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Zipping in the Dark

Twilight zippers adorn themselves in glow sticks before zipping down the lines of Gravity Trails.

One of the most exhilarating, unnatural acts of my summer thus far may be adorning my body – my shoes, my wrists, my neck, my belt loops, my helmet – with neon glow sticks and leaping off a 20 foot platform…in the dark.

“What am I doing? What am I doing?” was repeated more than a few times as I ascended the climbing wall, attached to my trusty, very calm guides – Mike, Nick, and Tom, who tell me of an 80-year-old woman who just completed the zip line course. Well, if she can do it – so can I!

With friends in tow, we take our turns – harnessed securely to the line – leaping off the platform, squealing, screaming, or woohooing our way through the dark forest. I held on for dear life, somehow managing to spin mid-zip, so my backside came towards the guides.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” I exhale and inhale, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, as I watch the faint neon glow of my fellow zippers come down the line.

As the lines progress, so does the bravery – kind of. The guides bounce and spin, and suggest the “Vomit Comet” to really up the intensity.

“What? I don’t know guys,” I say, while one guide holds me by the shoulders and another holds me by the ankles.

Sally Slattery braces herself for the “Vomit Comet.”

“Ready?”

“Uh–”

And I am spinning, whirling, twirling in the blackness. With what I consider a great amount of speed I zip down the line towards the ever-calm Nick. Dizzy, winded I cling to him while he unclips me. Unclips me. I cling even tighter.

“Here, just keep walking.”

“Why aren’t I hooked to you?!” I imagine a dizzy fall from 30 feet. What is he doing?!

“The ground’s right here,” he says and…so it is. The soft grass and exposed roots of the surrounding trees are barely visible in the moonlight. I hit him in the arm, laugh, and watch my fellow glow stick zippers fly through the air and join me, safely on the ground.

Gravity Trails offers twilight zip lining every Friday and Saturday throughout the summer season beginning at dusk. They also offer kayak tours and gem mining. They are located at 1041 County Road ZZ near Ellison Bay. For more information call 920.854.9292, email [email protected], or visit http://www.gravitytrails.com.