Clotho
Doting on Disney
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2004
Just got back from our week on the Wonder, and we did two excursions:
Skagway - Grizzly Falls Ziplining with Alaska Excursions
We met at 9:45am in the Walt Disney Theater and were lead to a comfy small tour bus. Our driver was Keeley, and she gave us a little tour of Skagway (it's not a long tour ) including driving past the back-alley warehouse where she and some of the other seasonal guides live (what a life!), the community health center (they have no doctors), and other local lore and info.
At base camp, which is also the base camp for one of the musher's camp excursions, we got suited up with our harnesses. This is a photo of some of the family of 5 that was on the same tour with us:
This was when I was pretty sure I was going to throw up with stress. As someone who is afraid of heights, this excursion was a bucket-list line item I wanted to knock out, and I was soooo nervous. Here at base camp is the last restrooms you will see, and simultaneously having a nervous stomach and nausea, I was trying to breathe and relax and try not to freak out. Once you are locked into your harness, you can't exactly make a hasty retreat to the little girl's room--something I was keenly aware of...
Luckily, we were soon ushered off to the Unimog, which is a growling powerhouse of a hill climber, with twice as many gears as a regular vehicle. The roads are steep gravely pathways carved through the mountainside.
There are 11 ziplines, 2 of which are "practice lines"--lower to the ground, not too fast--and two suspension bridges. We started on the second line with a father and his 13 year old daughter, and the family of 5 began on the first line, effectively pacing our group one after the other so we wouldn't hold each other up but would end not too far apart at the end.
Our guides were Jay and Matt and they were great. Fun-loving guys in their late 20's/early 30's with a great sense of humor. The company has names for each of the lines, with a little story about why the name was chosen. For instance, "This one is called the Big Kahuna. It's the longest and fastest--you will get about 30 seconds of line time."
To add even further interest, they would issue little challenges on each line. "For this one, try to turn yourself upside down," or, "This one is the trust fall--throw your arms wide and fall backward off the platform without grabbing the harness. You get higher points for falling from the top rung of the platform ladder." They would give us tips on how to succeed at each challenge, then Matt would demonstrate the challenge and then wait on the other platform to play catcher. Jay stayed behind with us to lock us in and help us launch, then follow behind. They had the system down smooth, quick, and made us feel very safe.
I stepped up to go first on the very first line, to pull off the bandage as quickly as possible. Sick to my stomach, I stepped off the platform. Those first few lines I was gripping for dear life and not wanting to look down. By the trust fall challenge, I was falling from the top rung full out; and by the time we got to the toughest challenge, I was launching into a graceful front flip off a very high platform!
Here are some pics:
My hubby and I are not small people, though we were within the required weight range. The harnesses fit comfortably and we felt safe and supported throughout.
We felt exhilarated and accomplished at the end, and enjoyed a bottled water and a granola bar in the sunshine next to a firepit (not necessary on the very sunny and warm day we had, but surely welcome for those on more typical cold, rainy days). We hung out for about 20 minutes chatting and taking photos while we waited for the family behind us to finish up, then we loaded into the 'Mog for the ride back down.
We were running ahead of schedule and the road is one-lane in most places. So while waiting for another Unimog to head up the hill, our driver took us to a platform overlooking the valley. He told us more local lore, pointing out interested details of the landscape, and taking photos.
Back at camp we had a short period of time to look in their shop (all dog musher merchandise, none for the zipliners!), and they let us visit the puppy pens for a little while, too, even though we hadn't paid for any dog musher camp stuff.
Keeley drove us back down to town, dropping off those of us who wanted to stay in town near a recommended restaurant and drove the rest of the people back to the dock. We had plenty of time left in the day, so we grabbed lunch and soaked up the rare sun (we even got a little burned!)
We would highly recommend this excursion to anyone. Don't let fear hold you back! All ages and fitness levels participated in it and had a grand time. The guides are friendly and skilled, and we had a great time. We agreed this was the favorite thing we did our entire trip.
Skagway - Grizzly Falls Ziplining with Alaska Excursions
We met at 9:45am in the Walt Disney Theater and were lead to a comfy small tour bus. Our driver was Keeley, and she gave us a little tour of Skagway (it's not a long tour ) including driving past the back-alley warehouse where she and some of the other seasonal guides live (what a life!), the community health center (they have no doctors), and other local lore and info.
At base camp, which is also the base camp for one of the musher's camp excursions, we got suited up with our harnesses. This is a photo of some of the family of 5 that was on the same tour with us:
This was when I was pretty sure I was going to throw up with stress. As someone who is afraid of heights, this excursion was a bucket-list line item I wanted to knock out, and I was soooo nervous. Here at base camp is the last restrooms you will see, and simultaneously having a nervous stomach and nausea, I was trying to breathe and relax and try not to freak out. Once you are locked into your harness, you can't exactly make a hasty retreat to the little girl's room--something I was keenly aware of...
Luckily, we were soon ushered off to the Unimog, which is a growling powerhouse of a hill climber, with twice as many gears as a regular vehicle. The roads are steep gravely pathways carved through the mountainside.
There are 11 ziplines, 2 of which are "practice lines"--lower to the ground, not too fast--and two suspension bridges. We started on the second line with a father and his 13 year old daughter, and the family of 5 began on the first line, effectively pacing our group one after the other so we wouldn't hold each other up but would end not too far apart at the end.
Our guides were Jay and Matt and they were great. Fun-loving guys in their late 20's/early 30's with a great sense of humor. The company has names for each of the lines, with a little story about why the name was chosen. For instance, "This one is called the Big Kahuna. It's the longest and fastest--you will get about 30 seconds of line time."
To add even further interest, they would issue little challenges on each line. "For this one, try to turn yourself upside down," or, "This one is the trust fall--throw your arms wide and fall backward off the platform without grabbing the harness. You get higher points for falling from the top rung of the platform ladder." They would give us tips on how to succeed at each challenge, then Matt would demonstrate the challenge and then wait on the other platform to play catcher. Jay stayed behind with us to lock us in and help us launch, then follow behind. They had the system down smooth, quick, and made us feel very safe.
I stepped up to go first on the very first line, to pull off the bandage as quickly as possible. Sick to my stomach, I stepped off the platform. Those first few lines I was gripping for dear life and not wanting to look down. By the trust fall challenge, I was falling from the top rung full out; and by the time we got to the toughest challenge, I was launching into a graceful front flip off a very high platform!
Here are some pics:
My hubby and I are not small people, though we were within the required weight range. The harnesses fit comfortably and we felt safe and supported throughout.
We felt exhilarated and accomplished at the end, and enjoyed a bottled water and a granola bar in the sunshine next to a firepit (not necessary on the very sunny and warm day we had, but surely welcome for those on more typical cold, rainy days). We hung out for about 20 minutes chatting and taking photos while we waited for the family behind us to finish up, then we loaded into the 'Mog for the ride back down.
We were running ahead of schedule and the road is one-lane in most places. So while waiting for another Unimog to head up the hill, our driver took us to a platform overlooking the valley. He told us more local lore, pointing out interested details of the landscape, and taking photos.
Back at camp we had a short period of time to look in their shop (all dog musher merchandise, none for the zipliners!), and they let us visit the puppy pens for a little while, too, even though we hadn't paid for any dog musher camp stuff.
Keeley drove us back down to town, dropping off those of us who wanted to stay in town near a recommended restaurant and drove the rest of the people back to the dock. We had plenty of time left in the day, so we grabbed lunch and soaked up the rare sun (we even got a little burned!)
We would highly recommend this excursion to anyone. Don't let fear hold you back! All ages and fitness levels participated in it and had a grand time. The guides are friendly and skilled, and we had a great time. We agreed this was the favorite thing we did our entire trip.