ZIP LINING IN PA

Jordan Yaun submitted an entry for our Blog Contest.  

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Below is his blog which could also be found at Philly Affect [editor’s note: PhillyAffect.com is no longer live].

Breathe it in and Breathe it out, that is REFRESHING MOUNTAIN, Home of Refreshing Canopy Ziplines.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZIPPPPPP… did ya hear that? That is a glorious sound, the wind in your face and nature all around you, flying through the air at varying heights between 300 and 800 feet, this is an unbelievable experience! It’s close too, only a little over an hour away from Philadelphia, if that’s too far away, make it an Overnight Getaway and stay in one of their cabins!

If you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary and FUN to do this summer, I encourage you to check out www.refreshingmountain.com and book one of their Zip Lining Tour packages, it is a great Outdoor Adventure. They have two options: the Challenge Adventure Tour or the Aerial Excursion Tour. Both tours are KID FRIENDLY and fun for the entire family.

I personally had an awesome experience on the Challenge Adventure Tour.  The tour is part Zip Lining and part Adventure Ropes course. We chose this package because it seemed like a bit of a (dare, double dare) PHYSICAL CHALLENGE and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

Ropes Course View

You start the tour by climbing a small hill to your first “Zip”, here your two tour guides clip you in, safety first, one by one and off you go, zzzzzzzipppppp, to the adventure course platform. This is where the first bit of adrenaline hit me, 50 feet in the air, You vs the Adventure Course.

There are 9 Challenges on the Adventure Course:

1. Log Bridge: A ten foot log hanging 50 feet off the ground. I hope you have balance if not you might be crawling across this one.
2. Cargo net: 15 foot wide cargo netting stands between you and the next platform, make sure you bring you muscles for this one.
3. 8 Foot Jump Gap: 50 feet above ground, take the leap! There is a swing if you don’t want to jump, but they encourage you to take the risk, big adrenaline rush.
4. Swinging hanging steps: This is a tough one, it works the core and balance is needed.
5. Cat Walk: This is basically just a crossing bridge from the end of the course back to the next Zip platform. Great place to take a few pictures of the beautiful scenery. See Ropes Course View picture in the top left for a view of this obstacle.
6. Monkey Vine Crossing: Varying lengths of rope hanging above a tight rope you are walking on. Upper body strength and balance are helpful here.
7. Rickety  Bridge: Picture an old rope bridge with gaps and missing slats and you have this obstacle. Indiana Jones style.
8. Slanted Rope, Tight rope walk: I thought this was the toughest obstacle. You walk a tight rope with two diagonal ropes slanting from high to low meeting at the center of the tight rope with a long rope hanging above, it is tough because you need to transition from various rope heights and not fall off.
9. Swinging Rope Bridge : Walk the bridge of ropes across to the next platform. Not Easy.

Once you finish up with the physical portion of the Challenge Adventure Tour, it is time to Zip Line!Try it upside down… What a RUSH!

4 Zip Lines remain, over 1400 feet long. You are about 60 feet in the air flying above nature, bushes, trees, even some wildlife if you’re lucky. The second to last zip is amazing, about 800 feet long, you have a small free fall and then a great ride over the beautiful pond.

The day I went was perfect,  60 degrees and sunny, about 15 turtles were sunning themselves on logs and rocks in the pond, great picture opportunity, but I didn’t want to risk dropping the phone, a GoPro would have been nice! The Final zip is a few hundred feet descending from about 50 feet up back to the ground, once you get close the ground start running! To find out why, head up to Refreshing Mountain for a great time and a lot of FUN!

I had a great time at Refreshing Canopy Ziplines. I would recommend taking a day or two to experience it first hand. If you have any additional questions for me leave a comment below or send a quick email to PhillyAffect@gmail.com.