- Extraordinary Speed in Safe Flight from Tower-to-Tower
- Adventure, Fun and Assured Safety
- Full Body Harness & Head Helmet Protection is Required
- My Favorite Place: Peek ‘N Peak, near Findley Lake, New York
By Forrest Fisher
Those zip-lines with strange looking towers on the hills in the distance of places we travel definitely beckon for adventure seekers. Many have never tried them out.
At Peek ‘N Peak Resort and Conference Center (http://www.pknpk.com/) near the quaint country village of Findley Lake, located in the southwest corner of New York, my grandkids would not allow me to just watch them try out the zip-line.
They said, “C’mon Dziadz (Polish word for grandfather), your time to fly from the towers has come!” I smiled and said, “OK, sounds good.” Not really sure of what I was getting myself into.
We rode the ski-lift to the top of the hill to start out on the high zip-line. My granddaughter Kelsey went first. “Yeaaahhhhh!” Screaming away at 120 decibels or more, as she headed for the next tower station more than one-thousand feet away.
My turn was next. What a minute. Was there a giant 12-point buck walking to within 10 yards of my tree stand? Why was my heart pounding?! I was a bit nervous and even was trembling a bit. Here I am, an ex-military Vietnam-era veteran and I was shaky. After all, we were only about 100 feet off the ground and there was a 20 mph wind blowing. Not to make light of things, but there was rain in the forecast too, and it was dark and cloudy right about now. I was not going to wimp out. Couldn’t do that.
I harnessed in, told myself to “think brave”, got the “all clear” after being checked by the operators and, again, I could sense my wide-open eyeballs.
Excitement is a very cool thing in life! It can be hard to find when you’re looking at 70 birthday candles just ahead.
Zeeooooow. I zoomed off and in what seemed like 5-minutes, I landed on the next tower about 30 seconds later. Standing right next to my granddaughter, she asked, “What’d ya think Dziadz, fun right?!”
I answered, “Yup!” And smiled ear to ear in convincing fashion, double-checking to see if my tongue had been frozen to the roof of my mouth and did a double take to see if I didn’t wet my pants.
Kelsey then said, “OK, this tower is really going to be even more fun. It’s a dual zip-line and we take off together. I’ll race you to the bottom of the hill! Are you ready Dziadz?”
We harnessed up.
Yikes, this was exciting!
My sensory expectations seemed in better control after that first long ride. Clip, Clack, Clip, we were in. Standing next to each other, we were ready. Just then, Gazzzooongg! Thunder in the distance. Then suddenly, the dark skies opened up. It was a near-torrential downpour. They said, “We are closing the towers, your harnessed in, go down if you like, you’re the last riders.”
I felt like Matt Dillon and was up against the fastest draw in the west. He always keeps his cool. That was my mindset.
We smiled to each other and screamed our, “Let’s go!” We were either brave or not so smart (I was thinking that other word that starts on “s” and ends with a “d”….stupid).
In the middle of our descent as we exceeded 70 mph, flashes of light jumped out left and right in the distance. There was lightning all around us as we zoomed through some nearby treetops.
Flashbulb Fodder? I asked the Almighty for some help. He was with us because I can share this fun tale.
We were wet to the bone. Mighty thankful too, that we did not complete an electrical storm circuit during the flighty speedy trip down the dual zip-line. It was an incredible experience. We were both happy for this extraordinary hair-raising survival encounter with adventure.
We climbed down from the tower. Both of us kissed the muddy ground. What a run!
I was ready to leave the zip-line and head over to the bar in the sip-line! You know, a cold water on the rocks is what I needed.
Everybody met in the facility lobby and hugged. Kelsey said, “Wow! That was incredible, wasn’t it!?” Literally wet to the bone, we all looked up and in just 5-minutes, the clouds had vanished and the sun popped out. Life is.
“Wanna do it again Dziadz?” I resorted to that canned ear-to-ear smile that we grandfather’s all carry for emergencies and said, “Maybe tomorrow, ok?”
The Giant Dual Zip-Line adventure at Peak ‘n Peek allows you to feel sort of like a bird, a hawk or an eagle on a dive. Imagine, those types of birds do this all the time to survive via their very nature.
There is also an Aerial Adventure Course that features 69 obstacles and includes eight courses of varying difficulty. Participants climb up and down cargo nets and ladders while navigating course elements, including zip lines, in this tree top adventure. Suited for all ability levels, this course is a 3-hour, self-guided experience that allows you to explore the course at your own pace. You can try any (or all) of the eight different courses, working your way through the tree tops from platform to platform, encountering obstacles along the way.
I was humble and kindly declined to look for yet another new adventure experience. Had to use that ear to ear grin trick again.
The zip line adventure was not really on my bucket list, but oh-my-gosh! It was such unforgettable fun. We will do that again, but maybe not, if rain and thunder are in the forecast. I’m going to check beforehand!
The lifestyle we have shared in my family includes being active in the outdoors, but is focused on fishing, hunting, hiking, boating and family campfires.
When my younger grandkids heard that there was a pool here that offered a “wave” and had a “long slide”, good old gramps thought it would be a great next stop too.
We have learned to love this special place in the quiet hills.
Check it out: http://www.pknpk.com/packages-deals/overnight/ski-ride-packages/.