By Arvin Santiago and John Nguyen
If you’re like us at Nerd Reactor, then chances are video games, movies, and escape rooms are the activities that take up most of your free time. But sometimes we like to change things up and try something new. If you’re looking for a thrilling activity that’s guaranteed to test out some of your fears but at the same time conquer them, then try out the Ziplines at Pacific Crest.
Located in the woods of the San Gabriel mountains, which is just a few hours from Los Angeles and Orange County, Ziplines at Pacific Crest offers adrenaline junkies a few options to feed your appetite for the extreme. Recently we were invited to try out their “Canopy Tour” a try, and let me tell you firsthand, you’re going to need some strength, and most importantly, some guts to conquer this tour.
The canopy tour consists of 9 ziplines, 2 rappels, and 2 sky bridges. These ziplines can have a length of up to 1500 feet, in which you can fly down the forest at speeds up to 55mph, oh and don’t look down, because you’ll be soaring above the forest floor of up to 300 feet. Now if you can get past the fear of heights and zip lining at 55mph, then you’ll be rewarded with some amazing views of the San Gabriel mountains as you fly over them.
The idea of ziplining is very cool since it has been featured in many movies, video games and television. Who doesn’t remember the scene in Home Alone where Kevin tries to escape from the Wet Bandits as he ziplines out of the house? Or how about Doc in Back to the Future ziplining to help send Marty back to the future? All these moments have a sense of urgency, and to experience something like that in real life is definitely something you should add to your t0-do bucket list.
With Ziplines at Pacific Crest, we had two wonderful tour guides, T-Bone and Sage, and they were there to ensure our safety along with making our journey fun. (Be prepared for many puns relating to the forest.) We were definitely in for a treat as John Williams’ Jurassic Park and Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings were playing in the background as our ride headed high into the mountain. We had to do a little hiking to reach our area, and that’s when the excitement starts. They had us starting off in the easier ziplines, and once we graduated that, it’s time for the “college” courses. That means longer and faster ziplines, and the thought did make us nervous.
The things preventing us from falling are the hooks and harness, but it’s really safe. (I’ve heard of South American ziplines using less protection.) Even with it being very safe, the fear of heights will still kick in… and we never knew we had that fear until we were about to take off from a very tall tree. The moment where your feet lift off the ground and zipline is when you feel the most vulnerable. However, that fear quickly disappears as you are zipping through the grand forest while appreciating the view.
The longest zipline they had was definitely scary since you’ll need to be in a cannonball position to get the most momentum. If you don’t weigh much and don’t have enough momentum, you won’t be able to reach the end. One of the thrill seekers didn’t make it to the end, and she was about two-thirds of the way. I was fearful for her, but thanks to Sage, she was able to reach the end. (The other alternative is to manually reach the end using your hands.)
The sky bridge featured is a rope bridge that is high in the air. It was a tense experience and reminded us very much of that iconic scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. You’ll be attached to a rope above for safety, but the feeling of walking on a rope bridge with nothing below made us feel uneasy. But after crossing it, we felt accomplished, as if we were in an adventure movie.
Final Reaction
Ziplines at Pacific Crest has helped us conquer our fear of heights. Would we do it again? Well, the fear is still there for us, but if we can find someone else who is afraid of heights, then yes. (Yes, we’re twisted.) The Canopy Tour is the longest tour and is definitely recommended. Since you have already traveled a long distance, why not make the best of the day? We had friendly and funny tour guides and felt like we were in our own adventure movie.
If you already have experienced Ziplines at Pacific Crest, it will be having a limited “Full Moon Tour” that will allow you to zipline under the moonlight. It starts this Memorial Day Weekend with your adventure starting at 7pm. The pricing is $150 per person.
If you are ready to zipline through the forest, use the “nerdreactor20” discount code. It’s good for all tours from now until July 5.
The post Ziplines at Pacific Crest has us ziplining in a forest 300 feet in the air appeared first on Nerd Reactor.
from Nerd Reactor
0 comments: