I recently embarked on an outdoor adventure in the western Massachusetts’ Berkshire Mountains. As I started my two hour journey, my head was filled with thoughts of eager anticipation, excitement, and oh yes.nerves! You see..I am not the greatest athlete in the world, nor am I a relaxed soul. In fact, my movements can be quite clumsy at times! Nevertheless, I was anxiously looking forward to conquering my slight fear of heights and check off this bucket list item to experience a truly unique and wonderful experience!
My friend and I had no time to stop at a restaurant for lunch, so instead we had a bite to eat at Whole Foods Market. I had a Tibetan veggie wrap from their deli. Yummy! An acai pomegranate tea hit the spot!
March onward towards the mountains! The drive provided us with a glorious view from the car window. Mounatins, streams, rocky ponds, and flowers were seen from every corner. This region is best known for its plentiful supply of outdoor activities such as white water rafting on the Deerfield River, hiking, skydiving, camping, and yes..ziplining!
When we arrived at the Berkshire East location in Charlemont, MA., we checked in at the registration desk. Visitors can purchase a one hour base level ziplining tour for $30 or a three hour mountain top ziplining tour for $89. Two of my friends sprung for the mountain top deal. Myself and my carpooling pal decided on the base level tour to get a nice intro to the sport of ziplining.
Frankly, I was a nervous wreck! However, I put on the gear we were given, including a helmet and harness for my legs and waist, and I was good to go! As the guides gave us instruction on how to glide fast enough with our knees bent, I felt my dreaded fear returning. Everyone in my group(my friend and a family scheduled at same time) went ahead of me. I slowly climbed upon the wooden platform. The guide attached my harness to the thin zipline. A panic attack then set it! My head got slightly dizzy, my hands got weak and shaky, and I steped immediately down from that platform! I was not going back up..no way! So, I actually passed on the first two ziplines.
Fortunately, my guides were amazing and supportive, and finally convinced me to step on the platform again to give it a try. They were so incredibly encouraging! I really wanted to do this! I let the guide attach my harness and asked him to give me a push off of the platform. For the first second I closed my eyes then opened them! I did it! I was ziplining! Yay! My eyes remained open. I was no longer dizzy nor did my hands get shaky. In fact, I was enjoying the view! I totally loved the experience! I wanted to zipline the remainder of the day and not stop! The glide down the zipline was fast enough to be thrilling, yet slow enough to experience the magnificent view! I absolutely loved it! I did the next and final zipline. It was at a different angle and a bit higher. Again, I felt perfectly fine.
After the hour long adventure completed, we drove to the neighboring town of Shelburne Falls. It is a really popular tourist site due to the Bridge Of Flowers. This downtown bridge is covered with a huge variety of flowers in different sizes, shapes, and colors. They were absolutely gorgeous!
There is also a stop for glacial pothole viewing. The downtown area also possesses quite a few nice, little cafes and restaurants. A couple of them have vegan options. We chose the outdoor dining at Blue Rock Restaurant (Blue Rock Restaurant ). I dined on root vegetable pancakes of sweet potato, celeriac root and wild rice with a side of broccoli and cashews. The wait staff was very knowledgeable about the vegan offerings and could even make substitutions. They offered other vegan items. For dessert, the chef prepared a cubed watermelon on a stick with vinegarette dressing for me. My beverage was a non-alcoholic margarita. The minty taste was so refreshing after an invigorating activity! The meal was delicious!
My weekend day trip to the Berkshires had come to an end. I am so happy that I conquered my fear and enjoy the exciting adventure of ziplining! The vegan dining scene is quite good in the small town of Shelburne Falls also. I recommend this adventure and dining experience to anyone wishing to visit the Berkshire Mountain region of Massachusetts for a summer adventure!
