Last night, Matt and I took a drive to Spring Mount, Pennsylvania for the Heart of Darkness ziplining trip. Obviously, this was not a typical Saturday event for either of us, nor was it for the 10 other people on the tour.
Although I watched a few YouTube videos to see what the tour was all about, I was still in nervous anticipation until I volunteered myself to go first for the several “challenges” of the course.
Mind you, before actually getting to zip, it is mandatory that you make it through the 1-hour hike up Spring Mountain in one piece. Now, I will preface this by saying that I consider myself to be a fairly athletic person.
The hike was a solid 8 on the difficulty scale. Matt and I were proud to be leading the pack with three of the tour guides, but we certainly struggled with the several steep inclines on the ascension. Even those who have hiked as a hobby made statements like, “Hiking is not this hard!”
Ricky, one of our guides, made the crack, “Yes, folks, you did pay money to do this!” The other guides were also great with making the hike more tolerable. Little Brian, as I had named him considering his height of approximately 5′3 and weight of 100 pounds, pulled ahead several times to hide behind boulders and jump out at unsuspecting victims.
When we reached our destination, Kim and I volunteered to start the challenges off. The first was climbing a big cargo net up a tree. My strategy to avoid panicking at any point was to simply look up instead of down. It was 100% effective, thank you very much.
Next challenge was the No-Handed Bridge of Doom, which basically involved running across some flimsy metal grates to the next tree. For some reason, I found this to be easier than the cargo net. Pretty Ricky makes a few cameos in this video.
Finally, it was time for the first zip. The entire time, you wear a harness and helmet. The guide hooks you to the zipping cable, you weight the system (sit down in mid-air to make sure the line is supporting your weight properly), and then you scream, “READY TO ZIP!” The guide on the other end is basically your life line; he or she is in charge of breaking you before you hit a tree. When ready, the guide will use his or her own unique “ZZZZZIP AWAY!” And off you go.
The next two challenges that ensued involved a swinging rope line, which I found to be the scariest and most challenging, as it wobbled the entire time. The last was a shimmy line, which you could either zip quickly across or shimmy across with your arms and legs above you. I chose the former because I won’t even go there.
The final zip into the repelling tower was definitely the coolest. It was the longest line and the area was better lit so you were able to see the mountain, ski lift, and the Tiki Bar that blared music in the distance.
To end your adventure, you’re supposed to repel down the tower.
I quickly found there was no graceful way to do this as my only battle wound (a skinned elbow) came from the descent.
Overall, the tour was one of the coolest activities I have ever done. It was well worth the hike. And both the tour guides and fellow zippers made it even more fun. I’d definitely do it again. Even in daylight.
Me looking like crap after the tour, but still on an adrenaline high
Chris the Male Nurse. You have the right to act like an idiot after you complete the course.
Matt in full gear.
Again
Post-tour Photo Op with the group and guides
