By Nick Vivion
gay travel guru
Mary B. is nervous, and I admit that I was a little apprehensive as well. We’re 500 feet up a rugged hillside on Catalina Island, in a spot known as Hog’s Back gate, and we are about to zipline down the mountain at 45 miles an hour.
“You’re going to go first so I can video you,” I nudge Mary. She just smiles back, not sure what to think as this was her first time to zipline. I had done it in Costa Rica, and it is one of the most fun things I have ever done.
But no matter how many times you do something adventurous, you always get butterflies before doing it again. That’s part of the joy. If I didn’t get that tinge in my belly, it just would not be much fun.
Charles, our guide, motions for Mary to step up to the platform. He does his spot safety check and everything is in order. He steps over to the wooden gate that separates us from the mountain below. Mary steps down and breathes in as she steadfastly looks into the camera.
She inhales, and then: “Ziplining down the mountain.” She inhales again, steps forward and falls out of sight.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!” Her screams grow faint as she zooms down the mountain, dangling from a steel wire and breathlessly absorbing the incredible view of the landscape, ocean and hulking Carnival Cruise line ship in the distance.
It’s my turn next, and exactly as I am about to jump off the platform, I remember: I love this!
Ziplining is without a doubt one of the most fun activities to do, bringing you into nature and using gravity to make it all happen. No electricity, no engines, no hydraulic systems. It’s sheer joy, like you are a weightless kid, flying down the best slide in the playground.
The Catalina Island Zipline only opened in April 2010, and is the only zip line in LA and Orange County. You drop from 500 feet to 60 feet above sea level, traveling at nearly 45 miles an hour, with the longest line being 1,100 lineal feet long.
It’s a rush and it’s addictive.
“Woooo wheeee!” Mary B has just landed and she is ecstatic. “How was it,” I ask excitedly. “Fabulous,” she grins widely.