While in Belize in January, the girls saw a tour brochure advertising ziplining and asked to do it, but much to their dismay, the minimum age was 8. Harper of course tried to sell me on "five rounding up to eight." They were pretty bummed that even their combined age couldn't get them on a zipline, but I was actually a little glad. Sam and I have been ziplining in Central America, and I'm not sure I could stand to see my sweet little babies flying 50 mph across a canyon in the rainforest. Eek.
Every time we go do fun things on trip, I come back and think about how we have so many of those activites right in our backyard. One of my favorite resources for things to do around Roanoke is Groupon. In scrolling through the deals, I came across one for ziplining in North Carolina. I clicked through and noticed as part of the terms and conditions that you had to be three to participate. What?! Kids welcome? Knowing that WK's birthday was right around the corner, I gave her that as an option of many. (would you like to.... go to the pool? the trampoline park? to see Daniel Tiger? go ziplining?) She's my often cautious girl, so I was a little shocked when she instantly started screaming, "Zip-wining! Zip-wining!"
So, I bought four groupons and hoped + prayed and hoped + prayed that Carolina Ziplines had availability on Willa Kate's actual birthday-- a Saturday this year. I emailed them and quickly got a response that we were good to go for 3/19. I must've said ten times in the email that it would be our younger daughter's third birthday because I kept waiting for her to say, "Oh, she's only three? That won't work." But, instead, they were excited to help her celebrate.
Unfortunately, Willa's birthday morning rolled around, and it was cold and rainy. Those girls talk a big adventurous game, but part of me wondered if we would drive the hour and forty-five minutes down there to have them freak out and have to be pushed from every platform. So, I wasn't excited about adding wet and shivering to the mix. And, let's be honest, I didn't want to spend two hours outside in the rain when it's 45 degrees outside. Not happening. The folks at Carolina Ziplines were super accommodating, and slated us for the following Friday.
We decided on the 4:00 timeframe because that would allow me to work a half day, and let the girls take a nap on the ride down. Plus, it's March, so it's usually warmest in late afternoon. I am SO. GLAD. we waited because the weather was perfect. Seventy and sunny-- ideal for an afternoon in the woods.
The girls both slept on the way down, and we arrived about thirty minutes early. Cue the hallelujah chorus. I feel like maybe we should've bought a lottery ticket on the way down because those two things happening in the same day are nothing short of luck. Since the guides run tours about every two hours, they were finishing up their earlier tour when we got there, so we let the girls run around and explore the grounds a bit until they called us to get checked in.
Can I just show you the cutest thing you've ever seen? It's this sweet little three-year-old baby of mine getting fitted for a harness. A ziplining harness. Yes, it occurred to me that this is a bit ridiculous, that maybe I shouldn't be letting my precious sunshine do an activity that required a well-fitting helmet and that many straps, all while involving a forest full of trees and several story high platforms. But, one thing I know is that I'm determined not to burden my children with my timidity, and rather gift them with the magic bravery of travel. For some reason when we aren't at home, when we are already outside our comfort zone, we feel a little more invigorated, a little more motivated to take that risk. It is so fun seeing that splayed across the face of my being-fitted-for-a-harness-when-she-just-turned-three-year-old. I kept waiting for her to be nervous, but she never cracked.
And then there's Harper, whom I never expected to be nervous. Or shy. Or cautious. And she was none of those. She actually thought she could do her own harness (no one who knows her well is surprised by that comment), but thankfully, Carolina Ziplines thought better of that. :)
And soon enough, our party of four was grouped with an all-guy family group of five, and we were off with Noah and Tylene to check out the ziplines. The guides did a fantastic job of breaking down the safety information. I love that we went with a terrified group of teenage guys (literally) because it made my girls even more confident. "Ha, you're scared to do this?! Watch this!" So, the Fertitta gang was the first on the practice zipline. Yes, my five-year-old went before soon-to-be college freshmen. She is so cool. Here's a little video of their first run.
I just could not get over their bravery. Couldn't! In what seems like commonplace mom behavior for me these days, I asked the girls through tear-filled eyes how they liked their first run on the zipline. They were giddy and excited. One of the guides jokingly asked WK if she was ready to go by herself on the next one, and she yelled, "Yes!!" Say what?! My itty bitty love that just went down her first every zipline with her strong, capable daddy was now willing to give it a go on her own. What planet are we on? I don't know how many times I must've given our guides crazy looks and asked, "Are you sure she can go on this by herself? She can? Ok. Wait, do you know she's three?" Harper did such a great job braking on the first practice run that they were happy to let her go on her own for the second, real deal run. Except for this time, home girl didn't even touch the brake at the end of the line. Noah, the tour guide, laughed as he stopped her and said, "I found your speed demon."
Those girls listened to every direction and came off every single zipline with the biggest smiles on their faces. They ate it up. They had adventure and family time all rolled into one which made for their utopian afternoon. And what I love even more than that is there were a few that the girls got to go on tandem. Strapped in together. Cheek to cheek, loving on each other from one tree to the other.
Harper was keeping track as we worked our way through the course. When we got to the second to last zipline, she begged to start over. It was that much fun for them. Even after nearly two hours, they still both wanted more. I think that's a testament to just what a fantastic job our guides did with them, to empower them to feel confident and allowing them to have fun while keeping them safe and sound.
The girls got a popsicle at the end and loved all over our guides to thank them. They were kind enough to tell us that as now previous guests, we had the opportunity to camp in their big field for free, utilizing their bathrooms and picnic shelter with grills and tables. The wheels are definitely turning for a friends and kids trip this summer!
I really can't recommend Carolina Ziplines enough for a fun, family day trip. When I went out on a limb and booked it, I thought there could be a good chance of one of the kids bailing on the idea of ziplining and a parent needing to stay down in the park area with them, but no such thing. The guides did an amazing job of pushing and encouraging them (and reassuring a nervous mom whom happened to be paired with a dad eager and ready to push them out of the trees. haha)
If you think your family may be interested in trying it out, here is how I got the best deal.
Here's a link directly to the advertised Groupon: Carolina Ziplines Canopy Tour Groupon
If you want to save even more money, I go to Groupon through eBates to get an additional 6% cashback. (That'd be a $9 savings for two extra clicks for this package. So far in the last 14 months, I've gotten over $435 delivered to my PayPal account by utilizing eBates for online purchases.) Many, many websites offer cashback through eBates, so it's worth signing up (it's free!) And here's the link for that: EBATES
If it asks, let them know I referred you-- allisonfertitta@yahoo.com.
I never regret stepping outside our box, traveling with our kids, making plans that inevitably get rearranged. It is always worth it. The adventure, the together time. It is always. worth. it.
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