Dork Pixie tries Ziplining

Recently, I had the opportunity to relax in beautiful Idaho Springs at the Indian Springs Resort. After indulging in the hot mineral springs, a cave bath, a hot stone massage, a mud bath, and a hot tub, I thought it was high time to get out there and find an activity that would put the stress right back into my life.

So I thought I would try ziplining. Especially since I have a pretty healthy fear of heights. I went with Wide Open Adventure, and scheduled three zips through the beautiful Rocky Mountains...

When I was picturing how this would work, I sort of just pictured the zip itself, and figured it wouldn't be so bad since it goes pretty quickly (each zip is less than 30 seconds) and my fear of heights wouldn't even have time to process before it was over. Interestingly enough, before you can even go on your first zip, you have to actually get to the height you're going to zip away from. So that means a fairly steep climb up a mountainside, then a jaunt across the "monkey bridge," which is basically a few boards on wires without the benefit of handrails, before you wait patiently on a platform that is swaying unnervingly in the wind for your turn.

So by the time I'm ready for the first zip, I'm already pretty keyed up, and am trying to hide my visibly shaking limbs from my very attractive guide as I sit down on the platform. Then it's "one, two, three, and GO!" and I'm zipping along at speeds I have not yet traveled without the benefit of say, a vehicle or airplane surrounding me. Then before I know it, WHAM, I slam into the guide waiting for me at the other end, and he helps me dismount. Then it's a long, long climb down what looks like a firefighter's ladder, and then it's time to go again.

I should also admit that I was the only person who screamed during the zip in my group. It just felt like the right thing to do.

The second time, we were encouraged to go backwards. Okay, I think, I can do this, I've done it once already. Which again, seemed like a good idea until I was waiting on the platform, inching backwards into the harness, feeling like I'm twice as far from the ground simply because I'm not looking down at it any longer. And then again, ZIP!!! And this time, I'm going even faster, I hit some wind current or something, and even the guide waiting to catch me can't slow me down by shaking the line enough before it's WHAM! again in what I figure a professional football tackle would feel like. "Sorry! sorry! sorry!" I'm saying embarrasedly, hoping I didn't just knock the guy out who's supposed to help me get down. "No worries," he says, "THAT WAS AWESOME."

Smiling, I can't help but agree. "That WAS awesome."

And then it's off for my third and final zip. This time, we're encouraged to do it like Spiderman, which is basically upside-down and backwards. This time, I ask the guide to film me on my zip, which probably wasn't the best idea because then he was messing with a camera while holding me precariously in my backward hold for what felt like an eternity (check out how wide my eyes are in the final shot), and then it's "GO!" and he let go...

And though it wasn't the most graceful or cool looking Spiderman zip pose ever done, by golly, I did it! And it was a blast. Highly recommended and a great end of summer adventure!