Thursday's Child: Zip Lining for the Terrified

I don’t like heights.

I don’t like speed.

So what was I doing zip lining in Costa Rica?

From the time we booked our trip, my husband talked about how important it was that we go zip lining.  I was surprised, because he doesn’t like heights or speed either.  But I thought if Andrew could overcome his fears, so could I.

En route to the expedition, he overheard our daughters chatting about what an adventure it was going to be.  He frowned.  “Do these things go really fast?” he asked.

“I think that’s why they call it a zip line.”

And a few minutes later, upon seeing our destination, “We don’t actually go all the way to the top, do we?”

Oops.

Many of our fears were allayed when we arrived at the zip line centre.  A full set of safety instructions was followed by a lovely gondola ride to the top of the canopy.  A local naturalist guide explained everything we were seeing, and kept us relaxed with his friendly banter.

And then we got to the top.  It was really, really high.  Our path back down would be via ten zip lines.  The first run was short and shallow, perfectly designed to boost a zipper’s confidence.  But they grew longer and deeper, and by the time we reached the fourth run, I looked into a chasm that was seemingly as deep and as wide as the Grand Canyon.  (With a few more trees to break a fall, if necessary.)

I took a breath, turtled into position, and stepped off the platform.

Probably the most relaxing part of zip lining is the zipping itself.  Flying through the air is a pleasant, breezy sensation.  And for anyone who has the nerve to look into the chasm below while in mid-air, I’m sure it’s a lovely view.

On our tenth and final run, a photographer stood at the opposite end taking photos.  My youngest daughter was sufficiently poised to spot the photographer and make faces for the camera.  My oldest daughter floated down as gracefully as a ballerina in mid-pirouette.  My photo shows me grimly clutching the lines as if I was defeating gravity single-handedly.

You've probably noticed that there are no pictures of zip-lining here.  That's because Andrew and I were too nervous to do anything but hold on for our lives.  These photos are of the beautiful Alma del Pacifico where we had a very relaxing vacation when we weren't scaring ourselves to death zip-lining.