WHEN SPRING COMES to Collingwood, Ont., the treetops start buzzing with action, but it's not just the birds and bees.

Thrill-seekers climb ladders and totter along narrow walkways suspended between branches, balancing six storeys above the ground while scanning the squirrel's- eye view. They skirt massive 200-yearold oaks and clip carabiners from one safety line to another, "high-wiring” along a series of swaying bridges. At the end of it all, they hook up to a 91-metre-long zipline and slide down - screaming - to the forest floor.

All of this is thanks to Scenic Caves Nature Adventures, based five minutes west of the Blue Mountains, 1½ hours northwest of Toronto, on the southern tip of Georgian Bay.

Leaving the treetops, the three-hour EcoAdventure Tour heads underground to spelunk through the Niagara Escarpment's network of limestone and dolomite caves. In one spot, willing - and able - tourists contort themselves to squeeze through a 36-centimetre-wide passage known as "Fat Man's Misery.” Guides explain the significance of the stone outcrops used by First Nations peoples to predict the future and how the high-walled formations were used for strategic purposes.

The caves have been a popular attraction since the 1930s, but the site was redeveloped in the mid-1990s with environmental principles in mind - a vital concern because the escarpment is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

"The preservation of the forest, as well as the native history, the geography, the geology and the topography of the area, is all part of the tour,” says Scenic Caves general manager Linda Service. "Everything was done with the greatest of care for the environment and protecting the flora and fauna that live here.”

This spring, Scenic Caves is opening a second zipline - this one about 300 metres long - with a stunning view of Collingwood and the bay.

The outdoor-experience tour runs between May and October. For more information, visit www.sceniccaves.com or call (705) 446-0256.

— Carol Hilton

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