My heart rate increases as the elevation does. I am surrounded by a blanket of green. A cloak of fog surrounds us and our view is slightly tainted. However, it’s still mesmerizing. There is an eerie silence until the sound of an exotic animal echo’s through the trees. The air gets colder as we rise higher up into the Costa Rican rainforest.
 

There is a feeling of excitement, but also a feeling of utter terror. I nervously tighten my harness and helmet as the instructor tries to calm my anxiety.
 

“It is beautiful,” the instructor says, “you won’t even think about the hight once your flying through the rainforest.” I smile and try to believe him. I know it will be amazing but I can’t get this terrified feeling out of my stomach. The Air Tram comes to a halt and we all file out.
 

“Okay chicas y chicos you are going to go down this practice line first. ¡Vamos!”
 

He leads us to a tiny zip line close to the ground. A rush of relief comes over me. This isn’t so bad.  A young man waits at the start of the line to attach us and check everything. We all go down this tiny zip line effortlessly and step over to the next one.
 

I step out from the trees and the next line appears. Looking out into the foggy distance, I see a line stretching farther than I can see. My heart drops. The zip line stretches over a vast canyon.
 

“No, No, No,” I stammer as a grab onto my mother’s arm. She laughs and leads me to the end of the line. I watch the people go one by one. Their faces are a mix of fear and excitement. My stomach does backflips as I approach the front of the line. A light drizzle starts.
 

“¡Yo estoy nerviousa!” I say to workers when there is only one person ahead of me.

They laugh and try to reassure me. I can tell they love the entertainment they receive from many nervous tourists. I just keep nervously tightening my harness hoping that will make me more secure. We joke around a little more until it is my turn. I slowly make my way towards the man who attaches me to the line.
 

“Just lean back and go when your ready. Just don’t forget to keep leaning back.” I halfheartedly listen to his direction; distracted by the immense canyon I have to cross. My mom and the men cheer me on.
 

“One, two, three!”  I lean back and close my eyes, skyrocketing into the canyon. I hear the men yell “Pura Vida!” as I take off.

My scream echo’s through the rainforest. The zip line buzzes loudly and my stomach flips around. I fly through the rows of trees and approach the canyon. Once I reach it my view opens and there is no more trees only empty space around me. I am flying! I don’t dare look down; I do look around though. Even with the fog the view is breathtaking.  I see hills of green across from me where I will land. Drops of rain smack me in the face and I blink quickly to clear my view. The moment is surreal. The end of the zip line comes into view and I start to break by moving my hands back and forth horizontally. Once I reach the platform I feel energized and alive. I can’t wait to do the next one.