The Only Thing to Fear...
I took a brief vacation last week to spend some time with family, as well as work with my cohorts on the ConGaloosh 2010 event. This proved to be a lesson in overcoming my fears; some weighing on me over the years, others coming to gnaw on me after a short hiatus. All in all, I think I've begun to whittle away at some of what holds me back.
A few days in to my local vacation, my dad and I ventured to a destination called Forever Florida. It's a several thousand acre protected section of land that's home to indigenous flora and fauna (that's plants and critters). They tend to the animals on their acreage, and also use the land (minimally) for camping, horseback riding, and ziplining.
A while back, I asked my dad if he would be up for zip lining. I'd seen it on a few travel and adventure shows, and thought it'd be fun. What it involves is akin to zipping over (erm, under by dangling on) taut ropes high up on platforms, using gear similar to what rock climbers wear. So, we signed up for a morning trek in the middle of our vacation week, and put that thought to rest for a few months.
Then that morning crept up on me. Little did I know, the fear of heights I thought I'd locked away all these years came crawling back, ready to grab me by the ankles and whisk me high over the Florida forest canopy.
The location itself is gorgeous; I would have a blast simply hiking around. It's around an hour south/southeast of Orlando in St Cloud (Holopaw), and is slightly off a main road. The foliage hid buildings and activity locations, making one feel far removed from civilization. I saw many a barn cat, horses, cows, gators, deer, birds and rescued wild animals that are cared for by Forever Florida's workers.
We took a coach ride from the restaurant/store/check-in building to the zip line area, and were briefed on how to put on the safety gear that would be our lifeline for the next two hours or so, and got the customary helmet as well. When our group of six was set, we ventured off with two guides down a half mile walk to the first set of stairs. I realized later that this was the shorter staircase (35 feet, the second was 55), nevertheless since it was the first one to climb it was the hardest (for me). The morning was cooler than it had been (high 60's) and breezy. I could feel the wind swaying the stairs as we climbed. My legs began to shake and breathing became labored as the wobbling metal around me brought a realization that I was doing something I typically shied away from. But, I and the others made it to the top. We stood there, huffing and puffing, trembling and gazing at that long stretch of rope, tethered a distance away.
To sum this experience up, I learned a great deal from our guides on how to zip line, and more specifically how to traverse different lengths of line that are situated high or low over ground. I wasn't a big fan of the couple of sky bridges we had to cross, as they had openings every ten feet or so you had to move past with a large stride (and guide Alvin's swaying of the bridge didn't help). But it was conquerable, knowing I was wearing my safety gear.
The link here takes you to pictures related to this adventure, along with a handful of videos. Sadly, there are none of me, as I had a video enabled camera and my dad did not. But I think they give readers a good look at what we did that day. Thanks to the couple from south Florida, and the other couple from north London who joined us that morning. Next time, we hope to include my brother on a zip line journey, possibly in the dark!
Zip Line Adventure - Pictures and Video
For now, I'll stop here, as I have more to cover with this year's ConGaloosh event.
Stay tuned!
A few days in to my local vacation, my dad and I ventured to a destination called Forever Florida. It's a several thousand acre protected section of land that's home to indigenous flora and fauna (that's plants and critters). They tend to the animals on their acreage, and also use the land (minimally) for camping, horseback riding, and ziplining.
A while back, I asked my dad if he would be up for zip lining. I'd seen it on a few travel and adventure shows, and thought it'd be fun. What it involves is akin to zipping over (erm, under by dangling on) taut ropes high up on platforms, using gear similar to what rock climbers wear. So, we signed up for a morning trek in the middle of our vacation week, and put that thought to rest for a few months.
Then that morning crept up on me. Little did I know, the fear of heights I thought I'd locked away all these years came crawling back, ready to grab me by the ankles and whisk me high over the Florida forest canopy.
The location itself is gorgeous; I would have a blast simply hiking around. It's around an hour south/southeast of Orlando in St Cloud (Holopaw), and is slightly off a main road. The foliage hid buildings and activity locations, making one feel far removed from civilization. I saw many a barn cat, horses, cows, gators, deer, birds and rescued wild animals that are cared for by Forever Florida's workers.
We took a coach ride from the restaurant/store/check-in building to the zip line area, and were briefed on how to put on the safety gear that would be our lifeline for the next two hours or so, and got the customary helmet as well. When our group of six was set, we ventured off with two guides down a half mile walk to the first set of stairs. I realized later that this was the shorter staircase (35 feet, the second was 55), nevertheless since it was the first one to climb it was the hardest (for me). The morning was cooler than it had been (high 60's) and breezy. I could feel the wind swaying the stairs as we climbed. My legs began to shake and breathing became labored as the wobbling metal around me brought a realization that I was doing something I typically shied away from. But, I and the others made it to the top. We stood there, huffing and puffing, trembling and gazing at that long stretch of rope, tethered a distance away.
To sum this experience up, I learned a great deal from our guides on how to zip line, and more specifically how to traverse different lengths of line that are situated high or low over ground. I wasn't a big fan of the couple of sky bridges we had to cross, as they had openings every ten feet or so you had to move past with a large stride (and guide Alvin's swaying of the bridge didn't help). But it was conquerable, knowing I was wearing my safety gear.
The link here takes you to pictures related to this adventure, along with a handful of videos. Sadly, there are none of me, as I had a video enabled camera and my dad did not. But I think they give readers a good look at what we did that day. Thanks to the couple from south Florida, and the other couple from north London who joined us that morning. Next time, we hope to include my brother on a zip line journey, possibly in the dark!
Zip Line Adventure - Pictures and Video
For now, I'll stop here, as I have more to cover with this year's ConGaloosh event.
Stay tuned!
posted by Jennifer Lynn at Tuesday, October 12, 2010
