Kauai: Day 6

2 years, 6 months old

Wednesday, March 20: This was a morning I had been looking forward to which was zip-lining. It was something I wanted to do for sure when we started to plan this trip. All of us (but my mom and B) were thinking about doing it. Then Allyson got pregnant and couldn't. Andy is not a heights guy so he bowed out and eventually Joe and Eric said they were going to skip too so that left just Dad, Rachel and I. We had to check in at 7:45 that morning but it was only about 5 minutes from our hotel so it was a quick trip to get there. Again, I didn't bring my big camera because I wasn't sure what the conditions would be like (next time? bring the camera!). We checked in with about 10 others in our group and got strapped into our gear. The ranch was just across the street from our check-in area so we took a trolley type shuttle inland some into the mountains.



They started us off with the shorter lines first and then we eventually picked up to the bigger ones. The Big Kahuna was our last run at something like 1800 feet long. That first run, while only like 400 feet, was a little nerve racking. They taught us right away how to hold onto the hook that steered so we wouldn't be flopping around in circles the whole time. This would also help so we could come in for landing on our feet instead of on our butts. It took a run or two to figure out what we were doing. I should mention too that we had two instructors, who I've since forgot their names, but they were both great. One was lively and comedic while the other was very chill and laid back. They were both transplants, from Oregon and San Fran, and did two runs a day on the ranch. It seemed like a pretty cool job. The comedic one asked me, while hooking me up for a run, what I was studying in school. I got a kick out of that! I didn't graduate 7 years ago or anything….Do I look that young?



You can see that each run we climbed up steps to a landing where we were hooked in and then we ran down to zip before hitting another landing. It was one of the funnest things I've ever done! Flying between mountains and over creeks and ravines was really awesome. We also had pretty perfect weather. Definitely didn't need the long sleeve I wore but after I was already hooked into my straps, I kept it on. If you watched our video, you'll see that the GoPro hooked to our helmets was great too.



Me with the Big Kahuna in the background. I was way more nervous standing on the top of the tower than I was flying across the mountains. I felt totally secure hooked onto the lines. In total, I think it took 3 1/2 hours by the time we got back to camp. I forget how much it costs (something like $100) but more than worth it.


We ordered our pictures on a zip drive after we got back and got a few good ones.




We got back to the hotel and it was planned to head over the Na Pali coast for the afternoon. I was pretty exhausted after a full day yesterday and a full morning so I decided to stay back at the hotel. It ended up that only my dad, Joe and Eric were interested in the long hike so most of the rest of us stayed at the hotel. My mom joined them and stayed at the beach around where the hike begins. I really just wanted a few hours in the pool (at this point, I had only had about 45 minutes a few times) and it was a good opportunity for Barrett to get a nice nap in. He had really only napped on the go or when we had time all week so he was due for a good sleep in a bed.





It was another dinner at the hotel night. The Bauman's made pork chops and other things I don't remember. We were going to eat down by the pool at the big tables they had but pretty close to when we were going to get down there it started to sprinkle so we stayed inside again.

We went to bed after another sun-filled day.