Jumping from the Canopy – One Shot Story

Hidden deep on Mount Tsurugi on Shikoku Island, is the forest adventure park. It involves moving through obstacles while attached to a harness suspended roughly 30-40 feet above the forest floor. Each obstacle could be solved with a variety of skills or just brute strength, as was often the case for my friend and me. Something about trying to cheat the victory without any thought felt more fun than trying to find an optimal method. The park had several zip lines which traversed the valley high in the air which allowed for some beautiful green views. We soared through the treetops before being met with the first truly difficult obstacle for both of us: The Tarzan Jump. 

The Tarzan Jump required us to leap from a platform with a rope attached to our harness while 30 feet above the ground, we would then swing to a rope ladder and begin ascending. The zip lines were not scary and I think I could attribute that to the tautness in the cables providing a sense of stability and predictability. The Tarzan Jump on the other hand… no matter how much I pulled, because of the setup of the pulleys, I could not get any tension in the rope. I did not like this at all. My friend sat on the ledge for roughly four minutes before pushing herself off with a little scoot. A few seconds later, she was ascending the rope ladder. Then, it was my turn. 

I stood at the edge for what felt like ten seconds and then leapt into the air. Or at least, that is what I told my body to do, but I quickly found myself still standing at the ledge. I leaned forward and thought I jumped, but my body immediately stopped me from diving toward the ground. I laughed at myself for a good few seconds, before mustering some courage once again. Looking back, I saw the wooden troll watching over us and borrowed some courage from that. I leaned over the ledge once more a few moments later, and let myself fall instead of  jumping. 

I accelerated into the air and despite my best efforts, let out a surprised yelp when the harness suddenly went taut, permanently ensuring I would never have children. I swung in the air for a few moments, trying to distance myself from the pain before swinging myself to the rope ladder on the other side. I had a stupid little grin on my face the whole time. It was scary for just a moment, but tons of fun for another. Next time, when an adventure comes knocking, I hope I don’t hesitate the same way. 

Share this post: