Ziplines, Via Ferrata thru the Canyon

Soar with the birds from treetop to treetop. Glide through a canyon over breathtaking waterfalls or climb a sheer rock face. I was first introduced to ziplining and rock climbing, via ferrata by Francois Guy Thivierge, up in Canyon Sainte-Anne, in Quebec, Canada.

Welcome to Parc des Chutes Coulonge Aerial Park, one of Quebec's awesome adventure parcs. Strap on a harness and lock your carabiners onto a steel cable, then hang on as you zip from tree to tree more than 30' off the ground. Take a slow breath as you get a bird's eye view of the parc and river. Enjoy eight ziplines and a 10 meter Himalayan foot bridge before embarking on the giant 805 feet long giant zip across the canyon. Look down at the Coulonge River and rapids, where logs used to float. This site is a tribute to the great log drives and a 3,000 feet wooden log slide. Explore the Coulonge Falls on pedestrian trails and footbridges with lookouts along the interpretation trail. Or, after gliding along the Canyon Zip, work your way back along prehistoric rock face, via ferrata, which is Latin for "iron roads". The Via Ferrata run 500 meters (1,640 ft) up the gorge towards a natural waterfall. Cross on a 46 m cable tightrope over the chasm, then exit through the steepest and sheerest section of the rock wall in a slanted forest. (www.chutescoulonge.ca)

Need another adrenaline rush? Visit Cap Jaseux in the woods along the Saguenay Fjord. (www.capjaseux.com) This is an adult, jungle gym, extreme, multi-sport destination. They offer rustic and developed camping, sea kayaking, sailing, via ferrata course, mountain biking, and you can spend the night in a tree house, 30+ feet above ground!

You may have done ropes courses, but not like these. They have an extreme course with 33 mentally and physically challenging puzzles and eight zip lines, so difficult, that no one has finished without grabbing for a safety rope. There are rope swings, suspension bridges that roll under your feet, trapeze bars and tight ropes. If that's not enough, at one puzzle you unclip from your safety-line belay and trust the net, just like Cirque du Soleil. 

Looking for more adrenaline rushes? Follow this blog for more; white water rafting and bungee jumping!

Adventures of Ziplining

Have you tried ziplining yet? Zipping along on a steel rope through the canopied trees? Even if you think you're afraid of heights, I recommend this awesome adventure! My first time ziplining and rock climbing, was at Canyon St. Anne in Quebec with an excellent guide,  Francois-Guy Thivierge. He offers more than 20 years experience in rock climbing, hiking, mountain and ice climbing. National Geographic has made a documentary with Francois-Guy and he has designed several courses. (www.canyonste-anne.qc.ca)
Since that first time with Francois-Guy, I have been back to Quebec again and ziplined across the St. Lawrence (seven times!) and recently, have gone on a wonderful excursion right here in the United States.
Just outside Atlanta is a family fun adventure park called Banning Mills. (www.HistoricBanningMills.com).
There I tackled their challenging course with many suspension bridges and ziplines that lead up to the Screaming Eagle, a half-mile zipline where you can go up to 70 miles per hour! Climb to the top of the tower and you feel like you're stepping outside of a 30-story building. (I usually tell people that are squeemish, don't look down). You just have trust and faith in your guide and your equipment, take a little step off and soar over the trees like the birds. It's amazingly beautiful and you'll want to do it again and again!
Walk across the longest bridge I think there is; Sky Trek, 600 feet long and 170 feet above rolling rapids, then zipline back across, the river too, on the Predator! You can almost hear your heart pounding now as you steadily walk across boards, that are about 12-18" apart, 3' across, but don't worry, you're clipped to the steel rope just over your head.
Our guides were awesome, Tim and Morgan ( I hope I recalled them right). These guides are very safe, knowledgeable and experienced. The owner of Banning Mills, Mike and Donna, are both trained professionally in medical care, not that you would need any there. Mike is a former Special Ops and Medic and his beautiful wife Donna is also a Registered Nurse, just in case you get a splinter. So safety is always a priority with them. What started as a 10 room Bed and Breakfast has morphed into a beautiful resort offering weddings, corporate retreats, family reunions and adventure! (just to name a few).
Banning Mills offers several courses on their canopied zipline tours and you could spend all day swinging through the trees (literally).