"Tyrolean Traversing" = synonymous for zip-lining, the "flying fox," an aerial runway, the "flying squirrel," and the "death slide." Is that a 9 a.m wake up call, or what?!? A tad perkier than your first cup of coffee or my first Diet Coke for waking you up in the morning!!Nothing is more calm nor more pristine than the near-deserted, outdoor adventure portion of the Wisp Resort in Western Maryland at around 8:30 a.m. However, there's an energy about it as you know that it's only a bit o'time before "suiting up" in harnesses, helmets, gloves, and gear. Of course it begged the question: "Does this harness make my butt look big? In the deserted-ness of the morning, my girlfriend and I hoped we'd be the only two for our 9 a.m. reservation on "Flying Squirrel Canopy Tour" zip-lines, but a brotherly foursome of rather outdoorsy-looking guys arrived to celebrate a milestone bday for one of them. Being that this was our first major adventure doing anything so daring, we commented that it would clearly come with witnesses! " But oh well...that didn't deter us. "Flying Squirrel..." here we come...flying squirrels we shall become!
Thus began the trek! After harnessing and helmet-ing up, we started our magic "Bear Claw Conveyor Carpet Ride" that took us up to the area on the mountain where we climbed the cargo net, the 3 point-V-Burma Bridge, the "Walk the Plank" Indiana Jones-esque type of bridge (complete with planks missing), the 5 zip-lines totaling around 1200 feet of line, and "the leap of faith" (a 30 foot drop to the bottom of the last tower). There's nothing like the feeling of zooming through the air. Remarkable! An amazing adventure that gives such a feeling of freedom and victory!
One of my mantras is "Take yourself to you own edge" (Dewitt Jones). Yes, at the top of a 50 foot tower, belayed in, you're at your own edge! It was nice having several opportunities to zip, also, because it gives you the opportunity to figure out how to do it and what to expect on the first one, and the opportunity to take in the vistas on some of the later zips. And in a mountainside community--what a vista indeed!!
From there, our day continued the Outdoor Adventure theme. At the end of the day, our list of accomplishments looked like this:
- 5 zip-lines
- Burma Bridge
- Cargo Net Climb
- Walk the Plank
- "Leap of Faith"
- Mountain Roller Coaster
Hiking in the woods in two Maryland State Parks: Deep Creek Lake & Swallow Falls - 2 Park Quests
- Orienteering with a GPS
- Swimming and sliding in Swallow Falls
- 15, 467 steps on the pedometer
- 10+ hours outside on a glorious mid-70 degree day!
There clearly were no children (big or little) left inside on this day!! Just as nature intended!
Photos a la me!
To learn more about WISP's "Flying Squirrel Canopy Tour" (including seeing a video of the zips), click the title above or go to http://www.wispresort.com/wisp/info/s.canopy-tour.aspx
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