Sunday, June 14, 2009
Life, Health + Fitness, Atlanta

On the ropes

Looking for outdoor adventure? Look no further than the Sky Hike at Stone Mountain

By Colleen Oakley

Regular readers of this column know that I’m terrified of heights. They may remember my last adventure at Stone Mountain, when it took every ounce of strength and courage for me to climb all the way to the top of the bald-face rock without fainting.

Because of this, you may ask what in the world possessed me to willingly climb to the top of a four-story treehouse and attempt to walk across a tightrope while holding on to my harness with a death-grip.

At that moment, I was asking myself the same question. The Sky Hike at Stone Mountain is the nation’s largest family outdoor adventure ropes course. It looks like a four-story-high jungle gym made of wood and ropes.

I had seen the commercials for it on TV, and I wanted to check it out. I took my husband Fred because I wanted his face to be the last one I saw before plummeting to my death.
We went on a Tuesday afternoon (if you can, go on a weekday instead of a weekend—the line was very short), and at the base of the wooden structure, a couple of teenagers strapped us into our harnesses.

“Extra tight, please,” I said.

We walked up a set of stairs to the second story, where children of about 7 or 8 were practically running through the course, swinging from ropes with big grins on their faces.

I looked at Fred. He looked bored.

“Let’s go up another level,” I said.

His eyes lit up. “Will you be OK?”

“Sure.”

I was putting on a brave front. I was not sure that I would be OK. Three levels up was really high. But once we got there, I couldn’t turn back. I had to prove to myself and my husband that I could do this.

The course on each level consists of different wobbly rope and wooden plank configurations between sturdy platforms that you try to walk safely across. Each one is challenging in its own way.

On the first one, my stomach lurched as I delicately placed my foot on the rope, testing it out. I slowly and gingerly made my way across, and was very proud that I didn’t vomit from fear or fall off the rope.

Then, as the course got more challenging, my fear slowly subsided and I began to have … fun. It was exciting to approach each section and figure out how to get across it. After we conquered level three, Fred smiled at me. “Ready for the top?”

Level three was high, but level four was ridiculously high. “OK,” I said.

He scrambled up the wooden steps, and I went after him. The thing about the top level is that you have to look down, because you have to make sure your feet are stepping on the right places, so you inevitably are aware of how high you are off the ground. Still, I made it through the course, and as I stepped off the last rope, my hands were cramped from holding onto my harness so tightly.

This is a great place to take the kids on a sunny afternoon—or to take your fear of heights, in order to conquer it. I’m not exactly ready to climb to the top of Stone Mountain again, but the Sky Hike, I can handle. SP
Colleen Oakley is a freelance writer in Atlanta and the former editor of Women’s Health & Fitness magazine. Got a fitness challenge for her? E-mail her at colleen@sundaypaper.com.