ESTES PARK, Colorado -- Rappelling several hundred feet down the rock face is sheer fun for me. Hummingbirds zip by with their telltale cricket-like chirps, the air is still and the stream below is a calming noise.Lowering myself onto the bright red portaledge is another thing. Thats when the nerves kick in. Its a nylon cot -- no bigger than two sleeping bags -- jutting out from the wall.This, Im thinking, is the most ridiculous thing Ive done lately. And Im really glad I didnt give my mom the details beforehand. For the past hour, my sister, Leah, and I have been hiking, scrambling and shimmying our way up a granite crag covered in neon-green lichen.We had signed up to spend the entire night sleeping (or not sleeping) in a tent on this portaledge, which, by the way, sways back and forth with the breeze. That said, why in the world would someone willingly do this?My past camping excursions were fairly tame. My rock-climbing experience was limited. Even though I am extremely comfortable with heights, I still had no idea how Id react. Would I feel like I had vertigo up there? Would my brain allow me to actually fall asleep on the side of a cliff?I had my doubts.Still, cliff camping was simply something I had to try. Its a new extreme getaway offered by Kent Mountain Adventure Center in Estes Park. Though professional climbers do it regularly, average joes like me dont.Until now.Sure, there are plenty of ways to get to know Estes Park -- mountain biking, horseback riding and snowshoeing to name a few. Just being surrounded by the Rockies is amazing in itself. Flanked by Roosevelt National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park is a place where elk freely roam the streets, wide-open spaces abound and outdoorsy folks have plenty to do.However, cliff camping is arguably the biggest nail-biter. And for good reason. Once on the portaledge, you are up 300 feet -- or about 18 stories. Your abode for the night towers above the forested hilltops and offers up dreamy views of 14,259-foot Longs Peak, Jurassic Park (a series of supercool domes) and the continental divide from Twin Sisters. In other words, bragging rights are certainly earned on this trip.Our day begins around 10 a.m. with us packing our meals and hiking up to base camp. With a brief tutorial on big-wall climbing, we make our way up the rock. Every now and then, a peregrine falcon makes its presence known with the loudest bird shrieks Ive ever heard. She is on major mama-bird duty, teaching her babies to fly. We are in awe.Afterward, we rappel several hundred feet to the ledge. Once there, it takes at least 30 minutes for me to feel OK looking over the edge. It takes another 30 for me to remove my helmet. Geeking out over it all, we FaceTime with our parents (surprisingly, the cell phone reception is exceptional), and only now do they realize what cliff camping actually entails.By 6 p.m., our guide, TJ, lowers down dinner in a basket (his portaledge hangs above ours). As we scarf it down, he tells us that only a handful of us nonclimbers have conquered cliff camping so far, and its designed so that most anyone can do it, climber or not. Scaredy-cat, or not. I dont wholeheartedly agree. Its challenging enough that a certain dose of bravery and athletic ability are required.As epic adventures typically go, things keep getting more and more surreal. As the sun paints the Rockies in a golden hue, a hummingbird visits us at eye level, its tiny wings flapping 50 times per second. Its at this moment that I realize Im sharing a view with my sister that few will ever experience.Once darkness settles in and the alpine air conditioning kicks on, we glance up at the stars. And after a complicated potty break that involves a GoGirl device, very little privacy and lots of worrying about falling over the ledge, we dont even consider any other normal bedtime rituals. Instead, we both doze off.Altogether, I get spurts of sleep that likely add up to at least four hours. Each time my sister moves, I imagine how I might roll off the edge and need to call TJ for help. There is no barrier on this nylon rectangle preventing me from doing that.I am harnessed in, so I cant go very far. The thought of rolling over, though, is still very freaky. Its a matter of reminding myself over and over that I am safely attached to the rope.Fortunately, I remain securely snuggled in my sleeping bag all night. The winds pick up enough that we pull the tent flaps down. It is actually strangely cozy.In the morning, we watch the sun rise and eat omelets prepared by TJ in his portable stove, which hangs from the side of the cliff. We rappel to the ground and talk about how we will tell this story to our grandkids one day. Until then, would we do it again? Absolutely. Sneakers Pas Cher Chine . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. Sneakers Pas Cher France . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. http://www.sneakerspascherenligne.fr/ . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. Site Sneakers Pas Cher Fiable . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. 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Warren Gatland was embarrassed to be a Kiwi when the New Zealand Herald mocked up Australia coach Michael Cheika as a clown.New Zealand saw off Australia 37-10 at Aucklands Eden Park on Oct. 22 to secure a record 18th consecutive Test victory.The New Zealand Herald had depicted Australia boss Cheika as a clown in their sports pages on the morning of the match, with the Wallabies coach later branding the treatment disrespectful.British and Irish Lions head coach Gatland watched on as New Zealands double world champions set yet another record in Auckland, but admitted being ashamed by the actions of some of his countrymen.To be honest with you, and I dont mind you printing this, I was at Eden Park watching the game a couple of weeks ago and as a Kiwi I was embarrassed, said Gatland, who was quick to stress none of his feelings were directed at the All Blacks themselves.Theres the clown stuff in the Herald. One of the things Ive been proud of as a Kiwi, I always thought we showed a lot of humility.As a Kiwi I was sitting in the stands watching the game and I was a little bit embarrassed.Thats something as New Zealanders, in the past weve prided ourselves on that, tried to do that, and tried to be humble about the success of the rugby team.It was the first time, and this is just my opinion, that I found myself saying were better than thiss.ddddddddddddGatland will lead the Lions to his homeland on the 2017 tour, and will name his backroom coaching staff on Dec. 7.The Wales boss revealed he was considering taking two specialist attack coaches on the 10-match tour, as kit manufacturer Canterbury launched the official Lions 2017 jersey.Gatland praised the All Blacks constant drive for improvement, despite Steve Hansens men scaling previously unreachable Test arena heights.Insisting the New Zealand set-up were not likely to cross the line between confidence and arrogance, Gatland said: I dont think the All Blacks are doing that.There has been some history between Cheika and Hansen -- thats come out on a few occasions.But anything thats come out of the squad and the team, theyve tried to play things down and just talked about trying to improve as a squad.Theyve definitely taken the game to another level at the moment.I dont think the other southern-hemisphere teams are as strong as they have been at the moment.Theres a proportion at the moment in New Zealand where its arrogance and not humility.I still think you can be proud but show humility and show respect.Canterburys new British & Irish Lions Jersey is available to buy at www.canterbury.com ' ' '