A Surprise Adventure in New York
A few weeks ago my friend Ali left for the Cayman Islands to do an art exhibit. She asked if I would like to go to relax in the sun and maybe do some scuba diving. The thing with me and adventures though, is I like to constantly experience something new. After all, anyone who knows me, knows I’m not much of a lay down in the sand type of gal…I need to be moving. So since I had already been diving in the Cayman Islands I told her I’d go if I found a new adventure to do there.
Then I remembered that someone mentioned there was treetop ziplining in the Cayman Islands.
A quick look on Google, and I found many places that offered ziplining… like Costa Rica, Belize and Maui…but I couldn’t find any in the Caymans. So I passed on the trip.
Three days after Ali left, my college skydiving buddy, Shelly emails me. “Hey Frannie, my wife Susan and I are going to the Adventures in Travel Expo in Manhattan and we thought of you. Want to meet us there?” I hadn’t seen Shelly in about five years, so I was game.
I went online to check out the Expo. It looked interesting and the price was right, a whopping ten bucks admission. Then as I was perusing the site I saw it… “Zipline at the Adventure Expo.” Wow what were the odds? The Capo click factor set in (the moment when I know I’m going to do something without a doubt. Like me with climbing Kilimanjaro and going to the Titanic.)
I immediately bought a ticket for Spencer and myself. I also convinced my neighbor, Wanda to go and bring two of her kids.
I was really excited. I was willing to fly to the Cayman Islands just try this and now here was an opportunity practically in my own backyard. (Okay, a tad further than my backyard but whose counting miles when an adventure is at hand.)
The day of the expo Shelly and I agreed to meet at 11 a.m. As usual I was running late. I called him on the cell phone.
“Okay, Shelly the gangs here, where are you guys?”
“I’m at the zipline in the back of the Expo, Susan is about to go!”
“What! That’s fantastic…that’s exactly what I wanted to do!”
I ran to the back just in time to see her slide down the zipline.
What a perfect way to meet after five years.
We hugged, said hello and then within minutes, I had flung my coat to the ground, handed Spencer the camera, got on line, signed the release form as was like an anxious kid waiting for her turn on the slide.
Spencer sat this one out. He said he had tried ziplining at camp last year. Wanda’s son, William was game. Vanessa, her daughter, said she’d go and then as we got closer she said, “Well, actually I’m scared of heights.” At that moment her mom, Wanda stepped up to the plate. “Okay, I’ll go if you go.” Vanessa was still hesitant…but between the four of us we convinced her to try it.
The height of the zip line platform was about 80 feet (about as high as my tree sleeping adventure in Georgia.) Then you’d slide down a rope which was at a forty-five degree angle and which extended about the length of a football field. Seemed harmless enough.
You had to first get geared up in a harness and helmet. Then step up to the rope climb where you were attached to a safety rope.
The guides gave instructions. “Keep the safety rope between your legs at all times. DO NOT GRAB THIS ROPE AT ANY TIME. When climbing the ladder, use only the outside ropes, not the red rope part you step on. And finally when you get to the top, hoist yourself up on the platform by using the outside ropes. The guide up there will help you get in a zipline position.”
“Okay, Captain”.
William wanted to go first, so I let him. You could see the rope shaking as he climbed. Obviously it wasn’t very sturdy, so it took some coordination. But in no time he was up and then he came ziplining down…all smiles.
Wanda was on line behind me. I could tell she was a little nervous. How? She said, “I’m a little nervous.”( Kreskin I’m not.) She also kept saying, “I can do this. This will be good for me to do, right?” I nodded, I smiled, I pushed her ahead of me in line. She climbed up like a pro and also came down smiling.
Vanessa kept changing her mind – a look of panic crossed her face several times. Spencer finally convinced her to go. I let her go ahead of me too, so she wouldn’t lose the courage. She of course being a dancer/model has the perfect little climbing body and looked very dainty climbing…that was until she got to the part where you have to cross from the front wood to the back…She got her legs over and still looked good. (That’s what happens when you weigh like 99 pounds- damn I might have to go on another cleansing diet!)
Then it was my turn. I wanted to zoom up the ladder and have everyone say, “Wow you did that quickly.” That was the plan. So I started up the ladder, and about midway I realized, “Damn 80 feet of climbing is higher than I thought.” I felt my heart go pitter-patter.
So I slowed it down a tad, of course, using the excuse that I wanted Spencer to snap a picture for the blog. (Well it actually wasn’t a lie).
Anyway, as I do these adventures you learn one thing…never look down. As in life, always focus on the direction you want to go.
Now, directly in my line of focus was the platform. The part that everyone said was the hardest – going from the swinging ladder to the swinging platform.
For a moment I thought, “Now how embarrassing would it be if I couldn’t make it up the platform?” Then I thought, “It would be more embarrassing if the platform tilted sideways from my weight…now there’s a picture you wouldn’t want snapped”. I was also hoping Spencer didn’t get one of those big butt shots as I climb over. Those are the type of pictures that always appear in the Enquirer with some caption, “Big butt fast talker, ain’t so speedy as she climbs to the top.”
Anyway, I grabbed the side rope as instructed and made it up the platform. Once there their guide told me to lean over the edge, put my weight back and weeeeeee...
I was zooming backwards towards the ground. I didn’t even have a chance to say, “Goodbye, thanks, have a nice day. Glad you tightened the rope”. Nothing! I was on the ground in no time.
Click here to see Fran's slide! (Requires Quicktime)
Spencer snapped some video instead of still shots. It was fun…and a new adventure. Of course instead of quenching my thirst for ziplining…it only fueled the fire. Now I definitely will have to sign up for one of those tree top ziplining adventures.
I walked around the expo and found a cool adventure in Chile that involves ziplining…I also found one that involved diving with great white sharks. Now if they combined ziplining into a pool of great white…well that would be some adventure to talk about…that is if you lived. Anyway…my wheels are spinning…we shall see.
As always I will keep you posted. Till my next speedy adventure…happy trails.