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You are here: Home / Archives for ziplining

Flying Over Alligators on The Screamin’ Gator Zip Line

April 13, 2014 by Beeb 27 Comments

Ready for the Screamin' Gator Zipline!

Photo courtesy Experience Kissimmee.


Travel consideration (And adrenaline rush) provided by Experience Kissimmee!

On my first full day in Florida, we started off bight and early by heading over to Gatorland. I couldn’t think of a better way to start my Florida experience! As would become a theme on this trip, we began the morning by heading straight to the thrill ride: The Screamin’ Gator Zipline, which is the world’s tallest, fastest zipline. Oh yeah, and its track goes over GIANT GATORS. Who needs coffee in the morning when you have a jolt of adrenaline courtesy a zip line course over gators?

The ironic part is that prior to this trip, I always swore I wouldn’t go ziplining. In fact, a couple of years ago I remember commenting on another blogger’s post from a trip to Kissimme where they wrote about riding the Screamin’ Gator Zipline, and I remember saying something along the lines of, “Wow, that’s so cool that you did that, but I would never be brave enough to do it!” Well, never say never, because here we are!

I thought carefully before deciding to go on this trip if I’d want to do the ziplining experience. Of course, nothing was mandatory and it was my choice if I decided to participate or not. After thinking about it, I realized it would be silly not to. I am not a thrill-seeker in the slightest, and I do not like heights, so part of me wondered if it was going to end up like that South Park episode “I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining”. But because I am so uptight and anxious, I thought it would be a good challenge for me, and this whole trip ended up being about challenging myself, facing fears, and personal growth.

So to get started, we watched a safety video, talked to our guides about the rules and got strapped into a harness and helmet. As we approached the zip line tower, I didn’t feel nervous at all. We walked up many flights of stairs and I felt totally fine! And then, I saw the platform we had to jump off and how high we were – THEN I felt the fear!

I was terrified during the first zip line course I did. What was hilarious is that all the other girls posed for fun photos in the air, courtesy our zip line photographer – no cameras are allowed on your person on the zip line and with very good reason, there is no way you could hold on to them and you do not need any distractions up there. Look at how happy and cute these girls are:

(All zip line photos provided courtesy Gatorland)

Melissa on the zip line

Cher on the zip line

Rochelle on the zip line

And then there’s me:

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Clinging on for dear life

The guide actually said to me, “You were the only one who didn’t put your hands up for the photo!”. I was thinking, hey lady, it’s enough that I’m even doing this – don’t ask me to be photogenic too! 😉

I could feel my legs shaking as we walked up the tower to do the second zip line. The thing that most scared met was the fact that you strap your own harness on, and I was scared that I might have done it wrong or affixed the straps incorrectly. I asked my guide and she reassured me that she was watching me the whole time and can tell by looking at me that it’s all right, because she’s done it for so long – and of course, they do a quick visual inspection every time you launch. The second zip was still really scary, but hearing that made me feel a lot better.

By the third zip, I had gotten comfortable with it and was proud of myself for facing the fear. “I got this!” I thought to myself. “The next one will be easy!” And then….I saw the bridge.

I knew that there was a wooden bridge to pass, but I didn’t really think about what it would look like. I wasn’t expecting this rickety, Indiana-Jones-style dangling bridge with every other step missing. Especially petrifying was the fact that they only hook up one of your harness ties, rather than both as they do on the other courses, and the one they hook up is not the super-duper-reinforced-safe-one. You are affixed to the side of the bridge, rather than above as on the others, so I was terrified as to what would happen if I fell. The bridge shook terribly if I tried to move fast, and I had to keep my eyes down on the abyss or I would miss my step. It was so scary and marked the very first time that I have ever sworn out loud on a press trip. (In my defense, I was not the only one!) It would also not be the last time I swore, since I let out the same expletive a few days later on the Sky Coaster, but that’s a whole other story!

But you know what was cool about the bridge? When I first started across, I was so scared, but by the time I was halfway across, it wasn’t as bad as when I began. That’s what facing a fear is like: It’s so awful to start, but then you acclimate. And that’s why I wanted to do this zip line: To face fears. I was really proud of myself! A lot of my friends on the trip said that the anticipation was the worst part, but I disagree, because I actually found doing it to be even scarier than thinking about it. 😉

After the death bridge of doom, we had one zip left, which was a zip line race over swampy, gator-filled water. After all the scary things we did, this seemed like nothing so it was super fun! My leg of the race was journalists versus PR as I zipped against Rochelle from Experience Kissimmee, who you saw in one of the photos above looking so graceful!

The Screaming Gator Zipline was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. I am the least thrill-seeking person on the planet, but now I can boast a photo like this:

Beeb ziplines over gators!

Beeb ziplines over gators!

It was very memorable, very Florida, and on a personal level I felt like it challenged me to do something that provided a valuable experience about facing fears for other areas of my life. I had an unforgettable time with my friends and by the end of it, I even had fun. And I would actually do it again, which is really saying something!

Gatorland is home to so much more than just the Screamin’ Gator Zip Line – I’ll be sharing my other Gatorland adventures in coming posts, so keep an eye peeled for that!

For More Information:

Gatorland
14501 South Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32837
1-800-393-5297

Screamin’ Gator Zip Line Admission: $69.99 – includes all day admission to Gatorland. Reservations required – click here for more information & to book online.

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: experience kissimmee, Florida, Gatorland, Kissimmee, RockYourVacation, zip lining, ziplining

Capture Fun With The Action Shot Camera

October 24, 2012 by Momstart 19 Comments

You know all the adventures I go on? Last year and even some this year I did some wild and crazy things. I went zip lining, boat riding, and building jumping and the Action Shot Camera is the camera I wish I had. I took my big SLR with me while ziplining and all I could think about was smashing it as I was flying down the line. The Action Shot Camera would have been much better. Why?

IMG_6469

Because I could have put it on my helmet that’s why. Plus it has attachments for rugged wear, water wear and video play back. First let’s delve deeper into the camera itself.

You can use the camera to capture and share the action anywhere. Just attach to your helmet, bike, skateboard and more with the easy Click & Grip™ mounting system. Easy on-the-go interface means you can record POV footage and photos of all the action with just a few clicks. Upload your footage and photos to any computer (Mac or PC) with the included USB connection, then edit your adventures with the included video editing software. Easily charges over USB.

Features worth mentioning:

  • Helmet Mount
  • Adhesive Mounts
  • Click & Grip™ Protective/Mounting Case
  • 128MB of Onboard Memory
  • MicroSD Card Slot to Expand Memory
  • Mini USB to USB Connector & Charger
  • Rechargeable Lithium Polymer Battery

Here is our first video testing out the Action Shot Camera:

Miles loves this camera and the high impact case was developed for the type that gets into trouble like him. It’s quite rugged and designed to withstand high impact crashes. It has his name all over it, disaster waiting to happen, and it’s easy to click and grip. All of the Action shot mounting hardware is.

IMG_6471

The High Impact Case is described as:

  • Rubberized bumpers for extra impact protection
  • Durable ABS shell to protect camera body
  • Flat optic lens to protect camera lens
  • Click & Grip™ easy attachment to Action Shot, Action Shot HD and all Mounting Hardware

 

We wanted to take the camera to the fall harvest party we attended last week but the camera did not come with a micro SD card and it needs a micro SD card in order to record the video. We did have a micro SD card but it is old school with only 128 mega bites and that doesn’t hold much video at all. (the camera also has 128 MB of memory storage) Good news is my husband came home with the a 32 Gigabite mico SD card last night so now all I need is the next big adventure. What we did get with our review kit was the waterproof case. That’s why we thought it would be fun to use while bobbing for apples. Jump into pools, attack the waves and hit the slopes with no worries. The Waterproof case is described as:

high-impact-case-300x210waterproof-casea-300x210

  • Water Proof up to 10 feet / 3 meters
  • Click & Grip™ easy attachment to Action Shot, Action Shot HD & Action Shot Mounting hardware

We also received the portable video viewer and the deluxe mounting kit. The Deluxe mounting kit included a bag for the camera and all the accessories. Almost everything fits into the bag. I think if you left one of the cases either the water case or the rugged case at home then everything would fit and you would be able to attach it to whatever you needed to attach it to. The Video viewer is fun to use because you can see if you actually got the shot right away. We were using that while we were learning how to use the camera. When we first plugged it in that’s when we realized we needed the Micro SD card to record more video.

mounting-kita-300x210video-attachement1-300x210

 

It’s not the best video quality but I can’t wait to take it on another adventure. It’s going to be so much fun taking video of the crazy things I do, the places I see and the people I meet.

 

 

We received compensation and product to review for this campaign with DECA, Her Channel’s parent company.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: personal, The Action Shot Camera, ziplining

Soring Over Florida Alligators Zip Lining at Florida Eco Safaris

February 7, 2012 by Momstart 22 Comments

If it’s not enough that my very first time zipling at speeds I’m not used to traveling at heights I’m not used to standing at we were also soring over Alligators. As far as Alligators go I would say he’s pretty sweet, if you talk to him he’ll move closer to you. I’m not sure he’s hungry, I think he enjoys the conversation, at least that’s what I was telling myself as I was praying that my lines wouldn’t give.

bridge

When asked if I wanted to go on a trip to Kissimmee, Florida, I said yes, of course. I was expecting Disney World, I’ve never been there before. Next thing I know, I’ve signed myself up for ICE, bi-plane riding, and zip-lining. UHHH, the nerves kicked in at the words ziplining and bi-plane riding. Hmmm. Ok, here we go, I wasn’t going to back out. I put on the gear and felt quite adventurous.

ziplining eco safaris

Then we climbed the stairs, the rickety stairs up to our first line. Now we’re talking rules and don’t touch this and don’t’ do that, my hearing glosses over as I’m noticing how high we are and that we have to be unhooked for a brief time as we get ready to jump/fall/sit into our glide across the trees. My nerves kicked into high gear and I wasn’t sure what to do.

image

As I watched everyone go before me I was wondering if I could really do this? The thrill seeker in me won out. I did it, I flew through the trees like a bird and loved it. It wasn’t until about four lines into it that I was actually able to really enjoy it. I’m pretty sure I’m afraid of heights but I have a closet thrill seeker in me that rides mechanical bulls, runs through the streets of New York in a ball gown, and fly down zip lines over Alligators.

image

Florida Eco Safaris take care of everything you need. They provide tour guides who help you along the way. They are quite prepared for any and all occasions and ours even provided some quick witted much needed humor to lighten the tension of something so adventurous. They of course provide the gear and keep up with all ziplining standards. I had an amazing time and can’t wait for round two. At Florida’s Eco Safaris you can choose from four amazing ways to explore Forever Florida: Coach Safari, Horseback Safari, soar over it all on Florida’s biggest and All New Zipline Safari™, or pedal through the treetops on the New Cypress Canopy Cycle. We also did the Cypress Canopy Cycle, it’s a lot of work and I was a little too close to really large spiders for my taste but I did really enjoy the workout.

image

 

Travel Expenses were covered by Kissimmee CVB, Global Resort Homes and Florida Eco Safaris. Special thanks to Kas pictured above for helping to organize the event.

Filed Under: personal, travel Tagged With: Cypress Canopy Cycle, Florida, florida eco safaris, Forever Florida: Coach Safari, Horseback Safari, or pedal through the treetops on the New Cypress Canopy Cycle, soar over it all on Florida's biggest and All New Zipline Safari™, travel, ziplining

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