Zip lining is one of those must-do bucket list experiences. To soar through the air high above the ground, taking in views reserved only for butterflies and birds, is stimulating and down right fun, and northwest Washington is the ideal place to do it with its lush rain forests and big trees. Canopy Tours Northwest provides all of that.A little over an hour drive north of Seattle between Whidbey Island and the mainland of Snohomish County is Camano Island. The island, approximately 18 miles long, seven miles across at its widest point and less than one mile at its narrowest, has a total area of 39.8 square miles. It is connected to the mainland, two miles west of Stanwood, by the Mark C. Clark Memorial Bridge across West Pass and Davis Slough, which is dry at low tides.
Inhabited by Indians for hundreds of years, the first settlers came to Camano Island in 1855. They came for the timber. The island was densely forested with stands of tall, straight Douglas-firs perfect for masts and spars. Utsalady, on Utsalady Bay at the northern tip of the island, was the site of a shipyard and one of the largest sawmills on Puget Sound, founded in 1858 by Whidbey Island pioneers Thomas Cranney and Lawrence Grennan. "Utsalady" was a distortion of an Indian word also rendered as "Uts-ollaie," and said to mean "place of berries." As we walked the only path between tree stands, we munched on the island's plentiful berries.
In 1949, Washington State Parks and Recreation developed 134 acres of land on the west side of Camano Island, overlooking Saratoga Passage, for use as a state park. Today Camano Island is entirely a farming and residential community, well-known for its production of fruits and berries. Canopy Tours Northwest is located on one of the island's farms, the beautiful Kristoferson Farm. Owned by six generations of family, their mission is to preserve the farm and it's abundant wildlife. The address is 332 NE Camano Drive.
When we arrived, we checked in at the farm's red barn and then waited for our certified guides to finish neatly spreading the safety harnesses we would be wearing on our zipping adventure. When they were finished, all we had to do is step into them and pull them up to our shoulders. The guides pulled all the straps into position and snapped on the two trolleys used to carry us across the cable lines.
After some instructions from our two guides, Alycia Mills and Hunter Ashby, our group boarded a 1963 Unimog off-road vehicle for a ride and a short walk to the first of six zip lines. Stepping onto the first platform, safety was priority. One by one we were snapped to a cable wrapped around the tree while we waited our turn. My first zip line experience, I eagerly and excitedly asked my first question, "How will you stop us at the other end." I soon had my answer.
Hunter mounted the cables and went across to the next platform first where he would control a mechanism attached to the cables that would assist in bringing us to a stop. Also, the cables are installed in such a way so as to slow momentum. There were eight in our group. I was fifth in line. I ascended the step and Alycia mounted my trolleys to the two cables, checked my straps, and by way of a communicator informed Hunter, "Rick is ready to zip," waited a response and then said, "Rick is zipping." Getting into a sitting position, I launched myself off the platform and felt the air rush past me as I zipped through the lush trees to the next tree platform about 40 feet above the thick vegetation far below.
After the second zip line, there were refreshments available and a camera where you could take group selphies by pushing a button. From there, we walked a path upward where we plucked berries from the bushes while listening to our guides talk about the surrounding forest and its wildlife in between fielding questions from the group.
There were four more zip lines with surprises at the fourth and sixth. At the fourth, one by one we had to cross a shaky suspended log bridge to get to the fifth platform. It was a bit of a challenge to make it across without slipping through the gaps between the logs, which I did, but I was able to pull myself back up and complete the traverse. The sixth zip line was the longest at 660 feet. It was an exhilarating flight as I soaked in the final views through the tall Douglas fur trees past a camera for a parting photograph and a attempted unique pose. To end our experience, we were one by one attached to a cable and we rappelled 47 feet to a smooth landing on the ground below.
Guide Hunter, a highly experienced zip liner, entertained our group with a few stunts and with a couple of people in our group with a fear of heights, Alycia was patient, reassuring, and detailed about safety, but allowing us the freedom to try something different. Kristoferson Farm provided the beautiful setting and Canopy Tours Northwest and its awesome guides made our tour a truly enjoyable adventure.
Rates--Adults (age 13+) - $103. Youth (age 12-) - $65.
For group rates, call Group Coordinator, Mona Campbell, at 360-387-5807.
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| Me, my son Jared, Frank, and another Jared. |
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