Remember when I told you on Friday that I might go zip lining over the weekend?  WELL I DID.  But before I tell you about the experience, I have to explain the process leading up to making that decision.

I’m a bit of a control freak.  When things aren’t under my control, I tend to get sick to my stomach and nervous and a bit of a mess.  I’m trying all kinds of relaxation methods to react like a normal person and I’m getting better.  
1 month ago – We look up zip lining in the Northeast with our neighbors.  We joke about going and I instantly had a bundle of nerves tighten up and I start internally freaking out that they might actually want to go and then I would have to commit.  It was forgotten the next day… deep sigh.
2 weeks ago – I realize that the zip lining course was within 5 miles of the campground I booked for our weekend camping trip.  Do I tell Justin?  What if he suggests paying in advance and making a reservation?  Then I can’t back out.  Nope, I’ll tell him when I decide if I want to go or not.
1 week ago – I tell Justin, but I make sure he knows that it’s something we might do.  He knows I’m weird and accepted it, but I could tell he was instantly way more excited for this camping weekend.
Sunday – I research the zip line experience for the 100th time and decide it’s probably too much excitement to check 2 things off the 30 before 30 list in one weekend.  But it looks fun, but no, we’ll just go hiking instead.
Wednesday – I realize that I put zip lining into our July budget.  Crap.  That was going to be my “out.”  Now I don’t have one.  Maybe it will rain.  I think I want to go, but I also think I’m afraid.
Friday – We are totally going zip lining tomorrow and it is going to be epic… I’m 80% sure.
Saturday, the day of the zip line:
8:15 AM – Not even a little nervous, I wake Justin up and we head straight to the mountain and before I can have any second thoughts, we are signed up for the 9:00 AM tour.  The person working tells me to use the bathroom before our tour time because there will be no bathrooms for 3 hours.  Freak out begins.  What if I have to pee?  What kind of torture have I signed myself up for.  I’m going to be the only adult ever who pees in the woods during the tour.
9:00 AM – The first guide introduces himself and he seems cool.  The other people in our group arrive and seem nervous which makes me feel less crazy.  Harness is strapped on me and helmet is adjusted.  We are doing this.
9:30 AM – I’m going over the safety information in my head so I know exactly what I need to be doing.  I’m watching the guides prepare everything.  I’m surprisingly calm.  Too calm?  I start second guessing my new found peace.
9:35 AM – I’m standing on the platform and I realize that I’m about to cannonball 650 feet above the valley floor for 3/4 mile.  I take a deep breath and jump.
9:36 AM – HOLY CRAP.  BEST THING EVER.
9:37 AM – Dammit.  I am embarrassed that I didn’t get enough speed to make it the whole way across on the first one.  Justin went flying through the air and I didn’t have the right form.  But honestly, who cares because that was AWESOME.
9:55 AM – Now I’m a pro.  We volunteer to go first on the second zip.  I jumped off the platform without a second thought.
And it goes on.  Any nerves were long gone.  The morning was spent zipping through the trees and across the valley from mountainside to mountainside like Tarzan without the animal print onesie.  At one point, there was a suspension bridge that brought out my Indiana Jones and I caught myself grinning ear to ear.
I laugh about it now because it was such an internal struggle for me and when it came time to step off the platform, there were no worries.  We had so much fun.  That was the whole point of making a list and giving myself a deadline.  I wanted to push my own boundaries.  My husband is pretty much the best person in the world for dealing with my bizarre behavior.  
If you are looking for an awesome experience, Hunter Mountain is the place to go (especially if you get Dabo and Steven as guides.)  The price tag was high, but the tour was 3 hours long and it was worth every penny.  Oh and we followed the rules and didn’t bring anything with us so the only proof we have is a wristband picture (which I now realize could be anyone’s wrists.)
And yes, our wristbands said “Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.” – John Wayne… Immediately followed up by There are no refunds.  Thanks John Wayne for the encouragement.
Have you ever zip lined?  What makes you nervous?