For many years I have attended a "campout" with friends from high school. We long ago gave up tents in the woods and now always stay in a nice Airbnb rental. Every five years ago, we stray from our usual digs in Suncadia, WA and venture further afield. This summer it was Sunriver, OR, which as it turns out, was the inspiration for Suncadia in Washington state. Unlike Suncadia, which is big on golfing, Sunriver has mountains nearby. Skiing in the winter, hiking, and dirt biking in the summer. And oh, zip lining.
Part of our group elected to climb Mt. Bachelor (a sweaty, steep climb, but with snow packs, see picture at lodge) and then zip line down it.
We did stop for lunch at the top, then took the chair lift back down, where we rendevouz'd with our twenty-something zip line instructors. After a test run, we took the ski lift all the way back up Mt. Bachelor to zip line back down.
I've ziplined before, and Mt. Bachelor is a little different. On Whistler, you jump off a platform and go at the speed you go, and there is a lot of talk about the biology of the area. On Mt. Bachelor, they you give a hand pull after they strap you in and you can *regulate* your speed. Then there is the matter of stopping. You are in charge of that too. Large orange signs on the ground a hundred feet below tell you to SLOW down. If you don't brake properly, you are stopped rather jarringly by a series of springs. Then, red in the face, you are pulled back to the platform by the twenty something guides, who hold your very life in their hands.
Bottom line on ziplining: Good to have done, don't need to do it again.
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