Senior Erin Roger ziplines 50 feet above Paul Smith’s College on her last first day of classes. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)

PAUL SMITHS — Students returning to their first day of classes at Paul Smith’s College started the year conquering their fears on a 369-foot zipline running through the heart of campus.

Erin Roger, a senior, flew high over campus 50 feet off the ground for her second time. She said she has been working on getting over a fear of heights by pushing herself to do challenging things.

“I want to do things that I tell myself I can’t do,” Roger said.

Roger said as she grew up a fear of heights also grew on her, and she has recently been making a point of pushing the limits of that fear. She rode the zipline at the end of the spring semester when Experience Outdoors, based outside Lake Placid, initially installed the system.

“Now that I know what it’s like, I’ve done it before, I’m more confident,” Roger said.

She said she had also swung on a rope swing at Rainbow Lake the day before classes started.

Roger walked over to the zipline, partially lured over by wrestling puppies, mostly because she wanted to be able to say “I went ziplining today.”

Nick Praczkajlo, an Experience Outdoors employee who graduated from Paul Smith’s in December, said it is always fun seeing the students’ reactions to sliding over campus. He said he likes helping people get over their fear of heights.

Another employee, Matt “Froggy” Soranno, swung across the line to meet Roger at the other side, and when she climbed up the massive rope ladder into the tree stand, she swung out, letting out a whoop as she slid through the sky.

Roger came back smiling and excited to have conquered her fear once more.

—

See and buy photos on our CU gallery.