Ziplining the C's

(photo: Brandy and I getting ready to zipline in Costa Rica)

For my birthday two years ago, my husband and three of our friends decided to travel to Costa Rica. It was a place I had on my check list to visit (my never ending Have-to-travel-there-before-I-quit list) and since my friend Casey had gone before I decided to include her which then quickly turned into inviting our close friend Jason and another friend Brandy. Granted, I will never volunteer to plan another trip for that many people again (Hello getting everyone to agree on a hotel nightmare) but it was an amazing adventure. We flew into San Jose then had a five hour shuttle ride and one half hour ferry trip to get to where we stayed for the week in Santa Theresa. It's a really small beach town where everyone drives 4-wheelers or walks to get from one place to another. Costa Rica is all about surfing and enjoying the beach but they also have a few activities to enjoy in the area one of which is a canopy zipline tour in Mal Pais, Santa Theresa's neighbor.

I really wanted to zipline even though I was scared to death. When I was younger the camp I went to had a zipline, which was really just a cable attached between two trees, and I was terrified every year they made us do it. The worst part was climbing the ladder then climbing these pegs nailed into a tree which basically led to a tree stand. The concept of wearing a harness that cut off your leg circulation and having it being the only thing keeping you attached to a rope that attached to a cable that suspended you over the ground was not fun to me. Of course once I did it I loved it, but the ride was hardly long enough to even be worth all the anxiety and trouble.

Casey had already done the zipline in Costa Rica so she decided it wasn't worth the money to spend. At $40, it was the most expensive 2.5 hours we spent in Costa Rica but it was worth it:

photos from our tour:












Jason coming in for a landing:













If this dog wasn't scared I shouldn't be right?
The tour went so fast it hardly seemed like it lasted 2.5 hours. Of course they have a safety course in the beginning where they put your harness on, explain what to do and have a mini cable set up between two trees to practice on. There were probably about 10 of us and there were the zipline guys stationed at each post to catch us coming in then send us on our way down the next one. If you have ever been, you know it's a system of cables stretched between trees and once you get to the next one the guy catches you, unhooks your rope, hooks you to the stationary cable, then unhookes you from that once you are locked in to your next zipline. This is basically so no matter if you fall or not you can't get hurt. Comforting in a foreign country being hundreds of fee above the tree tops right? I have no idea how they put these ziplines up but it was awesome.

Which brings me to the inspiration for this blog. My friend Malia, happened to find a place in Salida, Colorado where you can zipline as well! I can't believe they have a place like this in my own backyard I didn't even know about! The company is called Lost Canyon zipline tours and promises sites of 14er mountains and the Arkansas River. Zipline over a canyon? Sign me up!
Looks like fun from the photos huh? At $89 it's almost double what we paid in costa rica for the same amount of time (and I'm sure the views aren't quite as scenic...I mean c'mon it's costa rica) but then again Salida is only 3 hours away and their times coincide which rafting tours so you can easily fit both into one day. I'm sure it would be an awesome trip and though it wouldn't be as risky as not having hardly any of your guides speak English or being in a foreign country, I'm willing to give it ago. Now if I could only find time to fit it in this summer....