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MILL CREEK CANYON, Lansing, W. Va. -- I'm standing several stories above the ground in a forest of old-growth hemlocks, my legs shaking on a tree-mounted platform the size of a king mattress, my torso strapped to a form-fitting harness.
Somewhere behind me I hear my 14-year-old daughters snickering at my obvious cowardice at zip-lining -- the harness is double-clipped via lanyards to a trolley attached to a pair of steel cables, so it's not like I can fall off. But all I can think is: Like a tortilla or taco. Never a burrito.
That's how we're supposed to position our gloved left hand over the bottom cable after we step off the wood, and go sailing through the air to the next of TreeTops Canopy Tour's 10 platforms. As guide "Big Jim" McCartney explained to our group of eight during ground school, grip the lower zip line too tightly when coming in for a landing and you just might burn a hole in your hand.
"You don't want to do a palm burrito," he said.
I'd like to say I mastered the Mexican food-style of braking on the three-hour-long tour, the first world-class canopy tour in West Virginia and the most exciting part of our two-day visit to the outdoor playground known as Adventures on the Gorge. (Let's just say I'm a slow learner.)
But, wow! Soaring like Tarzan, tree to tree to tree, beneath a canopy of leaves is a thrill like no other. And you don't really know your mental mettle until you've inched your way across a rope-sided sky bridge some 80 feet above the ground.
TreeTops (newrivergorgecanopytour.com) has five of those rickety, elevated footpaths, plus 10 zip lines varying in length from 100 to 730 feet, with zip speeds of up to 30 mph. (The aptly named highest perch, Almost Heaven, looms 85 feet above the forest floor.) The canopy tour also includes three short hikes and a 40-foot rappel from the final platform.
As my daughters proclaimed on the shuttle back to campus with giant grins: "Awesome!"
Zip lines aren't new, having been around since the 1960s in the United States as part of team-building and educational "challenge" activities. But it wasn't until tour operators started offering extreme versions in Costa Rica's rain forests in the mid-'90s (where the longest zip lines span a mile or more) that they took off with a vengeance among thrill-seeking vacationers. Today, you can find zip lines and canopy tours in virtually every state.
PG mapThere's the perceived danger, of course. But travelers also enjoy this unique means of accessing beautiful and remote natural areas from the air. Just as wonderful: It's something you can do with the kids, as well as grandma and grandpa, provided they're relatively physically fit.
Feeling adventurous? Here's a sampling of zip lines within driving distance of Pittsburgh. All have weight restrictions and require signing a waiver.
The Adventure Center at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Fayette County, offers two zip lines. The new Fatbird Flyer (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily) stretches 1,060 feet and suspends riders at elevations of up to 300 feet, at speeds reaching 60 mph. It costs $30/person, or you can get three rides for $75 with purchase of a $15 Adventure Pass. The 250-foot "classic" zip line is $15 per ride, or can be enjoyed as part of the 20-foot ($35) or 40-foot ($40) ropes course. Info: nemacolin.com; 724-329-8555.
Raystown Zip Lines in Huntingdon, Huntingdon County, has four zip lines ranging in length from about 200 to 1,000 feet; the longest lines are 65 feet in the air and the shortest, about 10 feet. A ride costs $12 ($10 for groups of at least five); you also can buy two for $18, three for $23 or six for $35. It's open from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays through Fridays and from noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays. Info: raystownziplines.com; 1-814-658-3125.
The zip lines at Adventure Creek in St. Clairsville, Ohio, (10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays) aren't a destination in themselves but part of an elevated challenge course that includes tree trekking and rope courses. Reservations are required, and a guided tour costs $35 for adults and $30 for those under 18; children under 12 are free with a paying adult. It's about 75 minutes from Pittsburgh. Info: ropetrekking.com; 1-740-310-7277.
It takes upward of two hours to sail through the treetop course at Hocking Hills Canopy Tours in Rockbridge in southeastern Ohio, about three hours from Pittsburgh. But what an adventure. The 3,330-foot course includes 10 zip lines that take you as much as 70 feet off the ground, and also five sky bridges; there's also a rappel at the finish line. Cost is $85 per person, including a light trail snack; check website for specials. For an additional $20, you can add a quarter-mile-long "SuperZip" to the tour, or do it as a standalone for $30 (additional super zips are $20). Hours are 10 a.m. to dusk weekends and holidays and 11 a.m. to dusk weekdays. Info: hockinghillscanopytours.com; 1-740-385-9477.
The two-mile course at Ozone Zip Line Adventures in Oregonia, Ohio, just south of Dayton, includes almost 6,000 feet of zip line, nine sky bridges and a 45-foot-tall central tower with multiple platforms; riders zip at heights of more than 150 feet above the ground. Tickets cost $75 for a three-hour traditional tour and $100 for an extended tour ($40/$50 for kids under 16 on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year). Open seven days a week April through December, with the first tour departing around 8:30 a.m. and the last around 5 p.m. Reservations are required at least a week in advance. Info: ozonezips.org; 1-513-932-3756, ext. 1520.
You'll also need reservations to take a canopy tour at Spring Mountain Adventures in Spring Mount, Pa., near Philadelphia, especially on weekends. Depending on the group size, they range from one to four hours and include rope bridges and other challenges through the trees. Prices start at $75 Wednesdays through Fridays, and $89 Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Info: http://springmountainadventures.com; 1-888-305-5044.
A network of seven zip lines takes visitors "cliffside" to a private rock climbing area at Ace Adventure Center in Oak Hill, W.Va.,about 31/2 hours from Pittsburgh near Beckley. The longest (and fastest) is more than 350 feet long and 60 feet above the forest floor; from many of the perches you can see 800 feet below into the New River Gorge. Cost is $85 for a half-day tour and $75 for a two-hour evening tour ($75/$65 for youth). Info: aceraft.com; 1-800-787-3982.
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