Last weekend, while driving down Route 12 in Charlestown, New Hampshire, we noticed what looked like large kites with people hanging from them flying through the air. We quickly turned off the main road and into the Morningside Flight Park to check it out. The Park is set into the bottom and side of a steep hill with a platform for take off at the top of the hill. A driveway winds up the side of the hill to drop off the thrill seekers.
The Flight Park has something for everyone, from kayak tours to hang gliding to paragliding to a zip line through the tree tops of the forest. One thing that we learned is the difference between hang gliding and paragliding: hang gliding involves an airplane that takes you up in the sky and releases you. Paragliding is when you take off from the top of the hill under your own power and glide to the bottom of the hill.
The zip line involves being in a secure harness anchored to a secure cable that you slide along in the tree tops. It all looked like tons of fun and many thrills. The great thing about Morningside is that they offer instruction on all these New Hampshire activities. Morningside Flight Park is about 40 minutes drive from the Chesterfield Inn and is a perfect way to spend a sunny June afternoon!