Lincoln, New Hampshire - March 19, 2009
Slap on a helmet and buckle up tight.
Because this adventure isn't exactly a walk in the woods.
It's a lot more like flying.
But how does one end up floating high above the trees?
Well in this case, it all starts with a bumpy 1,400 foot climb up a mountain in a 1973 Austrian troop transport vehicle, followed by a walk across a suspension bridge.
"They wobble a lot," said Brian Oliver of Alpine Adventures. "They shake. It's almost like an Indiana Jones bridge."
"It's a pretty good drop, yeah. We're at the top of the trees," said Kevin Gaynor of Amherst, N.H.
But what goes up... must come down.
In this case, rather quickly.
The zip line course at Alpine Adventures allows thrill seekers to fly across the landscape at speeds of 50 miles an hour while suspended as much as 200 feet off the ground.
"It's pretty scary looking down, so I suggest you don't look down, but it's really pretty," said Haley Billingsley of Amherst, N.H.
The high-flying adventure activity is relatively new to the northeast.
This Lincoln, N.H., company built its first course in 2006 and it was among the first of its kind in New England.
While it's not for everyone, you don't have to be an athlete, a monkey, or even a kid to try it.
It's a high thrill with low exertion.
All you have to do is sit back and relax... although that's easier said than done.
"We've had people in their 80s come up and do it with their grandkids and have a ball," said Randy Farwell, who owns Alpine Adventures.
And it doesn't get better than the White Knuckle Pine.
"Lots of screams and hoots and hollers. It's definitely a thrill for folks," Farwell said.
The grand finale starts with a free fall...
"Stepping off is definitely the worst part, yeah," Gaynor said.
An exciting conclusion to a dream come true: life as a monkey high above the trees.
There are 14 different zip lines stretching about two combined miles at Alpine Adventures. That's broken into two separate courses. A two-hour excursion costs $85 and unlike many zip lines this one is open year-round, no matter how much snow's left on the ground.
Click here for more on zip lines and visiting the Lincoln, N.H. area.
Keagan Harsha - WCAX News
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