Ziplining - a personal bird's eye view

Well, this is what I get for letting John come up with a date day - zip lining! "WTH?" I said, incredulously. "Are you aware I'm a 53 year old overweight woman with nails?" He was and so off we went Sept 17, 2011 to wild, wonderful West Virginia (yes, really) for our very own zip line tour. OMG - I haven't laughed as hard in ages.

Ziplining, in case you're not familiar with this extreme sport, is when a crazy person (ie, me) shimmies into a harness, is attached by two lines to a thick overhead cable and steps off a perfectly good platform about 100 feet up in the air to go zipping through the air to the next platform. Crazy, you say? Yes, yes indeed it is, but ziplining is also the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

Come along with me as I detail our day, including bonus videos! Yes, they're that funny!

sports / ziplining / zip lining / west virginia / outdoor sport

Updated 2DEC12

Click on any of the below pictures to get more information.

John found a new zipline here in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia - it wasn't just ziplining, it was an agility course too which is why they call it a "Canopy Tour." "WTF" was what I said this time around! "An agility course - a canopy tour? The last time I was on a canopy tour was when I stayed in a great hotel in the islands....

Anyway, in typical Lori fashion, I asked John "Are you aware that I'm an out of shape, overweight, 53 year old with a 94 year old Mama to care for?" He was and off we went after I assured him that he would inherit Gertie if anything happened to me. And, let me tell you, this was one time I was glad I hadn't toted her along with us. I wouldn't have had to worry about what she was going to eat for dinner as seeing her youngest daughter step off a platform 100 feet in the air would have killed her.

Anyway, I digressed so let me continue our zip lining introduction.

We arrived an hour early to sign the waivers(which were a bit voluminous) and then get a short lecture about ziplining safety, what to do, and, equally as important, what not to do. I found it interesting that the guides asked the group twice in 15 minutes if anyone needed to use the bathroom. Well, after hearing the full lecture, I decided it was prudent to visit the latrine. Good move.

Hint #1: Enter a zipline course with an empty bladder (and empty other parts too). You might have a few "pucker moments...."

Since I am now in love with the sport, I've been looking around for some things that would improve my zipline experience. I took my new Sony camera which did pretty well but I'd love to have had a helmet with a camera!

The below are some things I've got my eye on to help with my next ziplining experience. Click any picture for best pricing and exact specifications of the ziplining equipment. John has a 3D camera that he won't let me touch and my Sony does take 3D pictures but not 3D video.

Ardinbir Breathable Waterproof Wind-proof Outdoor Sport Camp Fishing/HUNTING Gloves

Zipline Helmet Action Cam DVR Wireless Video Recorder - This would have been cool!

Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 Digital Camera with 3.5-Inch LCD

...but I screamed anyway.

I guess they give you this little teeny zipline to sort of get you used to the feeling so, in the picture below, I'm perched on a rock and about to zipline over to the first platform. Now, I wasn't stepping off that rock, no sirree Bob. No way. The guide, quite sadly, had to push me off which is how I entered every single zipline. Maybe not the most graceful of the group, or the most thrilled (initially) but I really got into ziplining.

This platform was only about 30 feet off the ground but, still, stepping off that perfectly good rock seemed silly to me. But, here I go!

The zip line platforms are way up in the air and are suspended by ropes so taking videos is shaky.

The dreaded swinging wooden bridge.

My anticipation level of zip lining was a piece of cake compared to my fear of the two swinging bridges we had to cross (that's the part about a small piece of hell mixed in...). The first bridge was not too bad but it was very wobbly when two people were on it at once and, we were suspended up around 40 feet or so off the ground.

John of course ran through the bridge in no time flat - he was, after all, an ex-marine and ex-army too....Check out the video below of the show off.

I certainly didn't look like this when I was teetering on this rope bridge...

Was I crazy to go ziplining (remember, I'm 53, overweight and have finger nails)...

If you're really into zip lining (or have a death wish), building your own zip line might be for you. I sure wouldn't do it as I trip going up the steps - the last thing I need is to be responsible for my own safety on my very own zip line.

Here's some zip lining DIY on Amazon if you're interested. The first two items are for adults and the last two are to build a small zip line for children.

For the one and only time, I volunteered to be first off the platform to zip line across. This was a big triumph for me...until I went to step off the platform.

climbing ladders

Now, these ladders didn't particularly bother me as I was tethered to both John and there was a safety belay on both of us. The tallest of these ladders was probably 30 feet or so. The worst part was knowing that, by climbing the ladder, the platform we were supposed to zip line from was up there...

Now we're talkin....

I hope to zipline in Costa Rica which is supposed to be the most beautiful zip line of all.

The dreaded cable bridge

This cable bridge along the zip line course scared the hell out of me, initially. But, as I started to become more confident, it really wasn't too bad. The key was to not look down as it was suspended about 70 feet in the air. Of course, there was all kinds of safety equipment on us so, even if we tripped, we weren't going to go too far.

How about leaving me a comment about the lens? I'd love to hear from you.