On Sunday, March 24, it was sunny, windy, and rather cool. Having been foiled in my original attempt at a “zip line”, using a stretchy, nylon rope, I wanted to try it again with seat-belt strap. I just happen to have a 200ft (60 meter) length of strap left over from another crazy idea I had a few years back. I also wanted to try sliding down the strap using a carabiner slipped over the strap, attached to a bar from a piece of exercise equipment.
The seat-belt strap didn’t stretch nearly as much as the nylon rope, so that was a success. The carabiner wasn’t such a great idea, though. I got stuck a short way down the zip-line, while hanging high over the stream below. I had to coax myself down the strap and finally I threw my legs up and inch-wormed myself the rest of the way. What did work well was hooking my legs over the bar with the carabiner and using my arms to pull myself along the strap. Not much of a “zip” line, but it was a good core and upper-body workout.
I saw a couple of hikers while I was putting up my “zip line”. I assume they saw me, but they didn’t get close enough to say, hello. If you’re reading this, don’t hesitate to leave a comment; I’m always curious about the people who use the trail and/or enjoy exploring the Croatan.
After all that, I went for a hike with Fred Bear. When we got to the beaver dam, we had to check out the water flowing over it, so we braved the rushing water and crossed there. Our hike from the end of Hillfield Road to the culvert and back to my car was not a long hike, but it was about right for me after my misadventures with the “zip line”. It was also getting pretty chilly as the sun sank towards the horizon. It felt good to collapse into the seat of my car and crank up the heat when we got off the trail.
Fred Bear, crossing on the beaver dam and trying to avoid a cold swim in the beaver pond. I’m probably not “normal”, but no hike is complete without some death-defying adventure.
The following images are just some of the photos I snapped on 3/24/2024. The one of me, crossing on the beaver dam is from a video that Fred shot on his iPhone.
