Aerial experience

Last Saturday the kids, the dog, our friend Chuckles and I went to a spot in the nearby hills for an “Aerial Experience.” Well, Chuckles and the kids had the experience, while Lovely and I stayed put on the ground and I documented it. (Chuckles says her brother would never believe she did this without documented evidence. Well, brother, here you have it!)

Once we got there and signed the waiver saying we understood that acting stupid could kill us (well, not in so many words, but you know how these places have to cover their backs for insurance and liability purposes), the kids and Chuckles put on their safety harnesses. Each harness had two carabiners attached that would be the climbers “life-line” just in case someone took a tumble, and a pulley doodad to go on the zipline.

Then we took a short walk to the trees where the obstacle course was set up. There were two courses, one for kids (or anyone incapable of reaching 1.75m from toe to palm of the hand), and one for adults (or those with the appropriate reach). As neither child had the required reach for the adult course yet (maybe another 4–5 years growth required?) (though Chuckles did – just barely!), they all went on the kids’ course.

First you had to climb a rope and board ladder to get to the first platform. Even for that you had a life-line system whereby you hook the first carabiner onto a red cable attached to the ladder, then climb a step or two, hook up the second carabiner and unhook the first, climb a step or two, etc.

The obstacles consisted of a series of different kinds of “passages” from one tree platform to another. Each had an elevated “life-line” cable to which you would hook your carabiners as you negotiated the obstacle. First there was a “horizontal ladder” – two parallel ropes with boards every 40cm or so for you to step on. The kids zoomed across that one – especially Button! Then came series of rectangular suspended platforms, then a series of tubes to crawl through. (That was the one everyone said was scariest, as it tended to swing a fair bit.)

Following the tunnels came first a single rope to balance on combined with an overhead rope to hold onto, then two parallel ropes for the feet, again with an overhead rope to hand onto.

The final two “obstacles” in the first course were two zip lines, the second of which brought the participant back to the ground.

Then there was a second course. I didn’t get pictures of that one, as Lovely and I sat on a log to rest up a bit. But by all reports it was fairly similar to the first course.

The kids had a blast, and Chuckles said it was fun too! (She figured the kids’ course was probably enough of a challenge for her – the adult one looked a fair bit tougher, not to mention a lot higher off the ground!)

Oh, and when we first arrived and were getted suited up, we saw a pretty good sized bear loitering around the building. The employees said it came to visit fairly frequently, so no one was very alarmed though we were being cautious. At one point it scuttled up a tree; later it came back down and was lingering near the picnic tables a mere 6m from the doorway to the building.

All in all, a pretty fun day!