ON THE ZIP LINE

It is hard to see, but that orange spot in the middle

of the picture is a kid riding the zip line at Fort

Rock Family Camp.

Unless something has changed recently, this zip

line is the longest single span zip line in the State

of Arkansas.  Even this old man enjoys riding on

it or zipping on it or what ever it is called.

The rider is stopped at the lower end by bungie

cords.  And as you would know, the heavier a

person is, the more speed they pick up.  In fact

a heaver person gains enough speed that the 

bungie cords at the bottom will shoot them right

back out over the lake.  So the people at the 

receiving end throw another bungie cord over

the line as soon a heavy person "zips" past to

retrieve the rider before they are sent back out

over the lake like from a sling shot.

THE ZIP LINE

A couple of boys riding the zip line at Fort Rock Family

camp.

I do not know if it is still true, but when I got acquainted

with Fort Rock Family Camp and their staff they had the

longest single span zip line in Arkansas.

It does look strange to see two small boys together on a

ride down the zip line.  But that is so they get all the way

to the end.  If there is not enough weight to carry them 

all the way through, they would be stuck before getting

 to the end of the line.  Then someone would have to

 rescue them.

On the other end of the scale there is a weight limit on

this particular zip lime of 350 lbs.  One of the 

interesting things is the way a person is brought to a 

stop.  It is by running into bungie cords down at the 

end of the ride.  Generally this works out just fine.

However, a LARGE person going into the bungie 

cords at the end can have the effect of pulling back a

 sling shot and it will shoot them right back out over 

the lake.  So they have a code [which I forgot] that the 

person at the top hooking a passenger up relays to 

the people at the end of the line.  Then when the 

passenger goes shooting through that little shed down

 at the end of the line, the receivers throw another 

bungie cord up over the zip line to keep the passenger

 from shooting back out over the lake.

I am a bit jealous though.  I am only the second oldest

person to have ridden on this zip line.  I was 83 years

old my last time down it.  And would you believe it,

there was a lady just over 90 years old who rode it a 

while back.  O well.  I can't win them all.