Perched on a small, wooden platform about 40-feet above the ground, I clipped my three carabineers to the zip line and jumped, sailing over Lums Pond before trying to land feet first in a pile of mulch.
On an unusually humid weekday in October, we had plenty of time to explore Go Ape Treetop Adventure at Lums Pond State Park in Delaware, about 40 minutes from Delaware County. Built in May 2013, the course was the first zip line treetop adventure course in a state park on the East Coast. There are now 16 Go Ape courses in the United States.
“We have about 20,000 visitors per year. We also have plans to build additional courses in 2014,” says Carolyn Tunney, Go Ape’s public affairs representative.
Ready to be challenged, we met our instructor Jason for a 30-minute training session before we were turned loose into the trees. After being fitted with our harnesses, Jason explained in what order to clip and unclip our three carabineers to the cables in an easy to remember way. “The green carabineer is your underwear, you clip that first. The red carabineer is your T-shirt, you clip that second. Then there’s the blue one, that’s your blue jeans and you clip that last,” said Jason.
Soon we were ready for the highly interactive adventure with our harnesses, pulleys and carabineers to navigate more than 40 obstacles situated in the treetops of the park.
The exhilarating course featured rope ladders, zip-lines, rope bridges, trapezes and swings. I didn’t realize how tiring the course would be, as I swung into a cargo net and then had to pull myself up to a platform. While we were mostly alone up in the trees, instructors were always on hand, regularly patrolling the forests.
The courses are designed to minimize any impact on the trees. The platforms rest on braces which grips the tree trunks. The system allows the brace to expand as the tree grows. The trees are also inspected annually by independent arborists to ensure their continued health.
Just over seven acres, the course features five zip lines, four of which flew us over Lums Pond. Be careful landing though, because I lost my footing and ended up on my back. Also included are two Tarzan swings and a series of rope ladders, bridges, swings and trapezes, many with views of the pond.
After nearly three hours, we were thoroughly exhausted but had an amazing time.
On an unusually humid weekday in October, we had plenty of time to explore Go Ape Treetop Adventure at Lums Pond State Park in Delaware, about 40 minutes from Delaware County. Built in May 2013, the course was the first zip line treetop adventure course in a state park on the East Coast. There are now 16 Go Ape courses in the United States.
“We have about 20,000 visitors per year. We also have plans to build additional courses in 2014,” says Carolyn Tunney, Go Ape’s public affairs representative.
Ready to be challenged, we met our instructor Jason for a 30-minute training session before we were turned loose into the trees. After being fitted with our harnesses, Jason explained in what order to clip and unclip our three carabineers to the cables in an easy to remember way. “The green carabineer is your underwear, you clip that first. The red carabineer is your T-shirt, you clip that second. Then there’s the blue one, that’s your blue jeans and you clip that last,” said Jason.
Soon we were ready for the highly interactive adventure with our harnesses, pulleys and carabineers to navigate more than 40 obstacles situated in the treetops of the park.
The exhilarating course featured rope ladders, zip-lines, rope bridges, trapezes and swings. I didn’t realize how tiring the course would be, as I swung into a cargo net and then had to pull myself up to a platform. While we were mostly alone up in the trees, instructors were always on hand, regularly patrolling the forests.
The courses are designed to minimize any impact on the trees. The platforms rest on braces which grips the tree trunks. The system allows the brace to expand as the tree grows. The trees are also inspected annually by independent arborists to ensure their continued health.
Just over seven acres, the course features five zip lines, four of which flew us over Lums Pond. Be careful landing though, because I lost my footing and ended up on my back. Also included are two Tarzan swings and a series of rope ladders, bridges, swings and trapezes, many with views of the pond.
After nearly three hours, we were thoroughly exhausted but had an amazing time.
And for the younger kids there's a 60-90 minute-long Treetop Junior course. Made up of 20 obstacles and two zip lines, the Treetop Junior course is packed with excitement and costs $28 per adventurer.
If you go: the course is open now until the end of November and then re-opens in June. You must be at least four-feet, seven-inches to take part and cannot weigh more than 285 pounds. There’s a $8 fee per vehicle to enter the park. Call 1-800-971-8271 or visit Go Ape. Those 16 and over are $58 and children 10-15 are $38.
If you go: the course is open now until the end of November and then re-opens in June. You must be at least four-feet, seven-inches to take part and cannot weigh more than 285 pounds. There’s a $8 fee per vehicle to enter the park. Call 1-800-971-8271 or visit Go Ape. Those 16 and over are $58 and children 10-15 are $38.
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