Hi, Roanoke County!
We are truly swinging into spring now that Explore Park’s TreeTop Quest 2023 season has begun, which meant I had to check it out for “take 2” of “Kaelyn conquers her fear of heights” on the aerial adventure and zipline course (check out last year’s “take 1” here). As the ultimate test, we went up a level to course 2A + 2A extension. Luckily, I was joined by Roanoke County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Marketing and Administrative Manager, Alex North, to show me the ropes; sneak peek- one us might slip!!
The elements of this course were much different than course 1. In this course, there were a lot more what I would consider “obstacles.” From the get-go, there’s a bridge with swinging bags you have to navigate. I’m not entirely sure I did this correctly, but I made it across and that’s the main thing! Then, there was a bridge with vertical pads that you had to step through just the right way.
The, seemingly, obvious tunnel is the one that really got me, and while I don’t want to give too much away, I will say, don’t crawl on your hands and knees like I did! It seems like the tunnel you see on kids’ playgrounds, but the continuous pulley and clip in system is there for a reason!
This course was expanded upon in 2022, so when you come to a “Y,” you have two different routes to “choose your adventure” from- 2A and 2A extension. We chose the 2A extension, and for this route, it was both Alex and I’s first time through. The 2A extension has some fun elements and ziplines that you don’t want to miss!
Alex and I agreed the swinging ropes were the toughest obstacle, but what helped me, was not to think about what I was doing too much and just go for it.
Up next we had a few various plank obstacles followed by another zipline! Then, we got to the swinging logs where we were nearing the end of the 2A extension course. Let’s just say our balance was really tested on this one…
We finished up with a quick plank bridge where we cruised to the end of the course. It felt good to conquer my fears yet again, and I definitely could not have done it without Alex there cheering. Make sure you have your own cheerleader when you go!
This weekend (Friday, April 7; Saturday, April 8; Sunday, April 9), TreeTop Quest is having a special spring savings discount where visitors get $7 off each admission ticket when booked in advance. Visit here to book your quest for this weekend, or an upcoming adventure.