The Edge

So one of the super fun things we got to do (thanks mom and dad) while at the reunion was participate in this course called the edge. They use this for church groups to have the kids accomplish something, to work together, that sort of thing. It really is so much fun, but not easy. The way it was set up for us is each family member that was participating got to do 3 things. You could choose what things. So everyone got to do something a little different.

One of the super crazy things that all the "big boys" did was this thing called the leap of faith. You climb up a 25 ft telephone pole. When you get to the top you have nothing to hold onto to help you climb on top and stand. Then from there you jump three feet out to grab a trapeze pole and hang from it. Seriously hard on the mental state to get there and jump. John grabbed hold of the bar when he jumped but it slipped out of his hands causing him to just hang in midair by the security ropes. CRAZY!!


There is this 35 ft rock wall that you can climb. On the front is a normal rock wall, on the back is a rock wall with an incline, and on one side is a cargo net type thing.

Each of the kids climbed up the cargo net to the top and zip lined down. Rachel did it twice!

Once you were at the top you could zip line down from there or you could walk across a wobbly bridge that goes higher up there and climb another 5 ft or so and zip line down from about 45 ft. That's what the boys and Rachel did. It was a blast.

Rachel just zipped from the "lower" platform but both the boys climbed higher to zip down.

Harrison froze completely half way across the wobbly bridge. It took John and I and a couple workers to talk to him and help me mentally keep going. But he did it. All this is SUPER impressive for Harrison because he is terrified of heights. As a kid he would freak if we even walked across a high bridge that had walls on it. So way to go Harrison!!!

I tried to do the cargo net climb but it hurt my back so bad I came down half way up. I was so glad both Harrison and Rachel who were nervous went before me so they went all the way up before they saw their mom not make it. It really bugged me that I couldn't do it but with all the back problems I've been having and have had in the past I just couldn't push my back any further. What can I say...I'm getting old. I was glad I could find another way up so I could still have the fun of doing a zip line down.


I went where you climb straight up a 25 ft telephone pole. Then you walk across a wire that goes up a little higher, then you walk across a log which takes you up to the 35 ft landing to zip down or again climb higher and zip down from higher. I zipped down from the top. It was a LOT of fun! Rachel tried that climb but as you got higher on the telephone pole the foot and hand holds got further apart and half way up she couldn't reach the next one so she came back down.

They also had this 20 ft swing where they hooked the back of your harness to a rope. Then a group of your friends/family would pull you up until you were twenty feet up looking straight at the ground. Then they would somehow "release" the rope and it felt like they just cut the rope that was holding you and you would just swing back and forth. It was fun, we all tried that one once.

It was a lot of fun and I'm so glad we got the opportunity to do it even though it was super hot and we were all ready for a nice cool jump in the pool or shower after that. And thank you so much to all those who watch the little kids so we could do it. I'm not sure they got to have as much fun as us, but without them I wouldn't have been able to do it so I'm really grateful!