Today some coworkers and I were finishing a new ropes course at camp Wapiti up by Tooele. We were putting the final touches on the zip line when my boss, Benjamin, asked who wanted to test it out. I of course wanted too and so off I went to get ready to jump off a brand new zip line.
I was up the tree, hooked to the cable, but still 3 feet away from where I needed to be to zip. So after climbing out on the cable holding myself up, I let go of the cable and off I went. Soaring over the ground and just barely quick enough to lift my butt and legs from smashing into a stump. The next second I caught Benjamin's face, which was a look of confusion and fear. Then I realized that I was traveling way too fast and that I was about to become very well acquainted with the pole at the end of the zip line. With just enough luck and timing I was able to push off of the pole and glance by causing myself to swing up into the cable on the back side of the pole and to rap by waist around the pole.
After getting down and a few minor adjustments Benjamin asks again: "so, who wants to try it out now?" Kyle, my coworker, quickly looked at me. Moments later I found myself hooked to a cable hanging on and about to zip. This time I didn't have to lift myself to dodge the stumps but for some reason the looks on Ben's and Kyle's faces where not very reassuring. I was still approaching the pole at probably about 25 to 30 miles an hour. Twisting in my harness, I slammed down on the brake (which is really a backup carabiner and not a brake) and ran into Kyle's rope that he had thrown over the cable to "try and help me slow down" if things go amiss. Stopping just feet away from the pole I realized that my hat that gone flying off somewhere in all the action.
I guess that sometimes it is not the best to be the first one to try out a new thing, but that won't stop me...
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