This year had
been a long list of firsts in my life thanks to the adventurous challenge of
The Shovel, but last week I claimed a "first" not only for myself,
but for the entire province of Ontario.
I didn't
really understand what I was getting into when Ben popped his head into the
kitchen after dinner. "Do you guys want to go on the zipline?" he
asked with a misleading nonchalance. I took one look at Jo, fellow cook and
great friend, and knew our answer would be the same. "Um, Yes!?" we
replied, blissfully naive of the commitment we had just made. And that was
that: verbal waver signed.
About an hour
later I met Jo and her towel outside of the Staff House, my adopted springtime
abode. Our one minute walk to the tower was a giddy one, but excited giggles
turned into nervous laughter when I stepped into the shadow of this foreboding
edifice. Oh, biceps... we have a little training to do. After a few tries and a
little slipping of the fingers I managed to pass the fifteen-second test that
determined whether or not I would be able to save my own life. The second
fifteen-second test, whether or not I would be able to force my trembling body
up the thin metal ladder to the high platform from which I would soon have to
jump, took a more determined swallowing of fear.
The guys were
encouraging but a little vague. "Wrist in here," said Stu after
practically bolting himself into place. "When I open the gate, just
run." Wires, wrists and fists... a system that did not scream total
security, but the engineers that thought it up and put it together are a
trustworthy set, so with an eventual deep breath and a squeak of escaping
internal protest, my feet leapt.
Then my heart
leapt.
I'm the type
to fear the climb and love the drop. It's the classic roller coaster dilemma,
but as with many that share the adrenaline addiction brought on by the physical
thrill of being rushed towards the earth at a rhinocerosly rapid speed, I work
through the terror of that first ride and cue by cue, build up my bravery. By
the end of the day, all you feel is awesome and fearless. This
is like that... but maybe a little cooler.
The zip at
Mini-Yo-We is the only licensed line that lands in the water - and this year, I
was the first to ride down. Bottom line: I make history. No big deal.
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