I have never been what you'd call a risk taker. I don't drive fast, I don't ride roller coasters and I eat the same thing for lunch every day.
So when I decided to do a story about Hocking Hills Canopy Tours and found out that I was going to get to try out the zip lines, I was excited. Until I started thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong.
So I was a little nervous when I arrived for my tour. I felt better when I saw all the protective gear we had to put on: two harnesses, leathery gloves and a big red helmet. I wasn't going to win any beauty pageants, but at least I'd be safe when I ran into that tree.
After we got suited up, our group practiced starting and breaking. Starting was easy. A guide hooks your harness up to the cable and you're off. Breaking was another matter. The guide on the other side gives a hand signal and you press your flat left hand onto the cable till you stop.
I watched the other members of our group, little kids and grandparents alike, start and stop with ease. OK, I thought ' anyone can zip line.
My turn came. I started without a problem, saw the signal and gingerly pressed the palm of my hand to the cable. Nothing happened. I panicked and grabbed the cable, causing it to jerk and bounce. The guide made me try it again.
Great, I was failing at zip lining.
When we got out on the course, the memory of my failure made me cautious. I went last so no one would see me. I focused completely on stopping.
But after the third zip line, I stopped worrying so much about stopping and started looking around. I saw caves and little creeks and flew through green canopies of branches. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and I was having a blast.
When our guides told us we were almost done, I was disappointed. I felt like I could keep going all day. We were told that we could do one of the zip lines with our eyes closed if we wanted to. Our guide would give us a verbal signal telling us to stop.
I moved toward the front of the line, excited to take the plunge. When my harness was attached, I closed my eyes and jumped.
I felt the wind on my face as I zipped along. I imagined the forest floor below me, with nothing but the sky above me. It was a feeling of complete freedom.
And when my guide called out for me to stop, I reached up, stopping calmly on the platform using just the palm of my left hand.
Anna Sudar is a senior studying journalism and a staff writer for The Post. Send her an email at as147005@ohiou.edu.
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Anna Sudar
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Anna Sudar waits for her turn to ride one of the zip lines during a canopy tour with Hocking Hills Canopy Tours in Rockbridge, Ohio, on Friday.
