Trying out the Zipline

Check out this first-timer’s zipline experience. . . .

The 7 a.m. ride on the Chile Express was both enchanting and a small taste of what was to come as I realized that I would be willingly jumping off of things as high or higher in just a few minutes.

I’m not exactly scared of heights, but I still had some anxiety about doing the zipline. We had a full group, eight of us. (And I was happy to see that I wasn’t the only one who was a little nervous about the experience.)

The start (as described by one of my fellow zipliners) was the Disney version. A nice short and minimally scary line to get everyone accustomed to how the equipment works. It took me a few times to convince myself to just lean back and go.

After those two lines, play time was over. The next two are 700-footers that go through trees, and let you pick up quite a bit of speed. I went first, which was awesome. I loved the speed, the views, and ESPECIALLY getting to see everyone else’s reactions as they flew into the landing area.

One woman in particular, who must have had quite a few reservations about doing the zipline, was my favorite. She was one of the last to go, and her friends were already on the platform with me. Once she landed, everyone was asking her what she thought. There were no words; just a giant ear-to-ear grin and giggles.

Schedule your own Zipline experience here.

Our guides Chase and Kevin were awesome. They obviously love their job. They provided a perfect mix of hyping us up at times, and reassuring us that everything was going to be OK when we were already amped up.

By the time we reached the biggest platform, an incredible 1600 foot side-by-side line over a canyon, there was no more nervousness or anxiety. All fear had faded away, and all that was left was the excitement ahead of us.

Kevin announced over the radio that the big guys would need to do the starfish halfway down the line. (Dropping legs, bowing elbows to airbrake.)

I was the last one to drop into the big kahuna. I took a moment to peek off to my left and appreciate the view. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Sure, I’ve ridden the Chile Express thousands of times. I’ve flown on planes. This was entirely unique.

The cool mountain air in my face as I flew at 40 miles an hour was incredible. I relaxed my legs and put my elbows out and made a move to steal one more look off towards Wheeler. Then before I knew it, I was back on the ground and we were hiking our way up towards the last platform.

One of the coolest parts of the zipline was doing it with a group of people from all different walks of life (and all over the country). Sharing the experience quickly made all of us friends. This adventure was one that left a smile on my face for many hours afterward.