Humans have sought the rush of adrenaline since caveman days. We can easily imagine our ancestors feeling pleasure from the thrill of the hunt. Modern ziplining takes our craze for danger to the perfect balance of safety and excitement, but that isn’t the origin of our favorite heart-pumping pastime.
In reality, the history of ziplining begins with a much more pragmatic need for transportation. The mountainous terrain of China is incredibly rocky and difficult to traverse. The Chinese, thousands of years ago, solved that problem by fashioning ropes from their homes at the top, to trees at the bottom. This allowed them to move goods and people by hurtling them down the mountain. Ziplines also came in handy over ravines and fast moving rivers, saving the Chinese dangerous crossings.
Ziplining aficionados have scientists to thank for our high flying fun. Wildlife biologists set up ziplines in the canopies of trees, as a way of studying the upper foliage while not affecting the natural ecosystem. Pretty quickly, those studying our natural world must have realized how surreal it is to fly hundreds of feet above the ground, seeing parts of the forests previously only seen from the ground.
Nowadays, with vast improvements in technology, ziplines now have the capability to stretch over miles and travel at tremendous speeds. Gone are the rickety pulleys and heart-wrenching groans of tightening ropes from the early history of ziplining. They have been replaced by steel cables and hooks that will likely outlast the trees they are tied to. The advances in equipment also allow for more speed, which means more fun! In their early days of recreational use, ziplines were built for children to slide a few feet off the ground. Our ziplines will have you hundreds of feet off the ground, flying at over 20 MPH!
When you’re in Hawaii, be sure to check out this thrilling activity. There are multiple locations throughout the islands to indulge your human need to fly through the air at adrenaline-pumping speeds, all in one of the most beautiful places in the world!
