Sunday 30 March 2014

High Ropes

Camp High Ropes
By Zac
I’m first, placing the bright blue climbing helmet on my head, harness checked off, I'm ready to go. Confidently I walk up to the pole towering above me. Slowly, but steadily I start the long climb up. Step by step up the endless amount of hand holds. Finally, I reach the top. Legs trembling, heart pounding I step onto the wire. Shakily I take my first step. Gazing down on all those ant like people below. Then across to the beautiful mountains almost seeming as if they were next to me. Confidence growing with each and every step, I get to the end. "Walk backwards to the middle of the wire then lean backwards and I will belay you down". Screams the instructor. Nervousness coming back to me with a sudden jolt. Going back to my original, slow pace, I begin walking back to the middle of the wire. Stopping in the middle of the wire, I do as the instructor said and I nervously lean back. Feeling as if I where a bird flying through the air and coming to the ground feet landing softly on the ground. I am done.
~Zac



The High Ropes
By Tavish

A long moo from a cow, in a neighboring field, set me off balance as I inched along the wire, towering above the golden sandy ground. A dull thud emerged as I tapped the pole at the other end. I clenched my teeth as Craig hollered up to me; "Hold the guide rope and lean backwards."
I closed my eyes and non purposefully focused on the thought; "There was nothing beneath me. Nothing."
Tavish

High Ropes Haiku

Height Produces Fear.
Up To Fifteen Metres High
Intimidating.
Tavish
Highropes
By Marina
Here I am standing on the endless beam, ready to take my first step. I could feel myself shaking like I was in an earthquake, but I wasn’t. All I could see was the tiny dots and pinpoints of people scattered around on the ground below me. Fear spread itself through my body. I let go of the pole and started walking in tiny steps, I didn’t look down.The rain had stopped moments before making the beam slippery, I wanted to stop and go back but my feet kept moving me forward.”Does this ever end?” I thought but no I had only just started I was probably 5 metres away from the start and about 10 thousand metres away from the end. I looked across to the hill in front of me, the sheep were calmly eating the grass and paying no attention to anything that was going on around them.The clouds were like balls of cotton covering the blue sky. Suddenly I felt something wooden, like a pole.... It was a pole! I took a few steps away and leaned out backwards, then I was floating in the air. I softly landed on the sandy ground, before I knew it I was running happily to the next challenge. All the fear and scariness had gone away, I smiled.
Marina


The Trapeze

By Mirella
I looked down on the descending pole as I climbed it, with adrenaline surging through my veins. I was thrilled to the core. Looking out at the stretch of land beneath me and embracing the silence, I let out a sigh of relieve. This is my way of letting go of everything. I stood on the top of an unsturdy pole ready to pounce and claw for the cold metal bar. I soared through the air like a bird, my arms stretched out wide, then all this ended with a big jolt, and then me being lowered down towards the ground.                                                   

                                                                                                                                              ~Mirella


The High Ropes dun dun dun..
By Oskar


My stomach flops when I hear  my name. It’s my turn to survive the high ropes .
I feel like I’m stepping into the arena in the Hunger Games. I don’t know what to expect and I don’t know what the outcome will be.
Mr Eames says I’ll be fine up in the ropes.
I believed what he said and I start climbing up the huge poles that look like they don’t stop growing into the sky.

I’m half way up the pole when the pole starts shaking, the wind is like thousands mini earthquakes banging against me.
Suddenly I freeze, my mind says I can’t go up any further, tears start to trickle down my face .
But I know that I won’t be able to go down again so I keep going up.
Finally I reach the top, my hearts pounding like a drum.  I reach for the first ropes and I cling onto it for dear life.  I swing my legs onto the lower rope and I start trembling with fear . I suck it up and slowly start inching to the other side ‘’will the rope ever end?’’ I wonder. I’m so close to the end I can nearly reach the pole .


I reach and push out the final step ah! I’m finally at the end of the rope I LEAN BACK AND START FALLING backwards down to the ground. It was like I was floating in a pool of water as I am gracefully lowered. I touch the ground . I feel really energised, I have a sudden urge to do it again. And before I know it I’m queuing for the balancing beam. .
                                                                                                                                Oskar


Highropes 
By Charlotte

Having a second look back down behind my shoulder I was regretting starting this high rope journey but I kept climbing.
Each peg felt like 100 meters above clouds. My head filled with fear but my legs kept on going.

I guessed on the positive side of things the view was amazing. Empty meadows with a few sheep wandering around carelessly.
Looking up I was so close but looking down... now that was a different story.

I could just touch the strong wire that was sizzling in between my fingertips. I nervously tugged myself up onto the shaking ropes. I timidly shuffled across when I realized that I was more than fifteen meters high my everything started to shake but then I kind of liked it being up there, peaceful up in the clouds looking down to see all my friends cheering “go Charlotte”

YAY it felt AWESOME!!!!


~Charlotte




By Angus
When we got to the high ropes, the first thing that we did was put on the harnesses. I was a bit frightened of how high it was but I got over that because I remembered that it didn’t matter if I fell, I was always attached to the the rope . I had to wait a long time for my turn and when it finally came, I went to the first obstacle. While waiting, I was standing on a low retaining wall and I slipped and cut my knee on a post in the ground.  It started to bleed and hurt. However, this didn’t stop me.....
~ Angus



By Jackson
I looked down, at the daunting prospect of falling. The rope I was scaling seemed to stretch off into infinity. Uh… My brain didn’t agree with me while doing this, neither did my stomach. My hands felt the rough material of the rope and my feet ached on the thin wire underneath me. The wind didn’t help with the traverse, neither did my unexplained fear of heights. ‘Okay’ I thought to myself. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. It felt like I was a bird, flying above the wind. As I focused, my grip tightened round the wire. I could hear the shouts of encouragement from the people below, cheering me on. I sucked in the air from my lungs, and pulled myself together. I can do this, I thought to myself.

                                                                                                                            ~ Jackson




3 comments:

  1. Now that I think about it I have no idea how I did it!! I think one of the skill/attributes needed to survive camp was Determination, and in a weird way Fear.

    Tavish

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  2. when I got home after camp on thursday I talked to my parents about camp and I told them that My favourite activity was the high ropes and the night line . but I don't think I would've be able to complete it without the support and encouragement and support of all my friends bellow me . In the night line we couldn't finish the line without talking to eachother . these thing all have in commin is communication . So I think communication is the key attribute to having the best camp possible

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    Replies
    1. I agree with you Oskar communication is very important

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