My First Zip Lining Experience & How It Nearly Went Wrong!

 

 

Everything you want is on the other side of fear ~ Jack Canfield

 

Hello my amazing friends! 😀 What’s the most terrifying thing you’ve done this year…? For me-it is hands down, Zip Lining! Any other scary thing I’ve ever done before this, now pales in comparison… 😀

 

A week ago, our search for adventure brought us to The Dam RedHill, for Zip Lining. Legs trembling, heart thumping wildly plus numerous self-talks & questions like… ‘Do I have to do this? I can do this! Is a blog post worth dying for? I’m not going to die, or am I? People Zip Line all the time and come out alive…right?’ 😀

I knew I was afraid to take the plunge, but when the moment actually came, it was down to the bone nerve-wrecking… Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself… 🙂

 

How to Get To the Dam RedHill

The Dam RedHill is located in the outskirts of Nairobi a little past Ndenderu & Ruaka. You can board a Matatu No. 114, at Khoja Stage in the Nairobi CBD, to the Dam.

If you are driving, drive past Ruaka and Ndenderu on Limuru Road, where you will see the Dam RedHill, on your right, just before Sovereign Suites…

 

 

What to Expect At The Dam RedHill

It’s a short walking distance from the main road- just enough to get your adrenaline juices flowing…

Overlooking expansive, green Limuru Tea Farms, the Dam RedHill is quiet and beautiful. You’ll find that being surrounded by overgrown gardens, a variety of trees & the sound of nesting birds, quickly erases the hectic city life you left behind… 🙂

 

 

They have floating restaurants on the dam, and a couple of outdoor sitting areas where you can dine as you enjoy the wild, sweeping views!

 

We were well-received by a friendly Njeri, at the reception area, who gave us a lowdown of the activities they offer: Boat Riding, Zip Lining, Picnic & Camping grounds, Horse Riding, Fishing, a Children’s park and more…

Most of their activities range between Kes. 300 and 1,000.

 

Our Zip Lining Experience!

The Zip Line spans the length of the dam, hovering over the water.

 

Admittedly, until that point I’d been like a Zombie, floating around with that one daunting mission in view… 🙁

As I may have mentioned before, I am the kind of ‘adventurer’ that goes in kicking and screaming with fear, until the deed is done… This was no different. 😀

Evans, our instructor was kind as he explained the process about three times. To my brain, his words sounded like mismatched letters bouncing all over the place!

As he strapped on the harness, I kept looking at the Dam, thinking ‘I can’t even swim’, over again…

 

‘I don’t want to do this… It’s really not necessary…’ I tried to convince everyone, including myself.

But, since they’ve encountered such, countless times, they did not let me give up… 🙂

‘What if I get stuck in the middle?’

‘That can’t happen,’ so they said.

By far, the most daunting part was jumping off the platform. Yes, people have done way more adventurous things in this world like diving off planes… but this was incredibly petrifying!

 

After about 10 minutes or so, of threats, questions, affirmations, prayer & counting… I finally gained the courage to jump!

Voila! I slid through the rope, and over the dam in a matter of seconds, all the while screaming my lungs sore! 😀

Apparently, it’s a 13-15 seconds journey…

 

When The Unexpected, Unexpectedly Happens!

As I approached the safety of the ground, feeling relieved to be done, the unexpected happened. Yikes! 😀

The person on the other end failed to grab me on time, so I began to slide back… until the momentum died down, right in the middle! And there I was- stuck with nothing but air and water around me! Haha, it felt like a bad, bad dream!

Panicking, hundreds of scenarios crossed my mind!

‘HELP!!!’

Why was it uncomfortably quiet…??

‘HELP?!’ With less conviction this time.

‘We are coming…breath in and out…’ Someone shouted.

For some reason that felt like the worst, good advice I’ve ever heard…

You know you’re in trouble, when you begin contemplating your life’s decisions & wondering who will adopt the dog you never had… 🙁 As the body starts cramping, like a wise sage you suddenly gain an appreciation for the solid ground you’ve always taken for granted. So you start making promises to yourself, to God and to the ground…

After what seemed like two lifetimes, I was ‘rescued’. For this operation, Evans used his weight on the Zip Line to make me slide towards him… Then both of us were pulled back with a rope. By this time, I was simply going with the flow…

I think Wanjiku was in as much shock, because we did not get any pictures of this saga. 😀

 

The fears we don’t face become our limits ~ Robin Sharma

 

I was certain to never try this thing again… but on second thought & persuasion,I knew I had to! 😀

After all, if I did not, that would be my lasting memory of Zip Lining. So I gave it another go, this time- flawless execution and fun! 🙂 😀

Wanjiku Thuo also had a perfect Zip lining experience! We were both awed by this little girl with no fear in her eyes! This further proved that it’s a safe sport! 😀

 

 

Tips:

• Wear comfortable pants to prevent being hurt by the harness
• Put on closed shoes with a good grip, so that they do not fall off in the process of Zip Lining
• It is advisable to empty your pockets, especially if you have items that can fall off
• If you intend to have food, order lunch from their restaurant before  Zip Lining. Their Servings are pretty generous, you can order two meals to serve 4.
• Look out for more places to Zip Line in Kenya like> Machakos People’s Park & The Forest (Kereita).

UPDATE: Be sure to confirm that the Zip Line is safe for use, before getting on, particularly the landing strip. It is my hope that they’ve done a better job of streamlining their processes and safety procedures.

 

Looking back, I am glad my experience had a mishap. It helped me see that sometimes our worst fears are just that -fears.  And even when we do experience the scary, it is not the end of the world! Now, I can barely wait to try a longer Zip Line- Screams and all! 😀

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Thank you for reading my lovelies! I hope you have enjoyed the post!

What’s your scariest story in the pursuits of adventure? Have you tried Zip lining? I would love to hear about your experiences! Share your thoughts, questions, comments & any feedback below! 😀

 

<Stay. Inspired. Always!>