On my recent trip to Kauai, I went zip lining. This was my third time zip lining; I remember how excited I was before my first zip line trip, in 2009 on the Big Island of Hawaii. It’s an activity I highly recommend for those who have never tried it, especially in locales as beautiful as Hawaii. It’s an adventurous way to take in tremendous beauty.

My first experience was undoubtedly my favorite. Maybe because it was new, but each zip line was better than the next, culminating in the finale, which required us to run off the edge of a cliff to propel ourselves across the line and fly over a beautiful valley of green foliage. My second time, experienced locally, at Spring Mountain Adventures, was less stellar. While I still had a great time with my friends, it was more of a ropes/zip course, and some of the challenges frightened me. Plus, I must admit, the scenery can’t compare with Hawaii, and it was disappointing. I went flying on longer, better zip lines my first time and, overall, found the experience lackluster.

This last time, in Kauai, I went on my zip line excursion with Outfitters Kauai. It was fun and more reminiscent of my first experience, but we repeated two of the five zips twice, and one was more of a rapel than a zip, which was disappointing. The last one was amazing, more than 1,800 feet long and side-by-side another line so we could race our partners. The adventure concluded at a swimming hole, with zips into the water. The company is building several new zip lines, and I think the experience will be much more exciting with a few new additions.

My first time remains my favorite, but zip lining is an activity I look forward to experiencing again and with others!

— Kimberly Krol, managing editor