Almost a year ago, our Executive Vice President of the Foundations for Laity Renewal, David Rogers, showed me photos of his family in Colorado riding a canopy zip line through the treetops of Colorado. This idea of canopy zip tours grew popular in Costa Rica and is rapidly expanding here in the United States. So we started dreaming of what it might be like to have one here in the Canyon. Well, amazingly enough, we were blessed with the funds to build this new adventure element, and it really is one of the most exciting and thrilling rides in the Hill Country. I call it Cliffhanger, because it begins right along the river’s edge in Echo Valley, and it zips across the river near the entrance to Echo Valley and ends near Pebble Beach. We have three stages to the zip along with a bonus element in the middle called a Burma Bridge. It is a bit like walking a tightrope from tree to tree far off the ground.
The beautiful thing is that it is the most adventurous element in the Canyon, but also the safest. Each rider is “harnessed in” and attached to a high-speed pulley that locks into the cable. There are three nets that add extra challenge to the course, and they are similar to climbing the cargo nets of a pirate ship. The design and build was done by our friends at Alpine Towers in North Carolina, and they too are excited about this expandable zip course.
The zip is open to all ages including Singing Hills. We are hoping to get everyone through the course in the next ten days so they can all experience the thrill of zipping fast across the river and viewing camp from the treetops. When you come in to pick up your camper next weekend, look up on the bluff and check it out! We are always looking to add new adventure for our campers if they choose to take the challenge! We know older campers thrive on risk, and our desire is to offer them a safe risk here in the shelter of the Canyon.
