SWINGING FROM THE TREES

By Jacki Mieler Photograph by Michelle Koechle My 10-YEAR-OLD step-son, Josh, casually threw down the gaunt-let over breakfast. “Dad, I don't think you'll be able to do the Black Course,” he told my husband, Rusty.

The seasoned veteran of our trio, Josh was the only one to have actually visited the Flagstaff Extreme treetop adventure course where the famed “Black Course” lurks. I noticed that the gauntlet wasn't thrown my way, and my inner competitive spirit took over. I would conquer the Black Course. It was only after talking to Flagstaff Extreme owner Paul Kent that I learned a mere 25 percent of the participants finish all four adult courses, of which the Black is the harrowing finale.

Like many ideas, Kent's impetus to build Flagstaff Extreme was born of a desire to take a memorable experience from elsewhere and bring it to his own backyard. While visiting family in upstate New York, he saw an advertisement for a similar course, but he didn't fully grasp the concept until he tried it himself.

“It was adrenaline, it was physical, it was nature and it was unique,” Kent said of the experience.

While living in Phoenix, he and his wife often escaped to Flagstaff with their young children, but it was difficult to find outdoor activities for the entire family. Kent recalled the exhilaration he felt on the New York course and realized that playing in the trees transcends age and elicits the inner child in anyone.

Kent found a willing partner in Coconino County, and beginning in late 2011, more than 100 of the iconic ponderosa pines in Fort Tuthill County Park became part of Flagstaff Extreme. The first guests stepped on the course in May 2012 for what Kent described as “a series of elements, games and challenges that you traverse while testing your lim-its.” Put more simply, it's “scary fun.” With visions of the Black Course consuming my thoughts, I grabbed my harness, got instructions on how to operate the two-carabiner safety system, and learned that when said three times, the word “guide” would earn me a rescue from the trees - heel-clicking optional.

Feet firmly on the ground, Rusty and I watched the seasoned veteran attack the Kids Course with reckless abandon, knowing he was counting the days until his 12th birthday and access to the first two adult courses.

The four adult courses must be tackled in order, so I had to conquer Green, Blue and Red before even worrying about Black. Each course is a combination of action elements - where the game moves with you and bridges that you work your way across. Sounds innocent enough. Until you realize you're anywhere from 12 to 62 feet off the ground.

As we climbed the ladder up to the Green Course. I noticed an evil twinkle in my husband's eye when our guide mentioned that two people are allowed on the bridge elements at a time. Judging by the echo of female screams reverberating through the trees, I knew my husband wasn't the only one giddy at the prospect of shaking and swaying the bridge as his wife methodically tried to cross.

I got my bearings on the Green Course and got comfortable with working around my harness, using my weight to balance while screaming at Rusty. By the time we crossed several bridges and shimmied through a swinging barrel, I was feeling confident as I clipped into my first zip line and let myself fly through the trees.

Those trees are the stars of the show, and when Kent brought course designer Outplay Adventures to Flagstaff, the company worked from the premise that “it's all about the trees.” In the entire design, only one tree was removed, and the process of securing cables and platforms was so gentle that the entire operation could go away tomorrow and the trees would remain as they have for centuries.

I hit my stride on the Blue Course, moving over the individual log obstacle known as “chopsticks” and stopping short of beating my chest as I clung to the Tarzan rope. Eighteen obstacles later, Flagstaff Extreme's longest zip line was an invigorating conclusion to Blue. Climbing the ladder to the Red Course, I knew the game was changing. No longer did we have the stable ladders of Green and Blue; instead, it swayed as we made our way up, then up some more. The “top of the world” view was a welcome reward for the breathtaking climb to the highest platform, 62 feet above the ground.

With three zip lines and a skateboard obstacle, Red sounds like child's play. My body would disagree; I started feeling the effects of calling upon some rarely used muscle groups.

All of a sudden, the signs changed to Black, and we arrived at the point where three-quarters of participants in their right minds had already exited the course. And due to some poor planning on our part, Rusty was one of them; he scurried down the ladder to take Josh to baseball practice.

There I was, on my own, with the seven Black Course obstacles looming. Kent told me guests often bond on the course, and I will eternally be grateful for the kindness of two strangers from Phoenix who became my support team. They coached me through the first bridge, which, with its missing and shifted planks, required more brains than muscle. They gave me a pep talk as I mustered the courage to navigate my feet through a series of swinging rings and planks. And I dug deep to will my tired arms to propel me across the final cargo net.

I added to the echoes of screams throughout the course when I flew victoriously down the zip line and my feet met the ground for the final time, with four courses of “scary fun” behind me. After all the gauntlet-throwing, I was the one who earned the Black Course T-shirt, which I wore home with pride.

IF YOU GO

Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course is located on Fort Tuthill Loop Road in Flagstaff. For information, call 888-259-0125 or visit www.flagstaffextreme.com.