Mary Russell Keene, who is studying communications at the University of Alabama, soars over the Swiss Alps while skydiving with Skydive Interlaken. Photo courtesy Skydive Interlaken

My daughter in Europe pings me a text message. My eyes adjust to the light of my cellphone. It’s 5:30 a.m. in Austin, Texas.

Is she wearing a neon jumpsuit? Are those mountains? I fumble for my glasses, struggling to read a message accented by parachuting emojis.

“Surprise! Sorry Mom, asking for forgiveness here. Best experience of my life!”

What the…? Did she have permission to skydive?

My throat tightens as I see my college-aged daughter grinning from the open door of a helicopter before she and her instructor swan dive into the clouds.

Shaking my head, I cannot imagine what it feels like to skydive. My daughter Mary Russell, though, clues me in.

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“My cheeks burned from the sub-zero windchill 2 miles above the earth as I plummeted through the air at 120 mph,” she tells me later, describing tiny ice crystals that clinked against her goggles and snow-capped mountains that rose beneath her feet.

Was she scared? You bet.

“My heart beat like hummingbird wings and my stomach churned as the helicopter took off,” she said. “I felt like I was in fight or flight mode, then realized ‘OK, I’m here. I’m really doing this.’”

More than 3 million people around the world skydive every year, according to the United States Parachute Association. Thousands of those experienced and first-time skydivers – including, apparently, my own daughter – take the “ultimate plunge” in Interlaken, a quiet resort town in Switzerland known for the sport.

My daughter has always wanted to skydive. When she wrapped up a semester in Barcelona this year, she got soft permission from her father to do it in Switzerland. She booked the jump – made from a helicopter, not a plane – at Skydive Interlaken. Afterward she described the ride, which cost about $500 U.S., as unforgettable.

“I could barely catch my breath during a 45-second free fall that seemed to last for hours,” Mary Russell said. “When the instructor deployed the parachute, we glided for about 8 minutes in silence. The wind rolled against my flight suit as we sailed above lakes and matchbox-sized trucks on the highway far below.”

When she landed safely in a drop zone plush with tall, soft grasses, she understood that skydiving isn’t just about the adrenaline rush. It builds confidence that puts fear – and imagined fear – into perspective.

Before booking any skydiving trip, check the company’s safety records and make sure they use licensed guides.

And please, warn your parents before you take the plunge.