Stories
Friendship Ties and Adrenaline Highs
Story and photos by: Ava Bumgarner
The breeze is faint against the early evening air as he grips onto the side of the platform. His eyes briefly fall to the flow of the murky river below, and he lets them wander there for a moment. Within a swift motion of his arms, he propels himself into the air, gracefully falling into the open air below.
Stretched out across the Kentucky River, the historic 1,659-foot Young’s High Bridge is home to Vertigo Bungee. Though it is more of a home to a group of friends, because without this bridge, they would rarely see each other.
In 2013, four friends from Washington state purchased the bridge for $105,000 and transformed old railroad into an adrenaline junkie’s paradise.
After years of long hours spent working and clearing out brush across the street, the friends have since completely turned the area into their own escape from reality where they can all come together and do what they love: bungee jumping.
“I think that the group atmosphere is just something that organically shaped here. Just from the way that we used to do it back in the day, where we met people in the parking lot, and would go to an abandoned bridge and jump,” Frutos said.
Their group chemistry and the memories have been something the friends have cherished whether that be through their interactions with each other or strangers.
Seeing new people come out onto the bridge from all kinds of backgrounds reminds Frutos of when the Vertigo jumpers first met. Everyone comes to the bridge for a different reason, and it is not always to just feel the adrenaline rush.
“Sometimes they’re going through cancer treatment, a divorce and they just need some other challenge to accomplish, you know to get them past a rough patch,” Frutos said. “That’s actually pretty common… I’ve actually seen people change because of jumping. They look like a completely different person when they came back. Whatever was going on, it’s not going on anymore.”
Over the years, the guys have slowly added onto their friend group as they met more and more people. Other adrenaline junkies such as Redbull athlete Brian Grubb have found a family within the jumpers and have made it a point to come up to Kentucky to spend time with the people he cherishes most.
The Orlando native has been bungee jumping with the Vertigo guys since the early 2000’s after meeting them through a mutual friend in Washington. Grubb has always found the camaraderie and teamwork involved in bungee jumping with the guys to be something he enjoys.
“These guys are all from the Pacific Northwest, so we’ve jumped a lot of the bridges in Washington, Oregon and California. But you know, a lot of those jumps are in the middle of the night, and we’re not really supposed to be there,” Brian Grubb said. “But I mean we’re just stealing altitude, and those missions are really fun. Every jump, every bridge is a different height, so you gotta know how much cord to use. I kind of fell in love with all these air sports, like with Vertigo Bungee and hanging out with these guys, it’s so cool.”
Vertigo Bungee will re-open in May for the 2025 jumping season.
No Rest for Chris Glass
Story and photos by: Delaney Wells
The school bell rings loudly through the halls of Anderson Country High School and head Principal Chris Glass has been busy around the school all morning.
He greets every student and staff member with a smile, fist bump, or big hug.
“I do it for the students,” Glass said.
Glass has been the head principal at ACHS for 12 years and started off as a teacher. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a B.A. and M.A. in education. But his career didn’t start out that way.
Glass originally entered college as an engineering major. A lover of math and problem solving, it was a career that would fit him perfectly.
But not as perfectly as teaching.
“I have just always loved working with kids and coaching,” Glass said about why he switched majors.
There is not a point throughout the school day that Glass is not working or physically walking around the school.
As he travels through the halls, he gets stopped by students and faculty who are drawn to his personality and want to tell them how their day is going and what is happening in their lives.
“Every day is different,” Glass said as he was occupied every minute of the day. Whether he is attending an assembly, observing a classroom, or dealing with a medical emergency.
Although the day can be filled with chaos, there are short quiet moments in each of them.
All that can be heard while he sits in his office is typing on his computer as he edits the weekly newsletter. But as soon as that is finished, it is time to walk the halls again to observe another teacher.
“It’s always like this,” Glass said, “and it does get exhausting.”
But through the exhaustion, he remains engaged with everyone he comes across. He asks the people around him genuine questions and connects with them on a personal level.
Teaching and guiding students is what he was meant to do. His career fits him perfectly and he is good at it.
Although the days are long and there is always an event to attend or problem to solve, it is clear that Glass loves what he does and cares for those around him.