Dropping 31 stories on a rope

TO DEPEND or not to Depend, that was the question.

I agreed to rappel down a 31-story Center City building on Thursday. And as someone who doesn't even like to fly, there was a lot to consider.

Like diapers, in case of a midair accident. And, the 23 mph winds on top of One Logan Square. (At 25 mph, the pros put the rappel on hold. I was perfectly safe, but you try to convince yourself of that when you're up that high.)

As if that weren't bad enough, a couple of things became crystal clear while hanging on the side of the building. I could have used more junk in my trunk to get down faster. Also, some stronger arms to deal with the wind that had me swinging around a little more than I was prepared for at 418 feet.

But even with those challenges - did I mention the wind? - the experience more than met its objective: As I hung there, soaking in the panoramic view of the city, I was reminded of the rewards that often come from leaving your comfort zone.

So, no regrets. Plenty of inner dialogue with Baby Jesus. But no regrets.

That's the point of Philadelphia Outward Bound School, a gem of a program that organizes outdoor expeditions to teach team-building, leadership and to instill self-esteem and self-confidence to students from across the region, many from the city's most underserved communities.

The rappelling is its main fundraiser to offer scholarship support to about 4,000 students. By the time the event ended yesterday, 120 people - including Mayor Nutter - rappelled down the side of the building to raise more than $250,000.

So in addition to being a once-in-a-lifetime experience, there's a much bigger reason to put yourself out there.

I visited the Philadelphia Outward Bound School on West Sedgeley Drive before my plunge to talk to some Masterman students who were about to go camping.

Nina McPhaul, 15, a born-and-bred city girl, said she went into the Outward Bound experience a little scared, and not just about bugs. By the time she emerged from the woods the first time, she'd not only managed to kick a four-to-eight cups a day coffee habit, she also made important realizations about herself.

When an especially difficult section of rock-climbing proved to be too much on one trip, instead of beating herself up, she accepted that success doesn't always come on the first try.

"When I have that problem today, when I say I'm really scared, I'm comfortable [knowing that I can stop and try later] and be a lot more comfortable and a lot more happy doing it," she said.

David Ludwig, 17, said the program has been a confidence booster.

"It's helped me be a lot more positive, generally," he said. "School and life and work will bring you down a little but I try as hard as possible to stay overall positive."

Andrew Seibert's can-do attitude is why instructors chose him to be among the handful of students to rappel yesterday.

Like McPhaul and Ludwig, Seibert, 15, said Outward Bound had his broadened his outlook on the world around him.

"Especially for city kids, it puts you in a different element, one you're not used to," he said. "That's part of the challenge, being some place that's maybe foreign to you and doing something challenging on a whole other level."

Like scaring his mom, Kim, half to death as her "baby" scales the side of a building with a huge smile on his face.

He was excited to see if he could do it. Yesterday afternoon, alongside his pal, Jackson Foltz, he did.

"It was amazing," Seibert said.

That's the point, said Philadelphia Outward Bound School's executive director Katie Newsom Pastuszek.

"This program stems from the philosophy that if you do something you will never forget what you were able to do. If you're taught something you can forget it, if you're told something, you can forget it but if you do something it's pretty hard to forget what you've done."

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