In Vancouver I lived on the 14th floor and got nervous going up in the elevator. I have vivid memories of standing on the 5-metre diving platform at the Burnie Pool for what seemed like an eternity before climbing back down the ladder. I did the same on the 3-metre board. I don’t like peering over the edge of bridges. In short, I don’t like heights. It’s not a life-affecting problem. Sometimes I like the thrill and adrenaline rush – to an extent. But there is a fine line between a fun and get-me-the-hell-down-from-here.
As part of my adventure with Wandering Duck, we finished the weekend at Go Ape near Buxton, one of many Go Ape adventure rope courses. I didn’t know much before we arrived. Something to do with trees and ropes was as detailed as my intel went. When the afternoon started with a harness and a safety briefing, well, I got a bit nervous.
Go Ape turned out to be a ropes course through the tree tops, so my intel was correct, just vague. The course at Buxton is split into five zones, the first being a very simple walk between two trees and a small zipline as an introduction. From there it gets harder and once you climb up that first tree, the only way down is to complete the rest of the course for that zone. The motto is “always stay attached” for the simple, yet terrifying, truth that if you don’t, you fall out of the tree. And these are not shrubs.
The first few links were OK – except for a bit of a hold up at the first Tarzan swing while I found the nerve to jump off the platform and swing into the net. Zone 2 was also completed with little drama, but in the middle of Zone 3 I decided this would be it. My nerves were shot and I’d become extremely sarcastic – which happens when I need a distraction from my current situation.
The problem is each zone finishes with a zipline. I would be content with my decision that I needed to get on the ground for good and then finish the zipline with an adrenaline spike and a big grin, keen to go again. Zone 4 was particularly tricky and at the end my heart was racing and my knees trembling. I was done and happy to stay down.
But peer pressure is a sneaky bugger. While watching everyone climb the tree to start Zone 5 I got talked into climbing up as well. Luckily there was an alternative to the bigger Tarzan swing, which, given my issues at the baby swing, I felt I should take.
But then came a problem. A few trees along from the Tarzan swing there was a bit of a hold up and I was left waiting at a tree that kept swaying. It had the Tarzan-swing jumpers landing on the net pulling it in one direction, and the link ahead in the other.
I was not comfortable. I. Needed. To. Get. Down.
Unfortunately, there is only one way down and that was to finish the course. Ideally I would have raced through it like a monkey, but I couldn’t until the people ahead of me went.
So I was stuck.
Stuck and imaging what use the harness would be if the thing I was attached to fell down. Eventually I made it to the final zipline, although even the zipline-buzz couldn’t save my rather shaken mood.
However, I did take A LOT of comfort in the fact that I’d pushed through and finished the entire course.
The moral of the story? If heights make you nervous, don’t climb trees.
Once again thanks to Claire for the pics.
