Heights make me queasy. It’s hard for me to look over my third-floor balcony. In tall buildings with windows, I stand at least six feet back. I once rode a merry-go-round at Cedar Point 25 times while my friends waited to get on some roller coaster I didn’t even want to walk past (They’ve long since removed the biggest coaster I’ll get on). I’m not going on any observation decks anytime soon.
So why then did I develop this obsession with going ziplining? Each summer, when a friend and I went out to Geneva-on-the-Lake for our annual visits, I cast a longing eye at Lake Erie Canopy Tours and suggested we should try it. We never did because of her various physical aches and pains.
But when an email arrived in May about the reopening of the ziplines, I said “this is it” and made arrangements to go. That’s how I found myself on a cool, sunny midday with Karon and her teenaged son, getting instructions from our two guides about how the equipment worked.
You can sign up for a full zipline tour, with eight lines, or a half tour with four. I was only ready to try four. Our guides Matthew and Taco set us up and we follow them up a steep series of stairs to the first platform. After more instructions, one by one we knelt down and stepped off. I didn’t look down even though I’m sure the forest underneath us was lovely.
Our next challenge was a bridge of loosely connected steps taking us higher to a platform where we would launch ourselves over the creek, heading north toward the lake. I briefly thought about demurring and climbing back down but on second thought, OK. They claim you can “Track deer, squirrels and the shy red painted turtle below on the forest floor as you fly like an eagle on Lake Erie’s shore.” I wouldn’t know. I still didn’t look down but the sensation of flying with wind ruffling your hair was wonderful. And when we landed on the opposite platform we had a panoramic view of Lake Erie. The final zip took us back over the waterway, WAY up in the air, 60 feet, at speeds nearly 30 miles per hour. This was getting to be kind of fun, but I still didn’t look down.
I asked what the full zipline tour consisted of. That one features more traverses over the forest, so we got the better deal — fresh open lake air and views. Lake Erie Canopy tours also offer adventure tours with 30 rope challenges, with courses for adults and kids ages 4-10. And on Saturday evenings you can sign up for a nighttime half zipline tour starting at 8:30pm.
They’re currently open Thursday-Monday; after June 27, they will be open seven days until late August. Thanks for the ride, guys. I might even consider going again!