Greg Huber and Breana Field of Challenge Discovery, were waiting for us as Mauricio, Isabel, Dwayne and I crossed the University of Richmond soccer field to get to the Odyssey Course. We were joined by Korey and Andrea by the large wooden rack that held all the safety gear. We handed over our waivers and Breana helped us get into our sit harnesses. “You’ll want to make sure these are tight, but not uncomfortable. The fit is correct if you can slide two fingers between you and the strap.”
 
“Safety is our primary concern and team building is our goal.” Greg said as he passed out the helmets and the “lobster claws,” long ropes with complicated knots and clamps that would keep us tethered safely to the static belay lines strung along the course. “You can’t do this course alone. You have to rely on your teammates to complete the course successfully.”
 
Korey looked over at the towering mass of wood, rope and wire and opted out. “I’m going to leave you guys to it. When you go to the furniture warehouse to test out the recliners, I’m there. But, I’m not getting on that thing. I’ll take pictures from the ground, though.”
 
After we received a quick explanation of the course’s elements and an extensive, ground-level run-through of the belay system, we ascended the large rope net to the first platform 25 feet above the soccer pitch.
 
I was first to the top, after Breana, and was beginning to think that Korey had the right idea sticking to the ground.
 
“The problem,” Greg had told us when we were still on the ground, “is that you live your life from the level of your eyes, about four to six feet above the ground. When that familiar perspective is changed, even by as little as five feet, it becomes disorienting.”
 
While the others climbed, I tried to keep myself from freezing up by administering several sharp slaps to my face. It did the trick. 
 
No one else looked especially happy about standing on the narrow platform with four long wires stretched out before us. Those wires were our only path to the next platform. “Don’t grab your lobster claws and don’t grab the guide wire above you.” Advised Breana, who made sure we were all safely transitioned from the net to the belay. “Lean on each other and use each other for balance.”
 
I took the first step onto the wire, which swayed precariously under my weight. I grabbed my lobster claws. “That’s OK,” said Breana, “You can hold onto that until everyone else gets out there.”
 
Dwayne came out next and we faced each other and joined hands. Isabel came out behind me and put her hands on my shoulders and Andrea mirrored her behind Dwayne. Mauricio grabbed onto Andrea’s shoulder and we began to scootch slowly across the gap.
 
“Damn, Tod! Your hands are all sweaty!”
 
I didn’t respond. I just shuffled my feet and tried not to look down.
 
You might not think that a two-foot platform 25 feet in the air would be a welcome respite, but it was. We caught our breath, congratulated ourselves on completing the first stage and looked with trepidation at our next challenge: two logs spread out in an ever-widening “V.”
 
We wove our hands together as a group, leaned in towards each other and began to baby step along the logs. The logs swayed outwards under the pressure and as the gap widened, our willingness to lean towards one another faltered. Andrea’s smile turned into a grimace and her knees began to buckle. “Oh no! Oh no! I’m going over!”
 
“Stand up! Stand up! Everybody stand up!” Shouted Mauricio and we unlocked our hands. Isabel and I were arm in arm on one log and Dwayne, Andrea and Mauricio were huddled together on the other side. There was no way to bridge the gap at this point and we shuffled the remaining seven feet in two groups. Our team building lesson: Have a plan, but don’t be afraid to change at a moment’s notice.

Be adaptable and flexible!
 
Stage three was a series of wooden beams about five or six feet apart and suspended by ropes. We began grabbing the ropes and hoisting ourselves from one to the next. We were taking care to swing the beams back to the person behind us, when suddenly Greg smiled and yelled up from the ground, “You’re supposed to be working together. Try to stay connected!”
 
The five of us regrouped on the same beam in the center. Mauricio and I reached out and grabbed the next beam and pulled it towards us and on the count of three we took the leap and swung out across the bridge. We made it to the next platform as a team.
 
A funny thing happened by the time we reached the fourth obstacle. The heights didn’t seem to be affecting us any more. We’d acclimated and our focus had switched to traversing the gap without knocking each other off the wire. We got to the last platform easily.
 
“This is the halfway point,” Said Breana, commending us on our success. “We can go up to the 40-foot platform now if you’d like.”
 
We’d been on the lower half of the course for over two hours and were mentally and physically exhausted. We politely declined and descended the rope net on the opposite side. It was a great relief to have both feet firmly on the ground. 
 
Greg came over and congratulated us. “You’ll have to come up to our main headquarters in Doswell, and try out our other courses. This one is good for up to 68 people, but our other course can hold over 300 participants.”
 
That afternoon, while my adrenaline high slowly deteriorated into a headache, I talked with Tom Roberts, of the University of Richmond Recreation and Wellness department, over email. “This high-ropes course is part of a much larger, long-term goal for developing a comprehensive outdoor adventure program.” He said. “These programs empower individuals to move beyond self-imposed limitations through creative problem solving exercises, high risk adventure, and team building initiatives.”
 
I couldn’t agree more. 

Challenge Discovery | Richmond, Va. and Doswell, Va.  804.876.9733 ext. 201

Great article guys - thanks for the awesome coverage! Hope to see you in Doswell!