4 Emotional Stages of Walking Ghana’s Canopy Walkway
One of the most things I anticipated the most about my trip to Ghana was my chance to cross through a canopy walkway. This past week, our group took a trip to Kakum National Park located near Cape Coast and explored the magnificence of the Ghanaian rainforest. The canopy walkway was my for the taking; however, a rush of emotions hit me the moment I took my first step on the walkway. This blog details the primary four emotions I felt leading up to my first canopy walkway in Ghana.
Overly Confident
The canopy walkway is dubbed as one of the “must dos” in Ghana—don’t get me wrong it is a really beautiful sight niched away inside the Kakum rainforest. Before I even stepped foot into the park, I felt pumped and energized to take on the rainforest and tread my way through the walkway.
Anticipation
When I got to the park, I was instructed to climb up a hill that led to the walkways. Everything was covered with green and was breathing life. My heart raced after every step I took the hill elevated. Within 20 minutes of walking, the canopy walkways that were suspended 128 feet in the air were in sight.
OMG. REALLY?
The rainforest guides allowed five people to walk on the canopy walkways at a time. My heart palpitated with fear and anxiety as I took my first step in the walkway. The canopy wobbled left and right as I slowly walked toward a landing. Walking through the seven series of canopies was such a frightening thing to do. You are basically suspended over 100 feet in the air and standing on a wooden plank. I literally thought I was going to fall off!
I did it.
Most people got the hang of walking through the walkways after crossing a couple; however, the entire walkway series was as frightening as the first for me. I feared every step I took, but I made it through. On my last walkway, I sped up toward the last landing to get on stable land. My classmates were cheering me on as I made my way to the end—a ray of emotions flooded me at that moment. I had realized that I had done something so out of my comfort zone and succeeded. I took a risk, did a dare, and lived in the moment.