Last year my wife and I vacationed in Hawaii for a week. Before we went my wife said she wanted to try ziplining. I'm usually up for anything so I searched and booked a zipline tour, nine ziplines with lunch and a swimming hole.
My wife has a fear of heights. Not just a little fear but a petrifying, "I can't look" fear. We arrived for the zipline tour, on a working cattle ranch, rolling hills and ziplines strung above and through the treetops. After we climbed the stairs to the platform of the first zipline my wife asked the guide if they ever had someone try the first zipline and then call it quits. The guide, a woman about my wife's age responded, "honey, we have people walk up here, look at the wire and turn around and walk back to the office!" My wife's response was, "I'm afraid but I'm going to try it." The level of enthusiasm was underwhelming to say the least.
We, both my wife and I, completed all nine ziplines, walked across a suspension bridge and swam in a swimming hole. During the lunch break we talked with the guides who informed us they knew of at least one reputable zipline tour near us in northern California.
By the time we got home my wife had talked me into finding a zipline tour near us. We found one at Mr. Hermon, in the redwoods just inland from Santa Cruz.
Later last summer we had a camping trip planned with our grandchildren to Santa Cruz. At my wife's insistence I contacted the zipline company at Mt. Hermon. I found out that I was above their weight limit, and not by just a few pounds. I also found out that our grandson, who was 7, was both to young and to small. So, I booked the zipline tour for my wife and our 2 granddaughters who both met all the qualifications.
The day of the zipline tour arrived and we all drove from our campsite to Mt. Hermon. After checking in and getting their gear my grandson and I followed my wife and granddaughters across the street to the beginning of the zipline tour. Unlike Hawaii, this was not a tour through and over the treetops, this was a tour from platforms built and attached to the redwoods, the majority of them 100 feet, or more, off the ground and under the tree's canopy.
My grandson and I watched as my wife and granddaughters received instruction and did a practice run on a very short sipline about a foot off the ground. We could see them walk across a suspension bridge out to the first platform and then watched anxiously, waiting to see if anyone would chicken out, as they took off, suspended in air and traveling very fast to the next platform. The girls both said they were fine so we left and ran some errands and explored some of the other things available like a climbing wall and "cope" course.
At the end of the day when we picked up my wife and granddaughters they all talked about how fun it was. They talked about it so much that my grandson insisted that he wanted to do it as soon as he was big enough.
This year we planned a camping trip to a campsite almost across the street from Mt. Hermon. We chose this campground for 2 reasons. The first was to be near the zipline tour, the second was to explore a different campground.
I made a reservation for the zipline tour. My daughter and son-in-law were coming with us and their children so I initially made the reservation for 7 of us. Only 5 of us went but that's a different story.
This year I had lost enough weight to be within a "white lie" of the weight limit, and besides unlike the company in Hawaii, Mt. Hermon does not, or did not, weigh guests before embarking on the zipline tour. More importantly, my grandson had grown enough to be tall enough and weigh enough to meet the minimum requirements.
The week before we left for the campground our grandson was so excited. He was so excited I made him a bet that he would wet his pants on the zipline, of course he bet that he wouldn't.
The day of our zipline tour arrived. We drove the short distance to the site and checked in. Just before we checked in I remembered there was an age requirement so I whispered to my grandson that if anyone asked he was 10. Sure enough as we checked in he was asked how old he was, he responded in a quiet voice "10". I didn't think anymore about it.
We met our guides, suited up in harnesses and helmets and walked to the beginning of the course. My wife took the lead, our grandchildren, our grandson in the rear followed, and I was the last of our group.
The practice run went fine, no issues, although my harness was not the most comfortable thing I've ever worn. Next a short walk on a suspension bridge and we were on a platform, under the canopy and ready to ride the zipline.
My grandson did not hesitate on the first zipline. He followed his sisters and rode across just like everyone else. I followed and we stood together on the next platform and talked about how much fun that first zip was. The exhilaration of flying through the trees. The beauty of being up in the trees and looking down at the world below.
My wife stepped up and was about to be strapped in for the second zip when my grandson announced he was not going to go across. My wife stepped back and talked to him for a minute. One guide had already gone across and the other members of our party, a young couple, were already across. Regardless of what was said my grandson insisted he wasn't going across. He was done.
Finally my wife and our granddaughters strapped in and went across to the next platform. By this time my grandson had begun crying and insisted he wasn't going across. With the tears I told the guide we were done and I would take my grandson back to the office. Next thing I knew the guides traded places and we were waiting for a supervisor and safety rope. The options were to go back across the first zipline, this would require inching back up after we reached the halfway point and the line went uphill. The other option was to rappel down to the forest floor from the tree platform and then hike up from the creek bed, about a hundred feet uphill. My grandson stated he had come across the first zipline and he could go back across it, he just couldn't go any further forward.
So, the guide hooked onto the line, first with my grandson and took him across the zipline and then the suspension bridge to where the supervisor was waiting. Then he came back for me and we did the same procedure. It was more fun riding across the first time, it was work to go backwards on the course.
My grandson and I walked back to the office and turned in our gear. After we were done at the office my grandson turned to me and said, "you owe me 5 bucks." I couldn't believe it. "You owe me 5 bucks", he repeated, "I didn't pee my pants, that was the bet. You didn't say anything about finishing the ride."
So, for the second time my wife went on the zipline at Mount Hermon without me. At least this time I got out on the course.
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