Workout I Did: Ropes Course

For my husband’s birthday, I promised him a trip to a local ropes course that we’d been wanting to try since it was first opened. It’s part of one of our favorite spots for family fun, the South Mountain Recreation area in New Jersey, home to Turtle Back Zoo and our favorite walking path. His birthday was in May, and we finally got around to fitting it in. It was an absolute blast.

The course is the Essex County Treetop Adventure Course. I really should have taken my phone to get pictures, but I kept it in the car for a couple of reasons: 1) It’s brand-new and I didn’t want to drop it from an aerial course, which I totally would do, and 2) I wanted to really enjoy the experience without worrying about capturing the experience in photos. I wanted to put the phone down and just be present.

I’m not what I consider to be afraid of heights. I have a healthy respect for heights, but as long as I know I’m safe, I don’t consider myself afraid of heights. Strapped into a body harness, attached to the wires, you feel pretty secure in the fact that you’ll be caught if you fall. (And you will be; my husband tested that out!) But there were a couple of obstacles that really got in my head and had me genuinely sweating with nerves. There were wobbly bridges to cross, high wires to cross with just one rope to hold onto, PVC pipes to navigate and logs to balance on. I always liked to give myself a bit of an extra challenge and try to do obstacles without holding on to the rope I was attached to, but not wanting to fall, I did hold tight to it when I got wobbly. I concluded that Philippe Petit must be absolutely insane.

I have a pretty good sense of balance, and a ropes course is one adventure that will test your balance and coordination. I had an easier time than my 6-foot-2-inches tall husband; the obstacles don’t shift quite as much under my weight as his. But it was seriously a super fun couple of hours and a great mental and physical workout! Of course, we also had to top it off with the zipline at the end. Also notable? The course is so close to the zoo that we were able to look into the black bear exhibit and see the bears walking around!

Have you ever done a ropes course? I highly recommend! —Erin