What You’ll Actually Learn While Zip Lining in Hocking Hills
The experience, high amongst the trees, offers a new perspective.
It’s not every day someone tells you to eat a tree.
Ok – so it’s not a whole tree. More like a little twig from a tree. A birch tree, to be exact.
You think I’m kidding? Next time you find yourself in front of a birch tree, grab a twig and chew on it a bit.
It’ll taste like mint. And not the fake kind from peppermint patties, either.
Its what companies used to use to get that minty fresh taste in gum before corporate chemicals got in the way.
While high in the trees, zipping from one to the other, this is the type of stuff you might learn from tour guides (Shout out to Joseph and Emma) while at Hocking Hills Canopy Tours.
Of course, the gorgeous views are certainly a plus. The unique vantage point offers a new look at Hocking, known as the second most biodiverse region. A well-kept secret.
While you might think zip lining was just another activity invented by places in touristy areas looking to capitalize on the experience. Think again. It was actually a system developed by specialists studying biodiversity in the Caribbean . They came up with the idea trying to get their equipment from one spot to another so they could better do their jobs. It wasn’t till later they realized they could share the fun with others and highlight some of the reasons why they love their work.
So, next time you’re in that harness, think like a scientist.
Stand amongst the branches of a Sycamore more than 200 years old. Maybe see a friendly chipmunk chirp or a fawn hunkered down by the water. Catch a glimpse of canoers or kayakers floating along the Hocking River. Or, in my case, earn the nick name “Caterpillar lady” after one finds its way down your sweatshirt.
Zip lining in the hills is more than just an adventure to get that adrenaline pumping, or even get that ab and bicep workout in, it’s an opportunity to learn what really makes the region so special, and make some new friends from across the country along the way.
It’s a chance to be amongst the trees, take a breath and listen to the leaves sway, the birds chirp and the trees creak. To realize, as you zip from tree to tree, that this is the place where history meets with the present. Where civilization meets nature. That Hocking Hills is as diverse, special and unique as the Caribbean.
Just don’t fall for it when they tell you to lick the tree (though, in my defense, it didn’t taste all that bad).
Adventure. Beauty. Nature. Discovery.
#FoundHere
CHECK IT OUT FOR YOUSELF:
Where I went: Hocking Hills Canopy Tours
http://www.hockinghillscanopytours.com/
Hocking Hills Canopy Tours
Address: 10714 Jackson St., Rockbridge, OH 43149
Phone: 740-385-9477
Average Cost: Depending on tours and activities, costs range from $89 - $30.
Time: 2 – 3 hours
Other information: Limitations do exist based on height, weight and age. The company will only schedule tours for groups of two or more. Make sure to show up early and wear closed-toe shoes. Tours include brief water breaks and a snack at the end.
Other adventures offered: Super Zip tours, Segway tours, X Zip Line Tours and Dragonfly tours (for kids), Moonshine Tours, Zip and Climb, and Rockbridge Tours (among others)
*Note, Hocking Hills does feature other quality zip lining companies and opportunities within the region. Visit explorehockinghills.com for more information .
R Adventure Park
Address: 15155 Sauerkraut Rd., Logan, OH 43138
Phone: 740-380-1775
Phone 2: 866-985-1202
Soaring Cliffs
Address: 24719 miller road, Rockbridge, OH 43149
Phone: 855-442-2246
Phone 2: 740-385-6263
Valley Zipline Tours
Address: 3465 Duffy Rd. SE, Lancaster, 43130
Phone: 740-654-3392
