Last weekend some friends and I went up to Whistler for a bit of zip-lining. Being afraid of heights I was pretty nervous, but it turned out to be one of the most amazing thrills of my whole life. I got to soar high above Fitzsimmons Creek with the wind and fog in my face, surrounded by the beautiful mountain scenery of BC.
There are five stations built high in the treetops, connected by lines going back and forth across the creek. The first one was moderately scary: It wasn’t so high above the ground as the others, being further away from the water, and surrounded by trees. I started the first zip screaming (of course, because hello, height), but that turned into hysterical laughter when I left the trees and flew above the water. Yes, it was scary, but nothing like a rollercoaster. There are no sudden twists and turns, and though there’s a bit of a downward motion, it’s nowhere near free-fall. And the view was magnificent. Once I actually got moving, I found I could do this all day.
When I landed at the second station, I had adrenaline shooting through my body. My hands were shaking, my knees were wobbly, I was close to hyperventilating. But I’d done it, dammit! I could fly!
I hit a bit of a snag when it was time to cast off from that station. This one was right next to the water, much higher off the ground, and way more exposed. Even though my harness was securely fastened to the line and I couldn’t possibly fall, it took all my willpower to walk to the edge where I could just let gravity pull me forward. Because HOLY SHIT I WAS VERY VERY HIGH ABOVE THE RUSHING WATER AND THE NASTY HARD ROCKS OH MY SWEET JESUS CHRIST I’M GOING TO DIE
Interesting factoid: wind drag tended to turn me around so I spent about half of each zip facing backward. I wonder if it’d help to hold out just one arm (on the side that’s moving forward more than it should), to keep me facing the right direction? Now that I think about it, I remember the guides doing just that. I’ll have to try it next time. Because oh yes, I’m doing it again someday. Meantime, here are some more pictures.
Though I wonder how this patch of (relatively) untouched wilderness will be affected by the 2010 Olympics. Construction for the games was taking place practically right next door to the ziptrek. It’d be a shame if this area got polluted or damaged by idiot tourists.
That night we watched Team America: World Police. The censored version, which was all the video store had. Just as well: I’ve already been traumatised by the uncensored kinky puppet sex scene.