Adventure in Slack-Lining

You see them on almost every college campus: those unshowered, barefoot hippies that show off their oneness with nature by traversing the distance between one tree and the next on nothing more than a mere rope. That's right; I'm talking about slack-liners. After years of indiscriminately calling them undeserving names (due to my insurmountable jealousy of their circus tight-rope-walker-esque prowess) such as "unshowered, barefoot hippies," I have finally broken into the scene and attempted slack-lining myself! In fact, now that Maddie has finally escaped from the north and returned to Texas, this past Saturday was our second go at slack-lining.

Our first attempt, roughly a month and a half ago, looked something like this:

Thanks in advance for letting me use your pictures, Kirsten!

Our second attempt (although unfortunately unphotographed) did not look too different, except with more people, a broken hammock in the background, and somewhat more attractive ensembles.

It turns out that slack lining isn't nearly as terrifying as I had always imagined it to be. Having said that, whenever I am on the rope, I do always have people flanking me and shoulders to lean on to ensure that I don't fall, but even when I have slipped it was nothing to be afraid of. In fact, the only wipe out we've seen so far has been Teddy Westside (don't you love when I call you out specifically as the only person to actually fall?), but he and Kirsten were in kind of a competition so he was understandably throwing caution to the wind, like a boss. In due time, we'll all be a bit more successful at it, and able to make it from one tree to the next without the assistance of human props. I just hope that dreadlocks and/or bandanas aren't prerequisites for success, despite my observations on campus that almost all successful slack-liners sported one or the other.

We're thinking of making this a semi-regular event, especially now that the weather is getting warm, because sitting in the shade of a tree, having a picnic, with a hopefully functional hammock nearby is just so pleasant. Even better, we get to work on our stabilizing muscles, conquer our fears, and impress all passersby (I can only assume) while we pig out on beef jerky, cookies, and Chex mix. What could be better than that?

I must say, though, while slack-lining was extremely enjoyable, the highlight of the afternoon might have been the treasures that Teddy Westside brought along with him for our enjoyment, Dunkaroos.

Have you ever dunked around with Dunkaroos? Ever wanted to take to the traveling ring as a tight-rope walker? Do you know of a good insect repellant that might keep me from getting quite so chewed up by mosquitos next time?

Note: not all slack-liners are unshowered, barefoot hippies with dreadlocks. I only joke about that because they are always barefoot (necessary for slack-lining) and sitting in hammocks and/or the grass all day.