The Zip Lines

My brave friends invited me to join their group going zip lining through Forest Adventure. I had experience running the zip line when I worked at the 4-H camp, so I was excited to show off how well I could handle heights! Unfortunately, I showed up woefully unprepared. I wore long shorts for the harness and brought two water bottles to keep in the car, but it wasn't enough.

"Where is your hat?" my friends asked when I arrived. I laughed a little as I explained we would all be wearing helmets, of course!

"How will you carry your water?" was the next question as everyone else strapped on backpacks. You can't wear those on a zip line, can you?

I was wrong on both counts. Safety was a little more lax at this zip line than the one I worked at. No helmets were available and you could carry whatever you wanted on the zip line with you. My friend Tonie carried a bottle of water for me in her backpack after the guide warned me about the five cases of heat stroke the day before. She pretty much saved me from passing out. It was so, so hot, and, despite the fact we were zip lining in the jungle, there was no shade on the course.

We stood in the sun as the guide explained how to use our carabiners attached to our harness. We had two: one for safety as we climbed up the rope ladders or stood on the platforms and the other was our zip trolley. We went through a practice course about six feet off the ground as our guide watched, but then we were left on our own to strap ourselves in at every station.

There were about eight stations of obstacles or zip lines that took about an hour to complete. I was so hot, there was no hesitation when I got to the top of the line. All I wanted was the slight breeze to cool off! I don't know if I have ever sweat so much in my whole life. When you reached the end of the zip line there was a pile of wood chips. In theory you could land on your feet, but seven out of eight times I hit my back and rolled. The dirt from the landing mixed with the sweat, so by the end I was covered in mud.

Hooking myself to the zip line, sweat running down my face.

There was an additional high ropes course, but I had to sit out with a water bottle at the shaded picnic tables. I felt pretty wimpy as everyone else continued zip lining, but as I looked back on the heights I had climbed I guess for a wimp I was pretty brave.