Just. Let. Go.

Typically, I like to keep both of my feet firmly on the ground. Yet, earlier this spring when a friend asked if I wanted to join her ziplining I didn’t hesitate to say yes. There is something about flying through the trees that seems so appealing, how could I say No?

Our adventure started on a cold June morning at Crater Lake Zipline outside of Klamath Falls. When we made our reservations, I had envisioned flying through the air on a hot sunny day, but in reality I was wrapped up in my warmest jacket and rain gear as our guides — Eva and Alec — helped us strap into our  harnesses. Once everything was fitted correctly, we rode to the top of Tomahawk Hill for “ground school.” Here we learned how to control our bodies while on the zipline — and more importantly — how to stop.

Then we were off.

Ziplining at Crater Lake Zipline

Once we took off on the first, beginner zipline our feet didn’t touched the ground again until our adventure was over, 9 ziplines, 2 skybridges, and 2 decents later. We literally zig-zagged down the mountain from tree to tree with the expert help of our two friendly guides, who not only kept us safe but also laughing with their good humor.

To be clear, I am afraid of heights. However, after signing up for this adventure, I realized that my fear is about falling, which was never a possibility on the course. Instead, I felt a lot of freedom, not only while ziplining but also while standing on the platforms, high up in the trees, taking in the views without any fear. By far, the hardest part of the course, for me and others in my group, was the final decent, a “quick jump” in which, for just a moment, you are free falling. The final step of the course was the hardest.

Just. Let. Go. is to motto for Crater Lake Zipline, and it fit my experience perfectly.

Walking a sky bridge at Crater Lake Zipline.

While I had a great time at Crater Lake Zipline, there are several other places in Oregon that offer ziplining (just put “zipline Oregon” in your favorite search engine for a list). I don’t know how this experience compares to these other locations, perhaps I should do some research to find out…