October Vacay — Zipline Tour

Let me begin this post by telling you something about myself…

I am deathly afraid of heights.

Deathly.

As in, I had a panic attack at the zoo, when I let my husband convince me to take a ride with him on the ski lift that took us around the park.

So what am I doing, standing in front of an all-terrain vehicle, just moments before a zip-line tour took off?

Yeah, I don’t know either.

Other than I really love my husband, and he thought that this would be something fun for us to do together.

I think that it was somewhere between the time I had to sign a waiver (in the case I should die) and had to get fitted with a helmet and safety gear, I began to wonder why I hadn’t married a librarian.  You know, someone who thinks that going to a book sale is an adrenaline rush.

I’m all about book sales.

But no, suddenly I was climbing across a swaying ladder and stepping onto a platform… feet above the tree-tops.

Just look at that evil grin on my husband’s face.  It’s like he’s actually enjoying this!  (Actually after talking to him about this first jump, he said that he was thinking, “What did I get myself into?”).

I was thinking the same thing.  I was also wondering what would be scarier: jumping… or climbing back over that wobbly bridge.

It was finally my turn to go.  The tips of my feet were just touching the edge of the platform.  A cliff, really.  There was nothing between me and a fall to the tree tops below.

And I was supposed to jump.

Just when I was thinking, “This is it, I can’t do this, and I am going to have to be a chicken in front of everyone” and “Wow, I am really going to vomit… or faint,” I jumped.

Exhilarating is an understatement.  The scenery opened up all around me and suddenly I was soaring above the treetops, looking out across the forest at the mountains rising above them.  It was so breathtaking that I almost forgot that I was horrified beyond belief.

Almost.

When my feet touched the solid ground, I was shaking uncontrollably and a few tears were crawling down my face.  (From the wind, of course).  😉

But I had done it!  I had totally risen above my fears!

But now wasn’t the time to celebrate, because I had several more jumps ahead of me.  Our tour guide informed us that the next jump was going to be taller, faster, and longer than this first.

Great…  It was nice knowing you…

And what our tour guide failed to mention was that there would be more bridges… And platforms without railings, which happened to rock back and forth with the wind.  And ladders.

Oh, how I hate ladders.

The last jump was probably the worst in all honesty.  My adrenaline had run out, and I was losing my nerve.  It was also the steepest jump.  Almost like free-falling.

But it was too late to back out now, even if I felt like fainting as I stood up on the platform and waited for my turn to come.  😉

I must say that it does feel great when you over-come your fears though.  When you decide to do something, even though you’re deathly afraid of it.

So, am I glad I did it?  For sure!

Would I do it again?

Definitely… not.  🙂