I love Talkeetna. It is such a quirky Alaskan town. Aside from having a cat for a mayor, good taste in beer, and priorities consistent with mountain climbing, the people just know how to enjoy life. I have always thought if someone wanted to get a sense of Alaskans you should study their footwear, and Talkeetna always offers up the best of the best!
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| Talkeetna-grown "bumper" sticker of the Denali Dames Social Club |
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| A local explanation for how beer is created... |
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| Talkeetna beer line with all the boots made for drinking! |
Our last day on the trip was going to be extra special. I have wanted to give the zip-line adventure in Talkeetna, Alaska a try since I heard about them last year. Here is what their website states:
“Denali Zip-line Tours offers a thrilling and educational
way to experience breathtaking natural scenery and awesome
wilderness. From our “South side” perspective the panoramic views of the
Alaska Range, and Denali National Park are amazing and the opportunity to see
it from a tree-top platform with the boreal forest at your feet and Mt.
McKinley at your brow is unbeatable. Our zipline canopy adventure tour is
Southcentral Alaska’s first world class and farthest north canopy tour in North
America!”
It is 3 hours long adventure with 9 separate zip-lines, several rope bridges and platforms, and one small rappel.
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| Rope bridge leading to platform |
Jaz was not up for zip-lining in a downpour, so we had
breakfast at the Talkeetna Roadhouse and bid her farewell. I was having second thoughts, not because of
any fear or apprehension towards heights or zip-lines, but because it was
raining so bad and the tickets were so expensive ($150/person). I wanted my
trip to afford a view of the largest mountain on the continent, and rain was
dampening that experience.
We checked into the office and found the tickets were non-refundable
– it was settled – zip-line in the rain. The group was very friendly, and
informative. I was worried that my poor hearing would get in the way of
critical instructions, but it became apparent that these folks were safe,
relied on hand signals for the distances, and very thorough. They suited us up
in interesting harnesses (more elaborate then climbing gear), helmets, and special
gloves with heavy duty leather patches over the palms.
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| Me all suited up in rain and safety gear so I can swing through the trees |
Our group size was only 6; on account of the platform size between lines, 2 were employees.
The ride was exhilarating! I do have a fear of heights that
always makes my knees knock whenever I confront it, but even so, the ride was
spectacular. The canopy was so thick, that even if it was a sunny day, all would
only see a strip of blue at the tops of the trees. It was more like racing
through the trees and forest than anything else. There is one small lake you
cross, and Mt. McKinley can be seen on a clear day, but otherwise, this was a
fast and furious through the trees. The lines get longer and faster as you go,
so you get to work-up to not being scared shitless by the time you get to the
fastest line. I say this, because unlike the zip-line I tried at Park City, Utah,
this one is totally controlled by you.
You were responsible for your speed, stopping, and falling short of the
platform.
It went like this:
It went like this:
You had a harness on with two hooks. When it was your turn
you stepped up on a log and hooked onto a small cable skate, then sat down to
put your weight on the cable. You put one gloved hand in front of the skate,
and one behind. This kept you from leaving the platform before it was time.
When it was time to go, you put both hands on top of the
skate. Gravity sent you down the cable. At some point, when you needed to apply
brake, you put your left gloved hand on the cable behind the skate and used
friction to slow yourself down. The harder you squeezed the cable the slower you
went. If you stopped short of the platform, you need to hand-over-hand pull
yourself the rest of the distance.
Sounds easy, right? It was easy in theory, but if you aren’t
the most coordinated person, it takes a little practice. The cables were wet,
so they were faster; your body could easily spin clockwise or counterclockwise,
so you needed to be careful. But it was a blast! I highly recommend you do this
when visiting Talkeenta, rain or shine. It made us giggle like children and it
was well worth the money!
My philosophy – I would rather slow down too much and have
to hand pull myself the last couple of feet than slam into a tree (apparently
this has happened; it is simple operation that relies on you paying attention –
no auto-stop here).
It was a wonderful way to end the trip. Aside from a sheet
of water hitting me in the face (when I was the first to do a long cable line that
that still had a lot of water on it, the zip-line was perfect. We road back to
Anchorage uneventfully, the rain stopped about 45 minutes outside of Anchorage.
The entire garage was filled with drying gear for two days.
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