Ride the Sky

Image Courtesy of zipline.com

An Introduction to Zip Line Adventure

Your heart pumps rapidly. The butterflies in your stomach are dancing.

You believe it from deepest heart that you are adventurous, but you are afraid of Bungee Jumping and Skydiving. You think you can handle heights, yet it makes you uncomfortable riding roller coasters or turbo drops. Then you are like me: craving for something mildly extreme while having lots of concerns over aerial adventures. Uh! What are you going to do? Admit you are never mentally prepared and stop thrill seeking? Don’t rush writing “adventurous” off your dictionary. There is another less extreme way to ride the sky, zip lining!

If this is the first time you ever heard of zip lining, or saw the activity, you probably will immediately associate it with extreme sports and get scared. The truth is, comparing with other forms of sky high adventures, a zip line tour is the most laid-back. It is not scary and very family-friendly. Jump in the face of fear and you will enjoy the adventure with breathtaking view and stress-relief benefits!

A Little Background Story…

Zip lining originates as a real transportation and delivery method in remote mountain areas (Low-Tech Magazine). It connects the top of the mountain to the bottom through an inclined cable and the gravity will do all the work helping people travel from one side to another. Nowadays, zip lining becomes a popular vacation activity.

Image Courtesy of lowtechmagazine.com

Imagine yourself wearing a set of stylish harness and helmet, attached to a cable and soaring over the sky. If you look down, you will see the most spectacular scenery of the world. You can find zip line tours in the jungle of Costa Rica, at the Great Wall of China, over the forest in Alaska, and even on a Cruise Ship (Davies)!

Zip lining is definitely on the less scary side of extreme sports. It contains only small drops, and goes fairly slow. You can hardly feel “sick” or “losing your stomach” as you probably will during a roller coaster ride. You can even control your speed with a brake if you want. You don’t have to jump from somewhere high and drop like Bungee Jumping or Skydiving. Zip lining is more similar to riding a swing. Try to associate zip lining with the wonderful memory you had on a swing as a child. It will make you feel safer riding a zip line.

This is Happening...

A typical zip line tour starts with arriving on time. You will sign a waiver and meet your group. Since it is usually a group activity and is family-friendly, I highly encourage you to bring your family and friends to share the unforgettable experience! You will never forget how your little sister overcome the fear and end up loving it, and how your dad let out a high pitched scream you never heard before. The experience creates wonderful memories among the family and can help build stronger relationships.

Image Courtesy of govisitcostarica.com

The instructors will get you geared up, and give you a brief lecture of dos and don’ts. Then they will load you into a vehicle and drive up the mountain. The beautiful scenery on top of the mountain will offer you a sweet taste of the adventure. If you are a nervous first timer, you probably intend to go last in the line-up, observing other zip line enthusiasts first. Those experienced ones often ask to ride faster and let one hand off, which makes you even more nervous, thinking you can never do that. When it’s your turn, the instructors will make sure you feel relaxed and safe. They will strap you, hook you and secure you. Your mind may go blank and already have forgotten the landing position you just practiced. But don’t worry, there will always be staffs on the other end to secure your landing.

Are you ready? The instructors ask for the first time. Before you realize you said something similar to OK, you are off the hook! You may start screaming, holding yourself tight and closing your eyes. But the sound of the cable and the wind in your hair will remind you that you are sailing above the sky.

Bang! Finally, you hit the end. YES! You are on the ground, and alive! There is possibly a short hike between two zip line segments. The staff will narrate your walk with stories about history and culture. This is when you start looking around and realizing what you have missed when you closed your eyes: a bird's eye view of beauty. You are flying from one mountain to another, but you did not even witness the journey yourself! The amazing experience is not complete unless you open your eyes and embrace the sky.

Venture to the next ride…

Standing on the platform to the second flight, you decide you are confident enough to open your eyes. The instructors repeat the usual drill: strap, hook and secure. Are you ready? They ask. Duh! You are so ready! 3, 2, 1 and JUMP!

Image Courtesy of healthytravelblog.com

The wind whips at your face again. As you pick up the speed, you find the trees moving away fast and eventually nothing blocks your view. The zip line directly suspends you above a gorge. Normally you would be shouting like a baby, but you are blown away by the breathtaking scenery and forget to get scared. In fact, it is impossible for you to think about other problems when you immerse yourself fully into the exciting zip lining experience. It is a great way to relieve stress. It is a great way to relieve stress. Zip lining gives travelers a dump of feel-good hormone into the bloodstream that creates a euphoric feeling last for hours (Jenet). Breathing the fresh air up high, you build a connection with the nature, and find peace in your mind, you body, and your soul (Health Fitness Revolution).

Onto the next, you learn to loose one hand and pose like a pro when you are reaching the end of the zip line, allowing your friends waiting at the end capture a nice shot of you. Before you even notice, you are on the last segment of the tour. You feel a strong sense of achievement completing the tour, and you will forever cherish the empowering moment. The experience will help you conquer fears and hunger for more challenges in the future. More importantly, “adventurous” will always be one of the words to proudly describe yourself!

Next time when you are planning on a vacation, come fly with a zip line and ride the sky!

Work Cited

“Aerial ropeways: automatic cargo transport for a bargain" lowtechmagazine.com. 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 09 Feb. 2016. <http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/01/aerial-ropeways-automatic-cargo-transport.html>

Davies, Alexander. "10 Amazing Zipline Tours All Around the World" Discovery.com. 20 Sep. 2011. Web. 09 Feb. 2016. <http://news.discovery.com/adventure/outdoor-activities/10-amazing-zipline-tours-all-around-the-world.htm>

Health Fitness Revolution. "Top 10 Heath Benefits of Zip Lining" healthfitnessrevolution.com. 4 Jun. 2015. Web. 09 Feb. 2016. <http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-health-benefits-zip-lining/>

Nicole, Jenet. “How Can You Be Sure Your Zip Lining Adventure Is Safe?” Healthytravelblog.com. 10 November, 2015. Web. 09 Feb. 2016.  <http://www.healthytravelblog.com/2015/11/10/how-can-you-be-sure-your-zip-lining-adventure-is-safe/>