Sonoma Zipline Adventures are for anyone ages 10 and up and between 70 to 250 pounds. And leave your flipflops at home, folks. [Photo courtesy Sonoma Zipline Adventures]
phones away from a class of high-school seniors, and they didn’t like it at first. Soon, though, they began to see nature in an incredible redwood forest and completely forgot about their phones. While Challenge Sonoma starts with low elements, and clients gradually make their way up to higher ones, zipliners at Sonoma Zipline Adventures board a truck to head up to the first level, where they get training. Carrillo went through a practice, where she learned how the harness and brakes work and did a rehearsal on a little zipline a few feet off the ground. The trainer explained how the guides would help at each end and instructed the zipliners on what they could and could not do. Next, they headed uphill to the appropriate level to start the course. She found that taking the first step off the platform was exciting, although still a little unnerving, but “The guides secure you and make sure you’re ready and don’t push you,” she says, adding that they’re reassuring and don’t cut corners. The only challenge she had was rappelling down the tree at the end of the course on her first trip. “Releasing and swinging out was scary for me,” she says, and it took some courage. The second time, though, “It was old hat.” Once she was out on the first leg of the course, she discovered how beautiful it was to be so high, listening to the silence and seeing nature. “You don’t realize how much the trees move,” she says. “It’s not scary. It’s just exciting. Children at Nature Camp feel the excitement of discovery, as they climb, zipline, explore and experience nature, often in an entirely new way. “Lots of kids don’t know they can hike
in the forest,” says Rhoten and the activities the camp offers open their eyes to nature and their own possibilities. “It’s about doing it and being out there and experiencing it,” she says, explaining that when they see a rock or leaf close up instead of in a book, they remember it. In addition, the only people they have to compete with are themselves. She would like the experience to be accessible to everyone and says, “A future goal is to have an adapted course so we can offer more challenges for disabled individuals.” Ziplining can be recreational, educational and social, and it can stand alone or be combined with other activities. Either way, the feeling one experiences is incomparable. “You hear the screams of joy. It’s exhilarating. I’ve probably gone a dozen times, and it’s the same every time. It’s a ton of fun, says Ferguson. “Between our guides and the redwood forest, it really is a unique, fun experience.” “Go, and go with friends,” Carrillo advises. The zipline course takes a couple of hours, and she recommends going in the morning and then having lunch at the old hotel in Occidental, where you can relive the experience. “I was with some great people each time,” she says. “It’s something that’s really great to share.” g
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52 NorthBaybiz
May 2024
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