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SWITZERLAND — I grew up with a super talented guy who's now a wingsuit pilot. You can see Marshall in action in this exhilarating GoPro video.
Anyhow, I sometimes think of Marshall when I've hiked to a summit and I'm about to begin a long mountain descent. With all the abuse my knees are about to take and having already spent so much energy getting to the top, I'd give anything for a wingsuit that could just whisk me down to my car at the bottom of the trail.
I realize that flying a wingsuit isn't that simple, but that doesn't stop me from daydreaming about it. And, if not something as technical as a wingsuit, couldn't there just be a zip line or something that could safely carry tired hikers to the bottom of their favorite mountains?
The slide in this video actually comes pretty close to what I'm imagining.
I've trekked around the Alps in the past and Switzerland is one of the most invigorating and inspiring places I've ever seen — so, I'm not actually grumbling about the time I spent descending through meadows of wildflowers.
But you have to admit, when you're totally exhausted and facing a multihour hike back to your car, it'd be amazing to have someone just say, "Are you sure you want to walk all that way? If you give me that CLIF Bar, I'll show you where the slide is. You're gonna love it."
