I’ve never been much of a sightseer, preferring to immerse myself in experience instead—as long as it doesn’t involve close encounters with lactating grizzly bears or climbing anything loftier than a bar stool. And I certainly would never have dreamed it was possible to scream and enjoy scenery at the same time.

Now my knees are quivering as tremulously as the alder trees that blanket the 40-ha (100-ac) Adrena Line’s tour area in the Sooke Hills, 40 minutes west of Victoria, BC. Standing Tarzan-like at the edge of a platform the size of my kitchen table, with a tree growing through the middle, I am determined to overcome my aversion to heights and my fear of flying. I tell myself that being roped to a safety harness, hooked to a steel-cord lifeline that has been strung between two trees, then zipping through space faster than a deranged bug can fly over the rainforest canopy, falls—in terms of life-changing experiences—somewhere between a Zen moment and a near-death thrill of a lifetime.

I take a deep breath, and a 30.5-m (100-ft) leap of faith. It is dark, the night air is close, and rain falls like stars onto my skin. I remembered seeing boulder-like clouds moving in on the horizon earlier, but our guide has assured us we have no reason to worry. Zip lining gets a rain check during thunderstorms. When lightning strikes, the last place you want to be is perched on a steel cord as high as an nine-storey building in the trees.

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