For all of my life—or at
least for as long as I can remember—I have had acrophobia—an irrational fear of
heights. I could barely stand looking down from a second story window without a
panic attack. I remember going to New York with my parents, taking the elevator
to the top of the Empire state Building and being afraid to go close even to
the observation spots. I could just see the protective wall and screening
falling away and me falling all the
way to the ground. Splat!
As I got older I tried to
conquer that fear. I tried deep breathing when I was at a high place. I tried
imagining I was only two feet from the ground. Yeah, well, that didn’t work too well. I scared myself so much looking down
from the fifteenth floor window of a hotel room that I refused to get a room
higher than the second floor after that.
So I moved along through
life, avoiding heights at all costs. Telling people I got nosebleed if I got
higher the ten feet from the ground. All kinds of stories. Then some friends of
mine, who are RVing around the country, sent pictures of themselves ziplining. And
it just looked like so much fun.
What is zip lining, you
ask? A zipline consists
of a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel,
mounted on an incline. It is designed to enable a user propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the
bottom of the inclined cable by holding on to, or attaching to, the freely
moving pulley.
Now of course you’d say, are you crazy? A woman with
acrophobia wants to go ziplining? But the more I thought about it the more I wanted to do it. So a few years
ago when I took my family to Las Vegas over Christmas, my daughter made
arrangements for us to go ziplining over Bootleg Canyon.
It was quite an adventure. First, a van takes you as closed
to the top of the mountain as it can drive. Then the guides give you what felt
like ten thousand pounds of gear to haul the rest of eh way to the top. When
they asked if someone needed help with that I raised my hand. You bet. And huge
thanks to my son and son-in-law who walked with me every step of the way on
that twisty path to the summit.
I was so proud of myself that I didn’t get nervous our faint
or throw up, even though we kept going higher and higher. At the top is a wide
platform with four places for people to hook up. The guides help you into the
safety harnesses and make sure every buckle is buckled and every strap in
;place. Then they position you on the platform and hook you to the pulley.
The zipline is in four separate sections, each section 2,000
feet long. There you are on the platform, and below you, more than a mile, is
gorgeous Bootleg Canyon.
And there I was,
flying over the canyon at sixty miles an hour.
And I wasn’t afraid!
Damn straight!
It was actually
exhilarating. And freeing. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
And I was so proud of
myself when I worked my legs and body at the approach to the next problem, landing
without kicking anyone or destroying myself. At each station there is a guide
who unhooks you from that pulley and hooks you up to the next one. So there I
was, off again flying over Bootleg Canyon.
And enjoying it!
Can I just say it was
one of the most exhilarating things I have ever done. And surprise! I was ready
to do it again!
As you can see by the
pictures, it really was a blast.
Since then I have
actually stayed in hotel rooms as nigh as the twenty-third floor and not had
the urge to throw up or fall down on the floor.
And I can’t wait to
go ziplining again.
Wow! That's courage. Good for you. Skydiving next?
ReplyDeleteI'm still hoping to fly in a hot air balloon while I'm still limber enough to climb into one.
ReplyDeleteSounds like something I'd like to do! I did parasailing in Mexico, and the safety belts, buckles and harness pretty much took away the fear of the possibilities.
ReplyDeleteI've seen opinions that the fear of heights translates to not trusting ourselves to *not* step off the edge. If you think about it, heights can be that intoxicating.
I'm not nervous about heights for myself, but I do get close to freaking out when some else gets too near an edge.
ReplyDeleteDaddy X, I think you said it best - not trusting ourselves. I found this so exhilarating. And Spencer? If my kids would let me skydiving is definitely on my list.
ReplyDeleteThey do say that the best way to conquer a fear is to face it head-on. That being said, though I'm not particularly afraid of heights, you won't find me zip-lining or sky-diving or even riding on a hot-air balloon (a friend of mine's wife gave him a ride on one for his birthday, it got tangled with electrical wires and was disastrous for all on the ride.)
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm not much of a daredevil, though I used to be when younger. The older I get, the more safely I want to play things. I'm all too aware that the grim reaper is waiting around a corner somewhere, and I'll never know which corner until I see him. I'm not in any hurry to find out or invite him to speed things up. Just call me a wimp, I guess.
Not a wimp, Fiona-just wary. The older we get, the easier things break, and harder to heal.
DeleteDesiree, you are inspiring!
ReplyDeleteOn top of going to BDSM clubs...!
Actually, I'd like to try zip-lining but my hubby is definitely not a fan of heights. And somehow I feel that it wouldn't be much fun to leave him behind.
Thanks for a great story on the topic.
In Alaska they offered zip-lining. I seriously considered it until I was standing on the topmost deck of the ship looking down into the ocean so freaking far below I felt sick - no hanging from a zipline for me! Call me anything you like - I don't care!
ReplyDeleteDesiree, that is an exhilarating post. I'm glad you overcame your fear! Sacchi, I've gone up in a hot-air balloon, and as far as I know, it's probably as safe as driving or travelling by plane. The view is incredible: you're above the highest building, but closer to the ground than in an airplane. I would go again, even though the landings can be rough, which is why passengers are advised to wear pants & long sleeves (i.e. keep most of your skin covered with at least one layer of protective fabric).
ReplyDeleteI went up in a glider with a friend in California's wine country. The cabin was so small that my friend and I know each other much better now. It was a lovely, quiet ride, the only noise the whistling of the wind. Once we were up there, the pilot told us what should have been obvious: When it comes to landings in a glider, you only get one chance at it.
ReplyDeleteDesiree, this is so cool! Thanks for including the pictures! I have so much respect for people who face their fears as you did.
ReplyDelete