Story and Illustration by Karlee Patton
Freshman year I was always curious about the new breed of tightrope-walkers I saw around campus. They would set up a rope between the trees and pull off amazing feats of balance as the students milling around campus watched in awe. It was only recently, however, that I learned this activity is called slacklining.
To slackline, all you need is two anchor points and a nylon rope, which is flat and webbed like a dog leash. Whereas tightrope walking uses a perfectly taut rope, the slackline is pulled just tight enough that you can walk on it as it bends. This creates an elastic effect like a trampoline, which is why it’s such a unique sport. Not only do you have to balance on the line, but you have to compensate for its bounciness every time you lift your foot or put it down. Yes, it’s as scary as it sounds.
I was terrified at the thought of attempting this balancing act, but Rob, my friend and adventure guide for the day, insisted I try. It seems that people who are really good at something always insist that it’s easy, so I was skeptical. The line was stretched about three feet above the ground, between two big trees. Rob demonstrated first, sitting on the line to compress it, positioning his foot straight on top of it and bouncing up to stand – somehow balanced – on the line. I watched him carefully, taking note of his form though I couldn’t imagine doing the same thing. His legs stayed perfectly steady and he only moved his upper body and arms to balance himself. He looked like some kind of monkey with his arms swaying fluidly in the air.
Hopping off with flair, he said the words I had been dreading as I imagined how stupid I would look falling on my butt: “Your turn.”
“I don’t think I can do this,” I said. But he just had to encourage me. He promised not to let me fall and I felt it was only fair to trust him. If I did fall, I would just never talk to him again. I recited the steps in my head. Sit on the line. Rest my leg on it. Align my foot. Stand straight on my other leg. Let the tension of the line pull me up. Let the tension of the line pull me up. Let the…”Yeah, I can’t do this.”
“One…two…” He started to count. Great. “Three!” I lifted my leg off the ground and awkwardly propelled upward, grabbing Rob’s shoulder in desperation as my feet wobbled on the line. Whew. The hardest part was over. Reluctantly, I lifted one foot. I took a step forward. Then another. This wasn’t so bad! Fun, actually! I decided to let go of my fear and focus on balancing. I thought about how cool Olympic athletes looked on the balance beam and tried to be like them. One slow step at a time, I made it across the line without falling. Granted, I had a shoulder to balance on, but I still hopped off, exhilarated, filled with a sense of accomplishment.
One of the best feelings is trying something you never thought you could do and actually enjoying it. Slacklining is definitely one of those things. After spending so much time reading and writing and presenting in class, using an entirely different set of skills is quite freeing. Now rails and beams entice me to practice balancing. I am determined to achieve monkey status.
