WALLACE - If you've ever wanted to hurtle headlong through the forest canopy at 60 miles an hour, you may get your chance.

David DeRoos, owner of Pedro Changs in Wallace, has big plans for the hills above town. He recently invited Reed Burland of Geronimo Construction, which specializes in tree-based canopy tours, to his property north of Wallace to conduct a feasibility study for a zip line tour.

After tramping across the hillside for two days, Burland returned with good news.

"We've decided to move forward with it," DeRoos said Monday. "The next step will be designing the course."

The rough plan consists of seven zip lines, set on poles and ending at ground level platforms. The shortest run will be around 500 feet, but the longest is projected to be around 2,000 feet. Riders will reach top speeds of about 60 mph as they sail across a ravine. They will also have the option of taking the journey head-first.

"It'll get your attention," DeRoos said with a grin as he presented the plan to representatives from the county, state and Historic Wallace Chamber of Commerce over lunch. "I really wanted it to be a feature where (the riders) could end up in town, but with the freeway and power lines we weren't able to do that."

Each tour group of around eight people will be accompanied by trained guides.

"The guides really make or break the course," Burland said. "They really help shape the experience."

The guides will also be responsible for safely stopping riders, removing the risk of accidents if someone loses their wits in the zip line adrenaline rush. There will also be automatic brakes.

"There's a 70-200 pound weight window on the cable so the guides can safely stop them," Burland said. "It has nothing to do with the strength of the cable. You could hang a car from one of these cables without exceeding the working limit of the cable."

The project doesn't have a name yet, but DeRoos is considering Silver Streak.

"This is obviously in the infancy state," he said. "But we're really excited."