My husband and I went here as part of our cruise package on The American Empress. Although there were 220 passengers on board, only eleven of us were crazy enough to sign up for this experience that most of us felt, on some level, we really shouldn't be doing in our "Golden Years". We left the boat as eleven strangers in a van that was very quiet with each of us wondering what we had gotten ourselves into.
However, we had two brothers with us in their early nineties and we all felt if they could do it, so could we! My husband had done it years ago with the Boy Scouts here in Sonoma County, CA, but in order to zip you first have to climb up into the canopy of our Giant Redwoods.At 74, I have mobility issues that would preclude me from ever doing that, but before making our reservation, I learned that at HLA you can rent an ATV that will take you from one station to the next.
After arriving, we met the staff who got us geared up while explaining the safety rules and telling us that we would have to do "absolutely nothing". They would do it all. Cool!
I met Ollie who would be my driver, and by the third station, There wasn't an empty seat in the ATV as the other ladies discovered that the mountain trails were no joke! I liked sharing as I felt less like an invalid...
The first runs are easy, but folks mostly held on with both hands and kept their eyes closed. When we discovered we were still alive at the other end we got much braver. By the third run we were hanging upside down with no hands and loving every minute! The runs got longer, steeper and faster and all eleven of us began cheering each other on. Even the ones who swore they were afraid of heights forgot that as they were lost in the moment and the Beauty of their surroundings.
By the time we reached the longer lines we were having so much fun we looked like some sort of crazy Cirque de Soleil! When we reached the very top of the sixty foot tower,Logan explained that the two 1500 ft. parallel lines could be used for racing across the lake and a couple of our group (including my husband) decided to do that.
He also explained that for the "more adventurous" you could sign a waver, pay another $29. and do a thing called the ZWING which entailed hitching yourself to a 20ft. Web rope attached to the far line and just stepping off the tower. He said It wasn't for the faint of heart. Any takers? We all stepped back. We thought it sounded like bungee jumping without the spring. I asked for a demonstration and he obliged by clipping into the line. However,instead of just stepping off, he walked all the way to the far end of the tower making the rope tight and THEN he stepped off. There was no big jolt,just a big, crazy swing back and forth as he traveled down across the lake. I decided I could do that. So I quickly signed the form before I lost my nerve and before I knew it I was standing on the edge of the tower looking w a y down. I took a deep breath and stepped off into nothing. It was WONDERFUL! Look Mom, no hands. Instead of going straight down the line, I swung back and forth over half way down and then I straightened out in plenty of time to be caught by the guys below. My new friends were waiting at the bottom, cheering me on while I was grinning from ear to ear. It was truly the most fun day ever. For doing the ZWING I was awarded a bright green silicone bracelet that I wore for the rest of the trip. Everyone up there recognizes those bracelets and I was stopped many times by people who wanted to know how I liked it and if I would do it again.
I hated for the day to end because although I thought I might be sore, it was my face that was sore from laughing so much. I loved this so much I could do it every day and twice on Sundays. I had to admit it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on! read more