Brandcation in Pigeon Forge, TN was full of “firsts” for me. First time away from the kids, first time vacationing in a cabin, first time to Tennessee, first time to the Smoky Mountains, first time going on vacation with not a soul I know, and my first time zip lining.
Two things that I miss most about living in Alaska are the beautiful scenery and having the opportunity to spend time outdoors surrounded by nature. I’m fascinated by trees and their seasons, animals, the sounds, the smells, and how every living thing depends on the next living thing for its own survival. I used to enjoy hiking, kayaking, cross country skiing, and camping; those things aren’t available in Florida or Georgia and part of me has been missing since.
As I was driving through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, I began to get giddy about my zip down the mountains. This place seriously has it all: mountains, beautiful trees, great weather, fantastic hiking trails, and the best zip lining company you could possibly ask for.
We drove up to CLIMB Works in misty weather that was very reminiscent of my hometown and my heart was beating faster and faster. The area was gorgeous and this little log cabin in the middle of nowhere really stoked a fire in me. My excitement wore off right about the time they asked me to strap into my harness. Have you ever seen these things on people? SLIGHTLY embarrassing. I totally get the safety element and I’m grateful to have had it, but it was embarrassing nonetheless.
![Gatlinburg, zip lining, tennessee, smoky mountains, conquering fears]( "CLIMBworks")
I couldn’t help but think, “Does this harness make my butt look big?” It didn’t make The Blonde Critic’s butt look big. ![Gatlinburg, zip lining, climbworks, smoky mountains]( "CLIMBworks")
Once we were all suited up, we rode with a super awesome guy on this crazy bumpy terrain, straight up a sheer rock face. OK maybe not straight up, but I was white knuckling anything I could grab, y’all. No joke. Thanks to Skylar for scaring the bejeezus out of me. Luckily I’ve got a great game face and I played it cool. Until we got to the first platform, that is.
Our guides, Thomas and Matt were phenomenal. They taught us some super-secret signals about how to slow ourselves down and speed ourselves up. They did NOT tell us what would happen if we had a super effective starfish and stopped before we got to the platform.
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Photo Used with Permission: The Blonde Critic – Thomas rescuing me from dangling. The view really was breathtaking so I didn’t mind being stuck for a few minutes.
I’ll tell you from experience that what will happen is your “catcher” will clip him or herself to the zip line, attach a line to you and spider-monkey back to the platform that you never quite made it to. They do this in a bit of an awkward position so beware to arrive to the platform quite flustered.
![dolphin organics, CLIMBworks]( "Thomas CLIMBworks")
Thomas was talking to Jen (Life with Levi) and me about zipping with a dolphin. A DOLPHIN.
In all seriousness, Thomas was my knight in holy green cotton and I developed a massive crush on his beard.
Matt was awesome at entertaining us with info about the area. We were all laughing like schoolgirls so we didn’t get to hear all of his nature knowledge, but I DID learn that the Smoky Mountain area is the second most bio-diverse area in the world, right behind the Amazon. I had no idea that we had such a wild and diverse area right at our fingertips. I’m an enormous nerd so learning about the trees and the nature in the surrounding areas was right up my geek-alley. I could have talked to Matt all day but we got only a short 3ish hours with him.
![climbworks, Gatlinburg, tennessee, smoky mountains, zip lining, best zip line company]( "CLIMBworks")
Stepping out of my comfort zone. Way out.
CLIMB Works is more than a phenomenal zip. Their guides have serious personality and are adept at making even the most nervous people feel comfortable on the lines. Their motto: Challenge Learn Inspire Master Believe is something that the company truly stands by, and they introduce it to you during your tour. They really challenge you to conquer your fears and to truly believe in yourself. I have a slight fear of heights and jumping off of a perfectly good platform was pretty scary to me. After the first jump, I was great and so excited to jump each time, although I totally got called out for hanging close to the tree when we were waiting for everyone else to jump. What can I say? The jump was easy. Standing on that platform was kind of nerve wracking.
CLIMB Works reserves some surprises along the way, and I don’t want to spoil your fun so I’ll keep them secret. I WILL, however; tell you that zipping encompasses so much more than a long line or a three hour tour. If you have a company who is willing to challenge you, and guides who are able to interact with you along the way, you’ve got a winner, and CLIMB Works doesn’t disappoint. I look forward to joining them in Hawaii when they open there.
To book a canopy tour with CLIMB Works, visit their website and give them a ring. You won’t regret it.
I had the esteemed pleasure of zipping with the following bloggers:
***I owe a huge thank-you to Climb Works for our tour, which they kindly provided as part of our Brandcation experience. All experiences and opinions are, as always, my very own and were not influenced in any way.***
The post CLIMB Works for a Zippin’ Good Time appeared first on The Dirty Floor Diaries.
I couldn’t help but think, “Does this harness make my butt look big?” It didn’t make The Blonde Critic’s butt look big. 
