The Zip Line




Before summer becomes too much of a distant memory, ( and before I lose the fact sheet that my grandson Kristian gave me) I wanted to do a post on the zip line, one of the popular attractions at Icy Strait Point. This isn't the best picture ever- I was shooting into the sun, but it was the only one I could get at the time. I was coming back from a days fishing earlier in the summer and I had a chance to get the most breathtaking, clear shot of the zipline- the wires were visible right unil they disappeared into the mist at the top of the mountain. It would have been a world class shot. I turned the boat around so I could get the best advantage, I turned on the camera and got just the right placement, and right when I pressed the shutter button, the battery died. Go figure. It was a classic Botts situation. After I got done swearing and a little time passed,I could see the humor in it. I still wish I could have gotten that shot though.
Just looking at this picture is enough to make my stomach queasy. I'm not too fond of heights. It didn't used to bother me. When I was a kid I used to climb on the roof of my neighbor's barn, I don't know why there was a barn in a residential neighborhood, but there was, and I would jump across to Mrs. Jones's cherry tree and steal cherries. I remember repeatedly jumping off a garage roof too just for fun. Now if I have to climb on a step stool to change an overhead light I get vertigo. What a whimp! Anyway, back to the zip line. It runs in my mind that they had to have a helicopter ferry the concrete and other building materials to the site at the top of the mountain. I believe that's how they strung the lines too. It was opened in 2007 and is over a mile long, with a 1300 foot vertical drop at the beginning of the ride. Ooh, just saying sounds scary. The riders have to catch a bus and take a forty five minute trip to the top. Then it's another five minute walk to the top tower. There is a maximum weight restriction of 275 pounds and a minimum of 90 pounds. Five people can go at one time, and go they do at a speed of 60MPH. The ride lasts for one and a half minutes and judging from the screams that I've heard, it must be thrilling. Jan says she'd like to try it next year. We'll see. Maybe if I take a tranquilizer and have a box of Depends handy, I'll give it a shot.

Comments

  1. CamilleOctober 3, 2010 at 3:08 PM

    I think if you go down the zip line you should take a video camera, some pictures from up there would be cool to :).

    ReplyDelete
  2. AJJuly 11, 2011 at 9:42 PM

    Should get one mounted to your hat facing yourself so we could get those crazy faces and screams that we used to crack up about watching America's Funniest Home Videos...I'd pay to see that!

    ReplyDelete
  3. tbbottsSeptember 21, 2014 at 5:07 PM

    No, no I never have. I guess on neighbor day or Hoonah day you can go for free or at a reduced price or something. I should go do it. It would make for a good post. I don't really like heights all that much. Maybe there would be pictures of me standing there with a big wet spot on my pants, who knows.

    ReplyDelete

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