I don’t know what I was looking for, but I found it on the other side.
~Julia Hagen
~Julia Hagen
Summer is, unfortunately, winding down now, so I’m savoring what is left. I’ve had a fairly low key summer all in all; aside from work and some sporadic job hunting, balance has been a big focus. This summer I was determined to conquer a waterline. Waterlines are just cool: it’s just a slackline over water—which means if you fall you get wet, which is pretty much perfect to a summer slacker like me.
There’s a great pre-bolted place on a river near where I live. The sides of the river are cemented where a bridge used to be, the banks are grassy, there are trees for shade, and a bridge just downstream makes for easy setup and a convenient alternative to the slackline for travel from side to side. The water is frigid, but the bolting for anchors, deep enough water, and a short enough span for my current gear make it the most ideal location I’ve found yet.
When the weather is hot, I’ve sent out blanket invitations to friends to join me for a waterlining session. Quite a few friends have joined me who had never slacklined over solid earth before, let alone over water. We alternated between falling into the river and sitting out on the grassy bank to get warm again. When walking on top didn’t work out, hanging underneath and pulling across was a popular alternative.
The waterline is located at a popular park and swimming hole, so spectators are many and new “friends” too—anyone who wants to try is welcome. Given the people lining the bridge and lining up for a turn, you’d never guess from the pictures that I generally only have 2 – 4 of my own friends in tow. I like sharing my passion, so I don’t mind the crowds. And hey, really, am I going to object to hearing random strangers say how cool I am?
I’ve loved the waterlining sessions. It’s the best of summer: outdoor fun in the sun, balance playtime, good friends, and lots of laughter—and the flailing, bailing, and splashing gives us plenty to laugh about.
In terms of just having fun, the waterline is always a success, but I’ve been motivated to have some balance success too. Last year I was unable to conquer this waterline. I had two years of slacklining under my belt…and all of that skill seemed to go out the window once there was water involved. Even the motivation of staying out of the cold water couldn’t keep me on the line. I generally took a dunking after just a step or maybe two. Once, just once, I made it almost half way.
When I went back for the first time this year, I thought for sure I was ready. I had practiced balance pipe all through the winter, had practiced on longer lines at lesser tension through the summer, even setting up my slackline across the same span as the river…but once again I fell as quickly as I stood. During that first session this year, after many falls I became a little bit steadier and, eventually, made it almost half way again. I was relieved that at least I wasn't doing worse than the previous year, but it was hardly the degree of progress I'd expected.
Some things just take time, then happen all in an instant. I set up my waterline twice more in the past week. And the great news: I conquered!
Last Friday I’d arranged to waterline with a friend…but she was unable to at the last minute. I’d been looking forward to it all week so I decided to go anyway even though waterlining alone is a bit sketchy. There were enough people around, and I was careful to stay where the water was a safe depth. I fell in a lot, but after an hour, I started to make more progress down the line. And then out of the blue it happened: I made it all the way across!
As I stepped off the slackline back onto solid ground, my victory was met by the spontaneous cheering of twenty Boys and Girls Club members who were on a field trip. Those cheers broke the controlled calm and focus I’d submerged myself into, brought elation bubbling to the surface as I threw my arms up, acknowledging the applause. I crossed the bridge back to the other side…and crossed the waterline again without falling. One of the little girls kept track of my crossings for me: one then two, three then four, and still more. As soon as I’d done it once, I could do it again.
I went back again the next day with a few friends and walked pretty steadily right from the start—steadily enough that I challenged myself by adding simple tricks like kneeling, sitting, laying, remounting, and turning. Sometimes I still fell after just a few steps, but really not all that often. Something just clicked, and what I could do over solid ground, I could do over water. Libby Sauter, a professional slackliner I’d met at the All Girls Slackline Festival in May, described having that same sort of moment highlining—the moment when it seemed no different than walking near the ground. I’m looking forward to that "click" moment like you wouldn't believe.
The victory of crossing the river was a big one for me. It was a very real and concrete victory during a time when mostly I have made slow and steady learning progress—the kind of progress that is often hard to measure. That moment of victory reminded me of something I heard Julia Hagen say just after she’d successfully crossed ("sended" in climber's lingo) her first highline: 'I don’t know what I was looking for, but I found it on the other side.'
That’s how I feel: I’m seeking balance, I’m not even always sure why, but in moments like this one—when I stepped onto solid ground having crossed over a river on a stretchy, shaky 1-inch wide piece of webbing—I just know that I've found a piece of what I've been looking for. I’ve been riding a high for days—a delicious sense of confidence and accomplishment.
As wonderful as stepping back onto solid ground is, one of my favorite times on this waterline is in the middle. As I walk out away from the bank along the downward curve, the line dips low, then touches the water. The cold water just covers the tops of my feet as my slackline swishes and splashes as it sways. And for a little while I’m walking on water. It’s magical there in the middle—in many ways as magical as arriving at the far shore.
Here’s to all the summer slackers who have joined me in the middle and cheered my arrival on the other side.
There’s a great pre-bolted place on a river near where I live. The sides of the river are cemented where a bridge used to be, the banks are grassy, there are trees for shade, and a bridge just downstream makes for easy setup and a convenient alternative to the slackline for travel from side to side. The water is frigid, but the bolting for anchors, deep enough water, and a short enough span for my current gear make it the most ideal location I’ve found yet.
The waterline is located at a popular park and swimming hole, so spectators are many and new “friends” too—anyone who wants to try is welcome. Given the people lining the bridge and lining up for a turn, you’d never guess from the pictures that I generally only have 2 – 4 of my own friends in tow. I like sharing my passion, so I don’t mind the crowds. And hey, really, am I going to object to hearing random strangers say how cool I am?
I’ve loved the waterlining sessions. It’s the best of summer: outdoor fun in the sun, balance playtime, good friends, and lots of laughter—and the flailing, bailing, and splashing gives us plenty to laugh about.
In terms of just having fun, the waterline is always a success, but I’ve been motivated to have some balance success too. Last year I was unable to conquer this waterline. I had two years of slacklining under my belt…and all of that skill seemed to go out the window once there was water involved. Even the motivation of staying out of the cold water couldn’t keep me on the line. I generally took a dunking after just a step or maybe two. Once, just once, I made it almost half way.
When I went back for the first time this year, I thought for sure I was ready. I had practiced balance pipe all through the winter, had practiced on longer lines at lesser tension through the summer, even setting up my slackline across the same span as the river…but once again I fell as quickly as I stood. During that first session this year, after many falls I became a little bit steadier and, eventually, made it almost half way again. I was relieved that at least I wasn't doing worse than the previous year, but it was hardly the degree of progress I'd expected.
Some things just take time, then happen all in an instant. I set up my waterline twice more in the past week. And the great news: I conquered!
Last Friday I’d arranged to waterline with a friend…but she was unable to at the last minute. I’d been looking forward to it all week so I decided to go anyway even though waterlining alone is a bit sketchy. There were enough people around, and I was careful to stay where the water was a safe depth. I fell in a lot, but after an hour, I started to make more progress down the line. And then out of the blue it happened: I made it all the way across!
As I stepped off the slackline back onto solid ground, my victory was met by the spontaneous cheering of twenty Boys and Girls Club members who were on a field trip. Those cheers broke the controlled calm and focus I’d submerged myself into, brought elation bubbling to the surface as I threw my arms up, acknowledging the applause. I crossed the bridge back to the other side…and crossed the waterline again without falling. One of the little girls kept track of my crossings for me: one then two, three then four, and still more. As soon as I’d done it once, I could do it again.
The victory of crossing the river was a big one for me. It was a very real and concrete victory during a time when mostly I have made slow and steady learning progress—the kind of progress that is often hard to measure. That moment of victory reminded me of something I heard Julia Hagen say just after she’d successfully crossed ("sended" in climber's lingo) her first highline: 'I don’t know what I was looking for, but I found it on the other side.'
That’s how I feel: I’m seeking balance, I’m not even always sure why, but in moments like this one—when I stepped onto solid ground having crossed over a river on a stretchy, shaky 1-inch wide piece of webbing—I just know that I've found a piece of what I've been looking for. I’ve been riding a high for days—a delicious sense of confidence and accomplishment.
As wonderful as stepping back onto solid ground is, one of my favorite times on this waterline is in the middle. As I walk out away from the bank along the downward curve, the line dips low, then touches the water. The cold water just covers the tops of my feet as my slackline swishes and splashes as it sways. And for a little while I’m walking on water. It’s magical there in the middle—in many ways as magical as arriving at the far shore.
Here’s to all the summer slackers who have joined me in the middle and cheered my arrival on the other side.
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