Zip the Canyons

The Great Florida Adventure is an amazing opportunity that every Lake Highland 7th grader has the chance to experience. The three-day field trip includes a day at the Circle F Dude Ranch, air boating, and my favorite Zip the Canyons. I didn’t know what to expect when I boarded the bus on the first day. Everything sounded so fun when they told us what we were doing that week but then some of my friends weren’t going, so I was a little unsure about how the week would go. But the Great Florida Adventure exceeded my expectations!

I was so surprised when our bus pulled into the Zip the Canyons parking lot, I didn’t think there would be cliffs like this in Florida! I ziplined last summer with my family in the Rocky Mountains and was wondering how zip lining could be done in flat Florida. Zip the Canyons was a thrilling experience and worth the short wait I had as being in the last group. There are nine zip lines and two tall rope bridges, most spanning glistening blue water, attached to high wooden platforms. The longest zip line was around a football field in length and was about 155 feet above sea level. The first leap from the platform from the steep rocky cliffs over the spring below felt like a giant leap of faith. The smell of fresh pine in the fall breeze reminded me of Christmas but it was the middle of October. I pulled my feet toward my body so I could go even faster than if they were dangling in the air. We finished the course by being gently lowered by a rope pulley to the ground. Time flew by, just like the zipline, and I didn’t want it to end.

The Great Florida Adventure was an exhilarating experience that I’m so glad I was able to have. I know we are so lucky to have field trips like this at Lake Highland. I didn’t even want to talk about it to my friends who go to public school because I felt like I was bragging. I am never going to take experiences like this for granted. Very few people have these kinds of opportunities and I am forever grateful.