Revelstoke, British Columbia
High above it all
Fly through the air with the greatest of ease
I am afraid of heights. Terribly afraid. I have nightmares of falling from mountains. Flying dreams usually end in crashing dreams. My insane fear of falling is probably why my eldest son thought his name was "Get Down Off Of There". I like to imagine a fleet of helium balloon-carrying angels supporting the wings of airplanes I fly on.
Man In Motion: Rusty prepares for a landing as he nears the end of the zip line.—photo by Tanya Laing
When I was a young teenager living in High River, Alberta, I had to pass the time-honoured test of walking across the railway bridge over the Highwood River. Every step was torture; I could look between the ties to the river below and the sense of vertigo was almost overwhelming. Had it not been for the mocking I would have suffered at the hands of my peers—more damaging than the plunge into the icy waters below—I would have crawled happily back to ground-level ground. Still, I did it. I crossed it. It took me a half an hour to go 50 metres, but I crossed that bridge.
And I have tried to hug the ground ever since.
And yet, I was blessed with three children who seem to have been born without the fear gene and a husband who has a serious adrenaline addiction. So it was inevitable that when I was offered an opportunity to try the high-level ropes and zip line course at Skytrek Adventure Park near Revelstoke, B.C., my family wouldn't let me give no for an answer.
The park is set amidst the backdrop of an old-growth cedar forest and the majestic Monashee Mountains. You know that smell? That rich, loamy, cedar-sweet B.C. rainforest smell? That's here. Even with the tourists, the license plates from all over North America and the European accents, you still know exactly where you are. It's magnificent—and we'd only just gotten out of the parking lot.
Throughout the towering treetops are obstacle courses, wires, ladders, zip lines and more. It was both thrilling and terrifying to consider. But when you see the elated faces of those who have completed the course, you think there might be something worthwhile up there. Throughout the course, we saw youths and adults with varying levels of physical fitness and experience. There are age, height and weight restrictions, but the greatest limit seemed to be one's sense of adventure—and I think we had that in spades.
Safety is the number one priority at Skytrek. We were all provided with helmets and harnesses fully outfitted with laniers and caribbeaners to keep us connected al all times to the safety wires in the ropes course. An instructor at the base camp walked the group through how to properly connect and detach the caribbeaners, how to rig the pulley to the zip lines and how to navigate the different obstacles. We were shown how to climb back onto the course in case we slipped—which because you are always connected to the safety wire is totally safe even if unsettling—and how to ensure the safety of others by communicating when the course was clear for the next participant.
There are three courses of increasing difficulty that are comprised of various games. Each game tests your balance, your fine and gross motor skills and your problem solving ability as you maneuver your way from one platform to the next. One game involved holding onto a cable just at shoulder level while inching across another cable with your feet. Another challenge was scaling a fully vertical climbing wall. One of the more challenging games meant stepping from one log swing to the next. And of course, there the rope bridge. As I took my first step across, I was hurtled back in time and instead of the forest floor, I could almost see the Highwood River below me. Still, I crossed it by taking one step at a time.
The mind is an interesting thing, isn't it? Any of the challenges would have been minimal one or two feet off the ground. And even though we were all encouraged to test our equipment before beginning the obstacle courses—and prove to ourselves that no matter what happened, we wouldn't drop more than a few inches— the mind might not buy it. At one point, even knowing intellectually that I was completely safe, I had to give my feet a stern lecture to convince them to leave the platform and swing Tarzan-like from a rope to the next platform. And my feet said, and I quote, "What are you—stupid? We're 30 feet in the air." And my mind said, "Look, I hate to agree with Feet, but as your Brain, it's my duty to remind you that you do actually lack the ability to fly if you lose your grip on the rope." But I did it. I grabbed that rope, told my feet and brain to mind their own business, gave my best Carroll Burnett/Tarzan yell and I leaped.
And promptly lost my grip on the rope.
But I was so solidly connected to the safety cable so I was able to reach the platform with very little difficulty. From that point, my feet and brain were fully onboard with the idea. Facing fears is like that, isn't it?
The zip lines are the highlights of the course. Once properly attached via the pulley to the cable, you simply leap from the platform and let gravity take you for a ride. High above the ground, completely safe and quickly moving along the wire, you actually get a little taste of flight—and the taste is delicious. Later, back on ground, I watched several people as they took their turns flying and each face was stretched into a wide-eyed grin.
In fact, wide-eyed grins were what were plastered on the faces of my own family. The two teenagers had a tremendous time conquering their own trepidation. My adrenaline junkie husband was ready to offer up his resume if it meant that he could play in the trees all day, every day. And even the youngest—who wasn't tall enough to meet the height requirement for the adult course—mastered the lower-level ropes course designed specifically for youngsters. As we drove back to our hotel, we each relived moments on the course when we had to take a leap of faith—quite literally—and fly through the air with the greatest of ease. It was challenging and exhilarating and empowering for each of us. We'll be back.
What you should know:
Dress in outdoor clothing you can move in comfortably and without restriction, including sport shoes or hikers. Gloves are recommended but not required. You can take a camera with you on the course but you'll want to ensure it's safely tucked away. If you have long hair, tie it back, and don't wear any loose or dangly jewellery.
The kids' course is designed for ages 5-8 years old and a minimum height of 110 centimetres (3'6") and maximum weight of 120 pounds or 55 kilograms. For the adult courses, the minimum age is 9 years old, with a minimum height of 140 centimetres (4'6") and maximum weight of 286 pounds or 130 kg.
To complete all three courses can take up to three hours. Click here for more information.
