Always Climb. I learned that is one of the mottos for ClimbWorks, the Northshore Zipline company that was the epic location for my seventeenth new thing. It is also the perfect motto for my "52 New Things".
CLIMB: C:challenge L:learn I:inspire M:master B:believe
I am definitely trying to achieve all five of these attributes along my "52New" journey. Ziplining turned out to be the most adventurous and inspiring new thing to date. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
For our recent twenty-first wedding anniversary, Isom and I wanted to do something active, outdoors, fun, and different. We could have gone on a hike like usual or spent the day at the beach, but luckily we can do those things anytime. We wanted to commemorate twenty one years with something a little...
more.
Ziplining! Isom went online to book it. Our anniversary weekend/day was all booked, but two weeks after our anniversary was available. So we took it. Better late than never. Saturday, June 12, we kissed the kids goodbye, hopped in the car, and headed North. My stomach was in knots. My hands were clammy. I was slightly nauseous. I was coming up with all sorts of excuses to get out of jumping off a platform...for fun. Obviously, I've never been ziplining.
By the time we arrived at Climbworks, I was no calmer and hadn't come up with a reason not to go, so we went through with it. Thank goodness. After all was said and done, I had an AMAZING time. But I was definitely TERRIFIED. I'm not sure what aspect of ziplining had my adrenaline pumping so hard. I hike mountains and climb high on rocks for the perfect view all. the. time. Ziplining was completely different.
There are eight ziplines on the course at Keana Farms (Climbworks). The first line is the easiest and starts to prepare you for the lines to follow. For me it didn't matter that the first line was relatively low and short. I almost had a panic attack when I was standing on the platform. Isom and I were the last of our group to go and I definitely needed the pep talk from our wonderful guide Corey. A few deep breaths in and out and a gentle push from Corey and I was off...screaming bloody murder the entire way (probably only ten to fifteen seconds). In the blink of an eye I had successfully made it across the first line (thank you Zach for catching me). I was shaking and in shock, but I did it. Only seven more to go.
As we came down from the first line, I saw that three off road vehicles were waiting for our group. The next adventure was riding on the dirt back roads of Kahuku to the next line. For ten minutes or so we bounced and rattled our way up the mountain and past fields of banana trees, Thai basil plants, and macadamia nuts. I would love to say I was enjoying the scenery, but I was still trying to compose myself from the first zipline. Isom found this all quite humorous.
I thought I would feel more brave and confident at line two since I had line one under my belt. Nope. The nerves were still there. The pep, the push, and the scream...all there for line two as well. I think it was around line four that I finally started to feel less anxious and more excited for the lines. Isom and I even made our way from last of the group to first off of one of the platforms...baby steps! Each zipline has something different to offer. As we progressed along the route, so did the lines, higher, longer, and with interesting ways to get to the platforms...suspension bridges, rappelling, and stairs. Not only did I have a new adventure, I got a workout in too!
It was an exhilarating day. We lucked out on all aspects of the adventure. It was a gorgeous day of blue skies, no rain, and cool breezes. Our guides, Corey, Zach, and Matt were strong, safe, knowledgeable, personable, funny, and patient. Our group consisted of four other couples and one single guy. It seemed like only two or three of us had never gone ziplining before and the rest of the group was supportive (and competitive) as we went down each line---the perfect mix of novice and fearless.
There were opportunities to go backward, upside down, sideways, spinning, and balled up. I mostly stuck with the traditional, sit and go, hanging on to my handlebars for dear life. I'll save tricks for next time. I was using all my courage to even go down the lines. Fearless Isom, however, did ALL the tricks. He was not fazed in the slightest. He was the perfect partner to go ziplining with. Much like our marriage, I was the one overanalyzing and freaking out about each detail along the way, and he sat back very calm, cool, and collected. Ziplining highlighted our roles and personalities perfectly.
My favorite line of the day was the longest zip. It was half a mile long. Yep, I was attached to a cable, hundreds of feet in the air, going thirty miles an hour for a stretch that had the word MILE in it. It was beautiful up there in the wind and above the fields and trees. I would love to have been filming with my phone but...remember the part about not letting go of the handlebars? I took so many mental pictures yesterday.
The Details:
Where: Climbworks Keana Farms
1 Enos Road
Kahuku, Hawaii 96731
OR
155 Branam Hollow Road
Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738
Duration: 3 hours (ours was closer to four...the tour ahead of us took extra time for some folks who were feeling nervous)
Who: Ages 7 and up, Maximum Weight: 270 lbs
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (physically...there's no mental scale for the difficulty level)
IG: @climbworks
Hashtags: #CLIMBWorks #AlwaysCLIMB
BEST O'ahu Guides: Corey, Matt, and Zach
I'm still on a high today after my ziplining adventure yesterday. I can still hardly believe I did it. Other than giving birth, it was the most scared I've felt in a long time. But a healthy amount of fear is good. If ziplining taught me anything, it was definitely to face your fears---no matter what they are---spiders, sharks, the ocean, heights, failure. After seeing that I could make it through eight ziplines, I'm now ready to conquer another adventure that scares me---parasailing. And I know to many that doesn't sound scary (just like ziplining probably doesn't seem scary to many people either) but we all have our things that intimidate us. I'll try not to laugh at yours if you don't laugh (too hard) at mine.
Of course after the day of pushing my limits, we ended with a refreshing summer cocktail...whiskey for the win. Thank you Easy 'Que in Kailua for the perfect end to a perfect day of adventure.
"Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use." ~Ruth Gordon
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