Ziplining in Skagway, Alaska

On a perfect Alaskan summer morning, my family of three boys, my husband, and I found ourselves in the middle of a remote forest surrounded by tall lush green thin trees suiting up for our ziplining adventure in Skagway, Alaska. The sun was out and it was warm, almost hot. For a moment it felt like we were back in California. Our guides commented on how lucky we were to have such nice weather on this trip. As they went over the safety procedures and demonstrated how to step into our harness, I kept watch over my 8-year-old son, Tony to see if he was weary doing any of this. But, all I saw as they strapped him into his gear was the look of brave anticipation on his face. Turns out, none of us are afraid of heights, fortunately. The guides finished suiting us up properly and we were off to embark on a series of high-rise challenges.

The Adventure Park & Zipline tour, which we were on, was one of the shore excursions we selected during our 7-day Alaskan Inside Passage Cruise aboard the Sapphire Princess. We went on the cruise to fulfill my father in-law's 70^th birthday wish to travel together with all his family to somewhere unforgettable. After saving money for two years, we went with my in-laws, four of their adult children, some of their spouses, and a few grandkids. We spent most of the cruise traveling modestly, not booking any shore excursions other than a Town & Harbor Duck Tour in Ketchikan. I realized being in Alaska with my husband and three sons was a once in a lifetime opportunity for us so I wanted to an extra special excursion while we were there. Of course, I wanted to do the Dog Sledding & Glacier Flight-seeing but it was expensive at around $500 a person. There was also the Alaska Sled Dog & Musher's Camp, a more affordable dogsled ride through snow-free trails, or the Yukon Expedition & White Pass Scenic Railway excursion, which I was interested in. In the end, we left it up to our kids to decide which excursion we should to do. After three rounds of voting, they picked the Adventure Park & Ziplines each time without changing their minds. Ziplining was on my bucket list of things to do with them one day so I was excited.

The Adventure Park & Zipline excursion consists of a suspension bridge, Burma loops, balance beam, and a series of 6 ziplines.

Suspension Bridge

The first challenge we did was cross a suspension bridge that had gaps between the boards so that we had to take big deliberate steps to make it across. It seemed easy enough so I let go of the safety ropes and extended my arms out to the sides. Just then, my body's defense mechanism kicked in. My legs stiffened and held on to the board they were standing on and wouldn't take a step forward, even though the safety crew had demonstrated how perfectly safe we were harnessed in. He demonstrated this by slipping on the bridge and sure enough the safety ropes kept him from falling. Intellectually my mind knew better, but my body had other ideas.

Burma Loops

I thought this was the scariest challenge of all. You basically have to step into a series of hanging ropes known as Burma Loops, which are free to move around so it looks like if you misstep you could fall straight through between the loops. You are still harnessed in so it's safe but the lassos can swing and move so it is a mental challenge. I looked at my kids to see if they were struggling with any of this and they weren't, only I was.

Balance Beam

After having done the Burma loops, walking over the raised balance beams wasn't hard at all. Though my 13-year-old son thought it was the hardest of obstacles. It goes to show how we all have our own opinions of what scares us.

6 Ziplines

The first zipline jump was off a tree but not all that high off the ground. It was a practice jump and we descended into a platform on the ground. The next four zip lines we took off platforms on tall trees and zipped into the platforms of other tall trees. Each time the height increased until you were high above the treetops. During the third zipline, I felt more confident and pushed my legs off from the tree to increase my speed. I screamed off the top of my lungs because I had picked up lots of speed, far more than I expected. It's scary to see yourself approaching the landing platform because it looks like you are going to bump your legs into it, but fortunately you don't. You stop before you get too close and then the zipline crew helps you safely get back on the platform. The final zipline ride was a descent back down to the ground. The whole excursion took about 3 hours.

The Ride Back

The ride back in the minivan was scenic. We got to see more of Alaska. My boys loved the ziplining excursion. They thought it was the best part of the Alaskan Cruise. What I enjoyed most about our shore excursion experience was meeting the guides.They were spirited adventuresome young adults from Oregon who took the Alaskan Marine Highway System to work the summers in Alaska and spend an unforgettable summer exploring. It was the first time I had ever head about the Alaskan Marine Highway System. It's the cheap way of traveling to Alaska and it goes through all the same ports the cruise liners do. You can even take your car aboard for a few hundred dollars and pitch your tent in the back if you are into roughing it. By the look of sheer bliss on their faces, I could tell they were having the time of their lives. There was also a set of sisters on the ziplining excursion who were working in Alaska for the summer. They had just graduated from college so before entering the corporate life, they wanted one last summer of travel. We also met a grandmother and granddaughter team who took the cruise together. I enjoyed spending the day with my family and building unforgettable memories with them. We had spent a lot of time on the cruise eating and relaxing so it felt good to do something a little physically challenging. When we got back to Skagway, we went hiking on some trails near a lake that the guides told us about. It was a good reminder that the best part of travel often times is the people you meet along the way.