Saturday was so much fun, so terrifying, so thrilling and so exhausting that I'm at a loss for words. Not only was a zipline involved, we had to learn to rappel because you couldn't just take the zipline across to the other side -- you had to rappel in mid-air down to the stream below.
Oh, and did I mention it was about 120 feet down? And I'm freaked out by heights? (I call it "imgonnafalldownaphobia."

But I did it! And so did everyone else in our motley group. Here's the "before" photo, where we're all geared up and looking perky:



This is the only way I can describe the zipline/mid-air rappel experience right now:

Ohmigawd, I can't believe I'm going to do this.

Ohmigawd, I need to run off the side of a cliff?

Ohmigawd, I'm running off the side of a cliff!

OHMIGAWD! This is freaking awesome! Woo hoo!

Oh. My. Gawd. I'm stuck.


Yes, I got stuck in the air, dangling precariously (but safely, they assured me) as I waited for one of the cute guides to race along the lines like Spiderman to come and save me. It gave me a few minutes to contemplate my fate and consider my first 40 years on the planet. Oh, and experience a sense of terror I hadn't thought possible.


And, thanks to the encouragement of Michelle and Aden, I got back on that zipline and did another great zip, that time with perfect rappel down to the stream below, just like any old superhero.


It was the best birthday ever, hands down.