1st Outdoor Pursuits

Thursday February 4, 2010

Today was our first day of Outdoor Pursuits and I didn't know what to expect, especially since we were going to do high ropes and I'm slightly afraid of heights. We were up and ready by 9am and jumped in our van with Sally, our Outdoor Pursuits instructor. She's great! Very down to Earth and funny=) We drove to Anglesey to the Conway Centre, where we will be spending the next 11 Thursdays getting ready for our adventures. We were given a tour of the centre and before we knew it we were getting dressed in our gear. We wore wellies, which are rain boots, a lid, in other words a helmet, and a steamer wetsuit, since it was muddy from the last couple days of raining. We began by playing a couple of trust games, getting to know our group, since we would be spending every Thursday with each other until June. We started off by leading each other around blindfolded, taking turns, and the task getting more difficult and more trusting each time. Our final task was to run through sets of arms stretched out in front of ourselves and lifting their arms JUST before we were to hit them...it was terrifying, but we all made it through successfully.

Next we were off to the woods, practicing more teamwork activities, including swinging from one platform to the other within a matter of minutes and getting the entire team over a log suspended in the air, climbing a vertical wall and getting down on the other side, and finally managing to get a barrel through an obstacle course without it or us touching the ground in 15 minutes. It was intense, but we worked well as a team and accomplished all the tasks thrown at us.

We were then ready for the high ropes course. Before jumping right into the high climbing stuff, we started small and did a pre-course with a partner. We were only up about 20 ft or so, but it gave us good practice to prepare for the high ropes to come. When were were all comfortable with the lower ropes, we made our way to the high ropes course. Choosing partners before we began, Elliot and I decided to be partners for the high ropes. I sent him up first, keeping an eye out for his life, checking to make sure he was putting the chords on the right safety chord. It's terrifying to think that your partners life is in your hands. He made it all the way up and to the end of the course, where we flew down on a zip line. Next it was my turn. As I climbed the ladder to the course, I could feel my heart race faster. I never realized I was so afraid of heights than I did when I was almost 80 feet high up in the air! I made it all the way up, with the encouragement of Elliot and my other teammates. All I had to do now was fly down on the zip line, easy enough, but looking down at how high I was, was unbelievably scary! It was the best feeling touching the ground...alive, and looking up to see how high I was in the air! We met some kids along the way who were experiencing a smaller version of our zip line, and they somehow convinced us to put warrior paint on our faces. They were great, cheering us on as we climbed up the high ropes course. I couldn't believe how brave they seemed to be, telling us how much they would love to try the high ropes course we were doing, when they were half our size. I suppose I remember being fearless and wanting to try everything when I was their age. Sometimes I wish I still had that same mind set, but I know if I keep an open mind, Ill do more than I could ever imagine doing.

Because we got done early, we were given the opportunity to climb a Jacobs ladder, which is a set of 9 logs suspended in the air by wires, spread out between each others, with the spaces between the logs getting wider the high up you climb. Elliot, Annie and I decided to give it a go. It was easy at first, each of us able to get up to the next log on our own, but by the 4th log, we had to help one another up. Even after only 4 logs high, I could feel my body shake. We made it up to the 7th log, stepping on each others legs to reach the log above us and Elliot using his strength to pull both Annie and I up, while both of us helped stabilize Elliot to reach the log above him. It was the most intense experience I have ever experienced, and Ive never been so scared in my life. At one point I couldn't tell if I was laughing or crying, but I could definitely feel myself sweating and shaking uncontrollably. By the end of our 15 minutes all three of us had made it to the 9th log, feeling so accomplished! I will never forget the pain and fear I had climbing that high up but the satisfaction I felt the second we got back down to the ground. Annie and I attacked Elliot with a hug, so excited we had accomplished what seemed like an impossible task. I left Conway Centre with a huge smile on my face, but every muscle in my body hurt driving home and later into the night.

We had a relaxing dinner and Annie, Ashley, Molly, and I ended up falling asleep on Megan's bed. It was such an incredible day and I can not WAIT until next weeks outdoor pursuits, when I get to face my fears again=)