Depending how many are on the canopy walk, you can experience bounce and sway. All three of us did, and we thought we were being careful not to cause that. I thought my husband was directly behind me causing it to bounce, but when I turned around he was far behind me. It still was fun, but expect some bounce.
Gayle Wohlken
Sent from my iPhone
> On Sep 11, 2015, at 1:31 PM, Haans Petruschke <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Hi, and wow,
>
> I'm impressed by the interest in this great addition to Holden. So many
> questions I will try to address in a general post rather than individually.
>
> First as David and Brian point out, I got the date of opening to the
> general public wrong. It is MONDAY September 14.
>
> Hours of operation are 9 am to 5 pm daily weather permitting. The tower
> will close for the season on November 1st. If you have a group who would
> be interested in the tower and walkway contact Holden Visitor services at
> 440-942-4400 to make arrangements and ask questions.
>
> The tower is an open structure. The stairway starts on the outside and
> when you get to the tree tops the stairs move inside the main supports.
> The trees and then the supports always provide a feeling of being inside.
> There are 200 steps and 4 or 5 intermediate platforms where you can stop.
> These are very interesting because they provide a view of different canopy
> levels from the understory to the tree tops. The top of the tower is about
> 30 feet above the treetops so you look down into the trees. The platform
> right below the top offers great views of everything without the open
> feeling of the top. From the platform just below the top to the top
> platform there is a center spiral staircase. Some people don't like those,
> and they will be fine on the immediately lower level. The decking is an
> open grate structure with embedded grit and so offers very very secure
> footing. The decking has a load rating of 100 pounds per square inch and
> so does not move or flex at all underfoot.
>
> At the very top you may notice a slight sway. This is designed in and you
> get used to it very quickly. There is a 4 foot high rail all around that
> has a mesh covering hildren can easily see through. The railing cants
> outward about 10 degrees but it all provides plenty of handhold and feels
> very secure.
>
> For the truly acrophobic, the tower may prove troublesome. My suggestion
> is to go up until you start to feel uncomfortable . I have one friend who
> does not even like the look of the tower. But has no trouble with the
> canopy walk
>
> A few other details about the tower before talking about the walkway. As
> mentioned previously the tower is 120 feet tall or above ground level. The
> top of the tower is 1106 feet mean sea level. On a clear day looking
> roughly north the horizon on lake Erie is about 28.27 miles away. From the
> Northeast to the West Northwest, the distance you can see is largely
> limited by surrounding higher elevations which are often higher than than
> the tower itself. The shore of Lake Erie is 8 miles from the tower at the
> nearest point.
>
> As I may have mentioned, the tower offers an amazing view of unbroken and
> unfragmented forest unlike you what will find in a metropolitan area of
> more than 3 million people outside of Kirtland.
>
> The canopy walkway is much lower than the tower and is wheelchair
> accessable. The walkway consists of 3 suspension bridges which go over a
> branch of Piersons Creek, that cuts a ravine. The height of the walk and
> the depth of the ravine put you into the forest canopy without having to
> climb much at all. Again the rails are about 4 feet high and have a mesh
> that children can see through easily but not get though. From a birding
> perspective the walk way has more potential I think as it puts you right
> into the level of forest dwelling species. The bridges have no noticeable
> bounce and minimal sway.
>
> Overall Holden has done a fantastic job of making both structures
> accommodating and extremely safe. The total project cost was, as I recall,
> over $2 million. So these are first rate structures of the highest
> standard as you would find at National Park.
>
> Kirtland is very accessible from everywhere. Holden is only about 28
> minutes door to door drive time from downtown Cleveland. Two exits on the
> I90 are just a few miles from Holden so you will only spend about 10
> minutes getting there once you are off the interstate.
>
> I hope that covers all of the questions.
>
> Haans
>
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