09.23.07

The Swing

Posted by Bowman at 9:35 pm in stunts

It is a little-known (though not-so-well-kept) secret that in Plano, if you know how to find it, there’s a set of railroad tracks atop a bridge with a creek beneath it and a very large tether hanging from below the bridge. No one’s exactly sure how the tether got there or how it stays so securely fastened. All you can assume is that, judging from the boards planted in the nearby trees for climbing, the rope tied to the steep incline nearby for access, and general grafitti in the area, someone had a hunch that this was an important place. One can also judge by the lack of fences blocking off the area that no one has died trying this yet. One can also assume from the amount of wear and tear from people’s feet on the ground, that absolutely everyone has put their foot in the noose, grabbed hold tight, and swung.

 Everyone except you, of course, who might want to see Ben Buono here demonstrate how to properly swing it.

The first step is to climb the big tree and grab ahold the tether, a bundle of thick ropes with multiple hoops and nooses all over it, attached to a much stronger metal cord that secures it to the bridge. This stunt in itself isn’t very difficult, if you know where to put your feet and you don’t let the vertigo take ahold of you. Once you have it, you can pick just about anywhere to grab on and swing from, although, for maximum amplitude, the highest point in the tree is reccomended.

 

 It’s kinda high up, and I sure as hell don’t wanna swing from it. But hey, this ain’t about me. It’s about you, man. And how badass Ben can prove himself. In which case we must get to the next freaky little detail, in order to properly swing from this thing, you basically need to keep grabbing onto the branch with your left arm and put your foot into a noose.

And it will look roughly like this, with many feet below you and the little root covered in soot and grafitti below looking an awful lot like a snake. But you had better get your foot into one of the two nooses on the end of the rope.

Once you’ve done that, you best grab ahold with your right hand to the black part of the rope. The lowest strain of the rope is a black one that holds the two nooses, securely knotted to a green and white rope just above it that connects to another bundle climbing up on towards the wire part.

Once you have a hold of it, you will have a really intimidating and dissatisfying tug pulling you out of the tree, and your left arm will be all that’s keeping you from the plunge. Eventually, all you can do is just let go of the branch, and quickly catch the tether, but by that point, you will already be in flight… like this!

Once you get bored of it, all you do is kick your foot outta the noose when you’re over dry land, plant your feet, and hopefully catch onto something so you can keep from being drug back into the water by the weight of the rope. It’s a wholesomely fun experience, even if you’re too chicken to jump from the tree and would rather just jump out from the shore. But why ask some guy on the internet how to do it, when there are always people in Plano that can pull the ropes for ya?

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