Adventure #30: Ziplining

I did it! 30 Adventures in 365 Days!

The final adventure was going ziplining! While I had a great afternoon whizzing through the trees at top speed, this is definitely something I'd look forward to doing more when I travel, so I could learn more about the natural world of a place that I didn't grow up in.

Canopy Tours NW is quite the operation, and was a great place to give it a try for the first time though! We started by signing a liability waiver, which always sets the mood for what you're getting into. Part of the orientation included reassurance that the lines are designed to carry 26,000 pounds (yeah, you read that right) and that we'll be clipped into two separate lines at the same time as a safety precaution. Definitely nothing to worry about here. We all stepped into our harnesses, buckled on our helmets, and loaded into a vintage Swiss army vehicle called a Unimog. We rumbled our way up through the Kristoferson Family Farm land to the top of the hill where our adventure would start.

Safety first!

The Unimog!

The day included six different lines, all with their own unique designs to consider--line one introduced us to the breaking system, and line two included a running stop. Lines three and four both had the highest platforms which causes your gut to drop just a little as you step off the edge trying to convince your stomach that you don't weigh more than 26,000 pounds. Line five was the longest (660 feet long which is larger than the Space Needle is tall!) and line six required a very tight cannonball position to make it all the way across.

We also got two brief walks through the woods where our guides--Paddy and Jenna-- spoke about the local flora, and even gave us a taste of Miner's Lettuce (Mike and I both agreed it needed some ranch dressing). They also spoke about Trilliums, Nettles, Douglas Firs, and Western Red Cedars. This is where I think I'd enjoy learning more about a place I'm not so familiar with, as I had already learned a lot about the plant life in the area. It was still a very nice way to see the forest from a different perspective than I normally do.

Miner's Lettuce: better with ranch

The final descent from a cedar tree involved stepping through a large hole in the platform, and using a DEUS controlled descent device to slowly lower us to the ground. This device was like a cross between belaying and using an elevator--while we hung only from our harness, the machine did all the work to slow us down to a manageable speed. All of the rides were very smooth, and required little to no technical skill from the riders. If the weather was better around here, I would love to commute to work via zipline!

A nice break in the middle of the woods!

At the end of the day, I went to meet my family for drinks at Bell Harbor Marina and dinner at Red Cedar and Sage in the Pike Place Market. I highly recommend the prime rib! All-in-all, an excellent end to a fantastic year.

Stay tuned for one more post wrapping up all my experiences this year!