Portland Summer Fun: Tree to Tree Adventures

Tree to Tree Aerial Adventure Course
Ready for aerial action

I just have to jump. And grab a rope. Then swing over to a tree stump.

Just one thing: I’m at least 40 feet above the forest floor. (see video at bottom)

This is the Black Diamond section of Tree to Tree Aerial Adventure Course in Gaston, Oregon … Day 4 of my visit to Portland, and I’ve found my favorite of the local attractions. It’s a maze of aerial rope obstacles and zip lines. Some are just a foot or two off the ground. But if you’ve got the grapes, go big!

Tree to Tree Aerial Adventure Course
Sarah works it hard and shows us how it’s done.

Easy to say before I was up here sweating out this rope-swinging thing. It’s physically easy. And the lobster claws connected to my climbing harness are connected just so. The staff drilled safety into us. I paid rapt attention.

Still I hesitate. The brain … it doesn’t want to do this. But I finally grab a hold and swing.

Thump. Both boots touch the stump. One left. Lunge. Swing. Thump. Onto the next.

Few of the next obstacles give me much trouble.

Tree to Tree Aerial Adventure Course
The beginning of the double-black section.

The last one is a monster: several beams hanging from a taut overhead wire. They sway enthusiastically with each step. It’s a wild ride. I’m burning a ton of energy, using every muscle in my arms. When I finish, I’m too blown out to tackle the three Double Black Diamond obstacles.

My wife, though … Sarah tackles the obstacle that schooled me. She’s like a cat. She heads to the Double Black section. It’s a studious and methodical effort, but graceful enough. And efficient. She heads to the second obstacle. She is almost through it … and then she’s swinging from her safety cables.

Tree to Tree Aerial Adventure Course
A ground-up look at the obstacles at Tree to Tree Aerial Adventure Course

There’s no reason to hang her head – I’m impressed. A tidy demonstration of efficiency, breath control and focus.

By the time she takes the final zip line to terra firma, we’ve decided: Tree to Tree Aerial Adventures is one of our favorite places ever – right up there with the Agrodome in Rotorua, New Zealand. And that’s some serious praise.

This post just might contain affiliate links. Fear not, they’re non-spammy and benign. Hey, I have to keep this thing running somehow!

By Wandering Justin

Writer. Traveler. Gastronomic daredevil. Fitness fan. Homebrewer. Metal dude \m/. Cat and dog lover.

2 comments

  1. That must have been a great experience! Did you feel as if you were a monkey?
    Your wife seems more used to climbing trees… Were you frightened at any time? I don’t think I could go on that adventure, I’m quite afraid of heights…

  2. It’s odd – I knew I was safe and clipped into a harness and safety line. But there were some moments that I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. That’s when I’d get nervous.

    True about my wife … she’s from a part of the country that has trees instead of cactuses (like where I grew up).

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