Learning The Ropes
Dangling 42 feet above the ground at Camp Erdman’s ‘ropes course,’ the author steps into space and beyond her own fears while learning to work with and trust others
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(from left) Stephanie Shardan, the author, Josh Heimowitz, Tim
Nalder and others up in the air
(who must have heard it all) joked, “We’ve had people (swear to) quit many things on this course, ‘I swear I’ll never smoke again if I get through this.’”
I was grateful for the laugh except that it sent my whole body wobbling off kilter, my death grip tightening on my companions’ limbs.
“At first I was just grabbing onto my rope for dear life and had that every-man-for-himself mood, just trying to survive,” said my mom, Lynn Weir. “Then I got over that survival thing and got into the group dynamic. Height became a non-issue because I was so busy concentrating on the task at hand.”
My 15-year-old son Rad expressed conflicting feelings: “For me, the group part was a hindrance - having people who didn’t know what they were doing - when I had a plan. But it was fun heading them up and being a leader. My biggest challenge was when we had to help (one member of our five-person group) when she was blindfolded (yup, you read that correctly) and we had to guide her - and she had to trust us.”
It was the midpoint of our high ropes saga that really tested the group. Rad describes the challenge: “I had three people behind me, and their weight made the wire steep. I was trying to move forward, but it was like running on a treadmill. Suddenly I was surfing backwards and I knocked into everyone. So, I let go of the pulley (that the group was holding onto for balance) and ran up the wire and made a dive for the platform.”
(from left) Stephanie Shardan, the
author and Josh Heimowitz
While the rest of us struggled, my 16-year-old daughter Sridevi reacted by letting loose: “I was laughing continuously. I got the giggles, but it was so much fun.
I was laughing so hard, I was falling off the wire, swinging in the air. I love heights.”
Linda Dela Cruz offered a more sober perspective on her midpoint experience: “It was hard because you had to use all of your muscles all at the same time. I was balancing with my legs and arms and holding onto people. My legs were shaking and my arms had no more energy. I wanted to finish, but I felt like I couldn’t.”
But Dela Cruz did finish with just a little encouragement from Heimowitz and the group. Back on the ground, we gathered to reflect on the course and our reactions to the challenge.
Our team was a diverse group. We did not all know each other, our ages ranged from 14 to 60, and we were at various levels of fitness (or lack thereof). Five participants were afraid of heights and there were a few absolutely delighted by it. The group, with all its diversity, walked away refreshed by the adventure, camaraderie and the chance to be a kid at camp again.
We began our day at Camp Erdman at 10:30 a.m. and finished at 5:30 p.m., but the discussions and excitement over the day’s events kept my family in animated conversation until 11:30 p.m.
“If I can do it, anybody can,” said an invigorated Weir, the same woman who fainted when she got her ears pierced.
Her grandson Rad was especially impressed: “I am proud of my grandma. She’s 60 years old and climbing across ropes 42 feet in the air. I gotta say, that’s pretty crazy.”
“That was the most fun I’ve had in years,” exclaimed Weir. “I felt like a kid again.”
Since its installation in January, the ropes course has serviced 1,500 people. The course is one of only nine of its kind in the world. Camp Erdman, which has been a recent site for the filming of “Lost,” services more than 20,000 people a year including school programs, church groups and families. The camp facilitates up to 300 people a day and has cabins to accommodate weekend visitors. The incredibly affordable family camp weekend rate of $95 per person covers lodging for two nights, six meals and activities throughout the day including kayaking, archery, the ropes course, group activities and a campfire. Child care is offered for younger children. For more information, visit www.camperdman.net or call 637-4615.
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