While I love birthday cake and ice cream, sometimes that’s not how I want to celebrate. It doesn’t have to be a milestone birthday either. I was turning 76 in September and decided I needed an adventure. It had been a while since I’d felt the thrill of a real challenge.

I briefly considered tandem skydiving, but my daughter strongly opposed the idea—understandably so, given my recent knee replacement. If I got injured, she’d be the one managing my care. So I let go of the skydiving plan, but not the idea of doing something bold.

At an event I attended, I met a sponsor from Tree Trekkers, a park with obstacle courses and ziplining. That sounded like just the kind of adrenaline rush I was craving. I called them and asked if they had something suitable for a 76-year-old woman looking for a thrill. The rep assured me they could make it happen.

Next, I sent out a group text to my family inviting them to join me. Seven signed on—some with a bit of nervousness (for me). The hardest part was finding a date that worked for everyone, which took about a week of texting and phone calls.

The day before my birthday, we met at Tree Trekkers near Urbana. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous on the ride there. But I wasn’t prepared for how intimidating it would be. Did I mention I’m afraid of heights? Everything was up in a beautiful canopy of trees. Every obstacle and zipline required climbing.

We checked in, got our climbing gloves, and headed to the training area. After getting into our harnesses—with two safety hooks and a zipline trolley—we received about five minutes of ground training. Then we were sent off with the casual instruction to yell “Staff!” if we needed help.

We climbed the stairs to the beginner obstacle course. I followed my grandson and his girlfriend, hesitating at the first step. With my lack of depth perception and the swaying wood planks, I had to dig deep for courage. Each obstacle was different, and at every tree platform, I needed help unhooking and rehooking my safety ropes. Thankfully, my family made sure I was never alone.

When I completed the course, I felt like kissing the ground—like an astronaut returning from space. But I knew I’d need to get back up again. While the younger ones explored more challenging courses, I relaxed in an Adirondack chair, enjoying the sights and sounds. I didn’t regret sitting out—on the condition they’d come back for me when it was time to zipline.

The zipline also ran from tree to tree. It took me a few minutes to sit down and slide off the first platform, but the ride itself was exhilarating. My niece helped manage my ropes, and each takeoff got smoother. But on one run, I missed the platform, drifted backward, and ended up hanging upside down, motionless in the middle of the wire.

I remembered from our “extensive” training that I had to pull myself hand-over-hand back to the platform. Thank goodness I’d been working out. My son and daughter were on the platform behind me, while my niece and son’s girlfriend waited ahead. They kept encouraging me: “Don’t let go!” and “Just a little bit further!”

I knew I wouldn’t fall—thanks to the safety ropes—but I also knew I’d drift back to the center if I let go. I kept pulling, but as fatigue set in, my legs shook, and I felt nauseous. I finally called out “Staff!” A small young man came to my rescue, asked if I needed water or an ice pack, and I looked down at him and said, “Ground—I need ground.”

He retrieved a red rescue bag, hooked up a rope, and gently lowered me to the ground. A photo taken just before I touched down shows me pale but grinning.

A few years ago, I might’ve seen that moment as a failure. Not this time. My adventure was a total success, and I’m proud of myself. Sharing it with my supportive family made it even more special. My battery is recharged, and I’m ready to embrace new opportunities for a full and exuberant life.

Three of the girls shared photos and videos on social media, and the comments were full of praise, humor, and admiration. My crazy mind is already thinking, “I can’t wait until I turn 77 and see what my next adventure will be!”

Oh, and yes—we did go out to eat afterward, joined by four more loved ones. And we had cake!