Tree Hugger

 A few years ago, while visiting some friends in the southwest mountains of North Carolina, we decided to go on a zip line adventure nearby at Highlands Aerial Park.  I’ve never thought of myself as scared of heights.  Thinking back now, I was scared of a parasailing adventure some twenty years ago now in Mexico. 

We started with two easy crossings to alive our fears.  The second easy zip ended atop a tree with a wood plank all the way around.   We were miles above the ground.  The tree swayed back and forth with a force enough to know us off.  I hug the tree for dear life.  While clawing at the tree, I thought. “of all the ways to die”.  The leader was barking out instructions as we had completed our easy ascent into the clouds and are now ready for real challenges.  More instructions on braking.  Instructions as to what to do if you get stuck in the middle between two points.  Instructions about ensuring the harness was properly attached to the wire.  People were laughing and having a great time.  I was petrified.  Susan was calm next to me.  She described how I moved all so cautiously, always grabbing the tree as best as I could.  There was no way to move away from the tree.  What if a great gust of wind were to blow me off.  I was not attached to any wire while in the tree. 

Once I was reattached to the wire, I felt much better.  The red in my face and my hands dissipated.  I jumped off and easily went to platform three and then onto platform four.   Between platform four and five was a several thousand-foot-deep canyon that we had to fly over.  Well, it seemed like several thousand feet to me.   The length was about a mile.  Okay, maybe not a mile though it seemed so when looking across.  They warn you that if you brake too soon you may not hit the other platform and be left dangling over the canyon until someone comes out to rescue you.   And if you don’t break, you might come crashing into the next platform and not be able to stop long enough and get your footing but instead end up back over the gorge to be rescued.  That part is both embarrassing and frightening.   My time comes and I fly over the canyon, I brake, and make a successful landing on the platform at the other end. 

But wait, this is our furthest out point and we must traverse that same canyon again to get back to the parking lot.  When I went over it the first time, I noticed the highway below.  It was like being in an airplane seeing what looks like little model cars below.  We are up really really  high.  Was making it one-time sheer luck?  Can I make it again?  I jump, I fly through the air and zip across the wire.  I break, I land on the platform.  The rest of the platforms are child’s play. 

When we return to the office, I am ready to kiss the ground.  We walk around some and I see that first tree and its platform.  From below I realize it is not much higher than the tree in our backyard.  It's not the 379-foot redwood tree in the Lady Bird Johnson Grove.  

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