News & Events at Tree Frog Canopy Tours, Ohio's Newest Attraction

Zip through the forest - Treetop tours to give visitors a rush as they soar along at up to 35 mph

Saturday, July 31, 2010 By Vince Bond Jr.- The Columbus Dispatch

GLENMONT, Ohio - As the sun peeked through the Mohican Valley forest canopy yesterday, a faint whistling sound could be heard coming from the aerial roadways winding in and out of the treetops.

Yes, aerial roadways.

Guides for the new Tree Frog Canopy Tours were taking a test run through portions of the 4,025 foot zip-line tour course in preparation for Sunday's grand opening. Features include seven zip lines and two sky bridges.
One zip line hovers 120 feet above the forest floor to give riders a bird's-eye view of the wooded vista. The last line zooms riders at speeds up to 35 mph for 1,100 feet - the longest tree-to-tree zip in the state, said owner Bruce Baker.
Participants wear harnesses connected to an overhead cable for the duration of the tour.

"It's an active-participant adventure," said Baker, 60, of Mansfield. "It's not an amusement ride in any sense."

Josie Shafer, course manager, said the final zip is especially thrilling because fear isn't as much of a factor for participants who got a chance to shed their nerves early in the 2-hour tour.

Before starting, people are given a tutorial on a practice zip line to get a feel for how the harness moves along the cable and learn the braking system.
"It's exhilarating. You build up to it the entire time," said Shafer, 31, of Jeromesville. "You can just take it all in."

Baker was inspired to build his own zip-line tour after he and his wife went through one while vacationing in Mexico nearly 10years ago.

It took $750,000 to construct the course, which was built on a 50-acre property leased from the Mohican Wilderness Campground.

Inspectors from Bonsai Design Inc., based in Grand Junction, Colo., surveyed 600 trees during the winter to check their health and determine whether a zip-line tour was viable for the site.

Course designer Brandon Skupski said the forest - home to oak, black gum, red oak, sugar maple, beach and sycamore trees - impressed him with its bio-diversity.

If construction crews came across a tree they didn't want to cut while clearing zip areas, they'd build around it even if it meant adding two weeks to their work schedule, Skupski said.

The forest "is well on its way to maturing," he said. "That's rare to find these days."

Baker said he chose the company because of its sustainable-design methods, which preserve trees even while they anchor zip lines and bridges.

Bonsai also crafted the 3,300-foot Hocking Hills Canopy Tours in Rockbridge, now in their third season. The tours have 10 zip lines and five sky bridges.

Hocking Hills co-owner Joyce Gerstner said the Glenmont tour can expect visitors of all ages to come through. A 93-year-old once participated in the Hocking Hills course.

"It's a unique experience that most people haven't had a chance to participate in," Gerstner said. "That's why we're able to appeal to such a large demographic."

Tree Frog's 24 tour guides had to go through three weeks of training and testing. Baker said they'll go through rescue-training recertification each month.

Matthew Failor, a guide, said his stint as a guide in Alaska helped prepare him. He also was a dog handler for sled teams.

He said he's looking forward to the 700-foot zip that's connected to a rock.

"You zip across the ravine," said Failor, 28, of Mansfield. "I think that will be my favorite."