An Adventure for the cautious (and everyone else, too.)
When ZipQuest planned their media day a few weeks ago, they invited a travel writer I know and have worked with in the past, Mary Gallagher. Mary invited me out to meet her at ZipQuest and have lunch with her after her tour. When I arrived, the Zip Quest folks were kind enough to ask me if I wanted to go on the 2-1/2 hour tour with Mary. I excitedly said yes, I’d love it. After I said yes, I started to have second thoughts. If you know me, you know that “daredevil” or “adventure seeker” are not descriptions associated with me.Ground school was interesting. This is where on, on a short zip line that allows you to touch the ground, you try out different maneuvers you will need on course. My natural clumsiness shined –it took me several tries to get some of the maneuvers correct. But I got clearance to go out on the course.
As we approached the first ladder to go out on the tour, our two guides attached us to the course in two places. They explained from this point on – we will be connected to the course at all times. Throughout the trip, I could see their strict protocol in place. As they moved us from one part of the course to another – a guide would disconnect one of our attachments and reattach it at the next point. The second connection was only undone and moved after the first was fully connected. While I’m sure it is tedious for the guides, as a visitor I felt completely safe.
When, on the first zip, one guide zipped to the next platform to help us with our landings – I felt a knot in my stomach and thought “what did I get myself into.” They asked for volunteers to go first, and I couldn’t do it. I did agree to go second. My first landing was clumsy, to say the least. The guide caught me more than helped me. However, the Zip was exhilarating; and I couldn’t wait to do it again.
By the third zipline, I couldn’t see the landing platform, and I didn’t care –I was confident in my ability to land comfortably. At the close of the tour, I had traveled across 8 ziplines (one longer than a football field), three bridges, three spiral staircases and stood on 16 platforms high up in the trees. From my perspective, one of the great things about ZipQuest , is that non-adventurous folks like me can go on a major adventure and feel completely secure.
ZipQuest is located in northern Fayetteville at Carvers Falls , a virtually untouched 55 acre area of forest with an amazing waterfall. The waterfall is said to be the largest in the eastern Carolinas.
ZipQuest is just one of the fun things to do in our community. For more ourdoor and adventure ideas, check out our All American Adventure Driving Tour. To learn more about this or other fun things in greater Fayetteville, connect with the CVB via one of the outlets below.
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