After
a night's rest to soothe sore paddling muscles, we awoke on day five to
tackle adventure games, a series of challenges that were designed to
teach
us how to work together as a team. These events were directed by
the men and women of Adventure Out. Our
activities began close to the campsite with some activities designed to
help us to get to know one another better. In the photo to the left,
the
group tries to unravel the human knot they created by linking
hands--it's
harder than it looks. To the right, some of the girls look a bit
apprehensive about what is going on
Next,
we traveled up the hill to enjoy some more activities. The next
challenge
involved groups of students placing their feet on a pair of planks (one
for
each foot) to which guide ropes were attached. The challenge? To walk
in
unison, moving their feet together while holding onto the ropes to keep
the planks firmly attached to their legs
while lifting.
If that wasn't challenge enough, the teams had to negotiate a course,
competing
against each other to collect pieces of a puzzle that then had to
be
solved.
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I also enjoyed the game where we break up
into four groups and our teammates all got on the same stilts, and we had to walk around on them coordinating with each other. .
. .I am proud to say that I was the only one in the group not to fall
off!
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The
third activity of the day involved problem solving. A two meter high
tube was erected, filled with more holes that a piece of Swiss cheese.
The objective? Find a way to plug the holes, or at least slow the
leakage
to the point where you could keep sufficient water in the tube to float
an object to the top. As the photo to the left demonstrates, both teams
threw themselves enthusiastically into the task. Unfortunately, there
seems
to be more water on the group than in the tube. In the photo to the
right,
Mr. Balabuck supervises a notably drier effort to achieve the same goal.
In
the afternoon we assembled at the pond for a little friendly
competition
with OTHER outdoor adventures group. The challenge this time was bit
stiffer,
as the essential aim was to avoid drowning. The
four groups were given rope, drums, two-by-fours, and were to assemble
a vessel capable of a very vital mission; successfully navigating the
width
of the pond, pick up one of the sponsors and return them (presumably
dry
and in one piece) to the opposite shore. The photo to the right shows
one of the teams launching their boat; as the photo to the left
attests,
it was a Titanic like experience on
the initial run. Undaunted, they regrouped
and won a hotly contested (and still much disputed) race over our other
team, whose seaworthy craft is pictured to the left. In the photo below the sailors rested from their exertion and spun yarns.
Adventure Games at Big Valley
