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Y’all we went hang gliding for my birthday this year!! It was AMAZING! I wanted to tell you about my experience and what to expect if you’re interested in doing this amazing adventure! I am so glad I was able to hang glide and mark it off my list of things I want to do!
The closest hang gliding place to us is on Lookout Mountain, Georgia – near Chattanooga, Tennessee. My husband and I decided to do the Discovery Tandem since it was our first time and it was cheapest, lol. I booked the reservation and we planned on making our trip over there. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I just knew I was going to love it!
When we followed GPS it took us to the top of the mountain where we signed waivers and checked in. You can watch hang gliders jumping off the mountain, which was really cool. We were a little late since we went on a Sunday evening after church and it’s a 3 hour drive from us, but I would have LOVED to watch them jump off the mountain!! After we registered, we headed down the mountain into a field below.
We checked in down there and watched a short video on safety and what to expect. I didn’t know it but a hang glider is different than a paraglider. a paraglider is controlled with your hands and a hang glider is controlled with shifting your weight. That is so neat!
After watching the video the attendant fitted everyone for a harness and we waited for our turn.
When it came my turn (I went before my husband) the instructor came and we got set up in the glider. I laid on my stomach in a superman style position and a specially designed plane took us up. The instructor had handles, on him, for me to hold on to while he controlled the glider. I paid for the 1,500ft, but the winds were a little rough so we went up to 2,000ft where we unhooked from the plane. On a side note – I really wish we would have paid for the 3,000ft! While we were up there the instructor let me control the glider and it was awesome!!! He also did tricks like circles, spirals, a little nose dive…
Some people asked me if it was cold while gliding. It was like riding in the car with the windows down. I wore a tank top and yoga pants to be comfortable. I wouldn’t recommend wearing shorts or even jeans. The harness you’re hooked to could possibly cause a raw area. Even though the harness was comfortable to me, I don’t think I would have been comfortable in shorts. Some other things you might want to consider bringing with you is: Sunscreen, water (even though they have a bucket of water down in the field the cups are small and sometimes you’re wait can be over an hour), and sunglasses. You may want to leave your belongings locked in your vehicle. Also, I added the $25 package for pictures. If you’re going to do this awesome experience, why not document it!?!?!?
If you’re considering going Hang Gliding, I highly recommend it. I felt completely safe the entire time! The staff at Lookout Mountain is courteous and very knowledgeable! My instructor even told me he lived in one of the houses on the field!!! If you haven’t already, mark hang glide in the North Georgia mountains on your bucket list and make plans to check it off!!
