until her seventh month carrying Liam.

“I enjoyed that job and I enjoyed doing it pregnant,” Bradley said. “I felt strong and healthy.”

Climbers she would meet on the mountain remarked that her unborn son was sure to grow up to share his mom’s enthusiasm for living life to its fullest.

And that’s what happened.

“We talked about it off and on that it’s in his DNA, it’s in his blood,” Bradley said.

An avid skier, she introduced Liam to the slopes when he was only 14 months old. And as a scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 554, Bradley had the chance to share many exhilarating experiences with her son over the years, from snow caving to rafting trips.

Liam, a Camas High School senior and cross country runner who is now in the midst of reaching his Eagle Scout rank, asked his grandma Schafer for a special birthday present when he turned 13. He wanted to go skydiving. So when he turned 18 last month, Schafer not only kept her promise but agreed to join her grandson in the air.

It wasn’t until Bradley got to the skydiving spot with her mom and son that she learned they expected her to do it too.

“I haven’t backed down from too many things,” Bradley said. “We walked away feeling more alive than ever.”

An adventurous spirit runs down Bradley’s family tree.

She fondly recalls her first time up Mount St. Helens in 1977 with her late father, Lee Rosenkranz, for her 19th birthday. The pair ate chocolate cake together when they finally reached the old summit.

In July, Bradley and Liam also went up the mountain, the same trip they took when she was pregnant with him. But this one, he’ll remember.

“Doing this with my son was really meaningful to me,” she said.

Bradley hopes when Liam has a family that he’ll share similar experiences with his children. Just like her parents did with her, and she has done with him.

“Life is good,” Bradley said. “Life is meant to be lived.”

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