I tried San Francisco’s new ropes course in McLaren Park. And I have a fear of heights. Tessa McLean The rope bridge suspended 25 feet in the air is shaking violently beneath my feet. Is it that unstable, I wonder, or is it my trembling that’s causing the bridge to sway back and forth so quickly? That’s when I remember I’m supposed to be breathing, the hint I’ve been given by Rosy Woodruff, the program manager of this terrifying experience I volunteered to try. Rather than take a pause and look down (I will never look down), I gaze to my right and indulge in a few more deep breaths as I take in the sweeping downtown view of San Francisco. Perched shakily beneath towering Monterey Pine trees on the new ropes course in John McLaren Park, I briefly consider that this is probably one of the most underrated viewpoints in the city. That is, until I immediately return to fearing for my life.