Lifestyle - Lifestyle Feature

POSTED: Monday, Jul. 14, 2008

Challenge courses test participants' fears

Courses at Lutherwood Camp force participants out of comfort zone

Tuesday was taco day and the sun was shining. It was a great day at Lutherwood Camp and Retreat Center, perched on the edge of Lake Samish.

On the grassy expanse in front of the cantina, a group of 12 teens from the camp’s waterski and wakeboard camp have gathered. Filled up on tacos, they chatter about the afternoon’s big event: the challenge course.

In a few minutes they’ll be high up in the trees, a world away from the comforts of the waters they’ve been in all week. Some are excited, some are scared, but they all have to give it a shot.

“It’s that individual challenge of stretching themselves out of their usual comfort base,” says Brandon Scheer, program director and challenge course manager at the camp, who goes by the nickname Goat. “For some people it might be putting on the gear and touching the ladder. There’s a challenge for everyone while they’re up there.”

IN THE RING

After a brisk hike through the woods, accompanied by four camp employees who go by the nicknames Goat, Scuba, Spork and Buckle, the kids make it to a clearing surrounded by a ring of trees. Though nothing on the ground suggests a challenge, all they have to do is look up.

These trees aren’t just trees. About 20 feet in the air, the circle of trees is connected by an intricate system of ropes, bridges and logs, with a platform around each trunk to stand on. In all, there are 12 activities up there, from tightrope walking to the leap of faith to the vines.

Madi Simonton’s stomach turns as she looks up.

The 13-year-old Bellingham resident has seen these trees before. Last summer, she tried the high course for the first time.

“Last year, I climbed up the ladder, got to the top and came down,” she recalls. She spent most of the time sitting on the itchy bark in her helmet while the other campers howled through the trees like spider monkeys. Before Simonton has to hit the trees, the kids and counselors gather in a circle, where Spork gives a pep talk. The group has to follow a few simple rules: do your 100 percent, no more, no less; no putdowns, to others or to yourself; and stop, when you feel unsafe or if a counselor tells you to.

Then there’s the equipment rundown. Everyone has to wear a helmet, in the trees or on the ground, and everyone puts on a harness that is tethered to the lines high above with carabiners. There are no nets between the high lines and the hard ground, so the group is trained on how to safely switch from one line to the other when going from tree to tree. One of their two carabiners has to be attached to a line at all times. After a little low-to-the-ground practice, helmets and harnesses are on snug and the kids are ready to go.

They break up into two groups to enter the trees from two different areas; one is a high climb up a ladder and pole, and the other is a lower climb to an ascending log and rope bridge. This year, Simonton is in the high pole group, and she has dibs on going last.

CHALLENGE TIMES THREE

The camp has three high challenge courses. In addition to the Hub and Spoke course the campers try on Tuesday, there’s also a three-sided climbing wall, the back side of which is called the Vertical Playpen. Instead of the usual grab spots, the playpen is laced with tires and other obstacles for the climbers to get past with help from one another.

The last, and usually most intense, of the challenges is the Pamper Pole. It’s a 20-foot telephone pole that the campers must climb. But the real trick is standing on the small circular surface at the top and then jumping to reach a trapeze.

“Everyone is roped in and harnessed up for that, but that one gets me every time,” Scheer says. “It’s great. I haven’t seen anyone who doesn’t get a little nervous when they’re standing up on that pole and it’s shaking a little bit.”

The camp set up the challenge courses in 1999, and since then they’ve been used by youth groups, corporations, campers and even bachelorette parties. Scheer has worked at the camp for the past six summers, and has been a full-time employee for more than three years.

“For me, it gets more and more exciting as it goes on,” Scheer says. “Running the challenge course is probably the favorite part of my job. It’s the opportunity to watch people come out of their shell (and see) how different they are in attitude about themselves and about others after they challenged themselves.”

INCHING PAST HER FEAR

After taking a bit of a breather, Simonton hooks up to a belay rope for safety and takes her first step onto the ladder. Her skinny legs are a little wobbly as she leaves the ground.

It’s a slow but steady climb as she leaves the ladder to climb up the staples to rest of the way to the platform. She’s already gone higher than she did last year.

On the platform, she either has to jump the three-foot leap of faith or cross a long log to get to the next tree. Neither sounds appealing. She clings to the pole.

By now, most everyone else is hopping about like squirrels, but Scheer stays at the platform with Simonton, gently coaxing her away from the pole and closer to the edge for the leap of faith. Her friend from Montana, Marley Keating, stands on the other side of the leap, encouraging her to make the jump.

“I’ll give you a big hug,” Keating yells.

“You give me a big hug every day,” Simonton responds with a laugh.

“But this one’ll be special because we’re up high,” Keating replies.

Her feet make an imperceptible move to the edge.

“I think Madi will probably get the most out of this,” says Andy “Scuba” Musson, the outdoor adventure program director and a medic at the camp. “It’s the ones who have a really hard time with it who get the most out of it.” After so much anticipation, she makes her way back to the pole. But she isn’t defeated. Instead of the leap of faith, she’s going to try to cross the log. Scheer steps down first and takes her hand as she makes her first trip away from the platform. She stoically inches across the log, tightly holding his hand.

“You become a little bit vulnerable in your nervousness,” Scheer says. “You have the opportunity to trust one another and say, ‘It’s OK that I’m nervous in front of you.’ ”

As she reaches the other side, the trees break out in applause and shouts.

This is the essence of the challenge. It’s fear, support, confidence and nerves all rolled into one.

As the kids start coming back to the ground, Simonton crosses the log with help from Scheer and a little more confidence. When she gets to the ground, she finally gets her hug from Keating, as well as high fives and congrats from the other campers.

She calls the vertiginous experience creepy and says she still feels a little scared, even with her feet on the ground. But will she try to go a bit further next year?

“Probably,” she says.

For Scheer, helping someone overcome their fear, even if it’s just for a moment, is the best part of his job.

“It’s really satisfying to get them to do something more than they thought they could,” he says. “It’s really satisfying when you can sense their true fear and they take that step out.”