Swinging Through The Trees......

This week I have been mostly swinging through the trees!

Well not all week but defiantly Wednesday Night and all day Thursday.

I have been away with work on a team building adventure to Ashdown Forest.

This adventure was based around climbing trees, walking high ropes, climbing 12 meter high telegraph poles and jumping off them and taking leaps of faith from platforms in the trees.

I never ever believed I could have done anything like this before but I did it all.

Wednesday night we arrived and were given harnesses and hard hats to put on by Bruce the ex army instructor who was leading the event.

The look of terror crept across a few faces but we did as we were told and off we went.

As it got dark we walked through the forest with the only light coming from our head torches. We eventually came to a clearing where two trees stood with ropes strung across them at 3 levels. One by one we all climbed the tree and walked the high ropes, with little more than a harness to hold us and ropes to catch and guide us along. Our fellow team mates held the ropes that were attached to our harnesses to ensure we could not fall and hurt ourselves.

(Scott hanging in the dark)

I have to say it was nothing I ever thought I would do in my life, but once done it was exhilarating. The adrenalin rush was amazing and the relief that I made it across the 2 wires was eminence.

After a very late night in the hotel with my team mates, we started a new day this time spit into teams of 5 each with amazing instructors.

We had four more high wire tasks to do along with team building problem solving group tasks.

So I climbed the next tree and tried to take the leap of faith and hit the suspended football, but I'm afraid the leaping go the better of me and jumping off the ledge was the best I could manage.

(Me frimly on the ground)

I also climbed the next tree & shimmied along the 2 rather high high wires whilst holding onto the dangling ropes.

(me on the high wires)

(Group Shot)

Lunchtime although my stomach was doing cartwheels I did manage a sandwich & cup of tea.

Then on to walking the log beam suspended between two trees and then the swinging logs that we had to get from one to another across the course.

(Lucy on the swining logs)

Last of the individual tasks was to clime a 12 meter high telegraph pole and stand on top of it, jump off and catch a trapeze suspended in the middle of a high wire, well lets just say I'm not a fan of telegraph poles and found this one the hardest yet. Yes I did make it to the top of the pole, climbing like a kola, but just couldn't make it on to the top to jump off. So I jumped from where I was.

(Dave jumping from the Telegraph Pole)

Then it was time for the final group task, all 10 of us were lead through the woods to a massive telegraph pole with a small platform at the top, about a foot by a foot big.

The task was to get four people up the pole and on to the top of it, one on each corner of the platform, then to all hold hands and trust each other to lean back and form a circle with our arms.

Well lets just say I was not the first to volunteer to go up but the last.

Two groups of 4 went up first and then it was just me and my boss left to go. My boss went up first, then I started to clime the telegraph pole. I got to the platform and really didn't want to be there, I feel queasy just writing about it! I managed to get up on to the platform and stand up. Ahh I thought it was all over, but no then an instructor started to clime up my legs.

By this point I was clinging on to my boss for dear life begging to be let down.

Ok so the instructor had made it and we were all still standing but then one of my colleges started to clime up my other leg, ohh hell I was going to fall, it was so wobbly that I really thought I would fall off.

But he made it on to the platform and we all eventually held hands once they had convinced me it was a good idea!!!

Then we let go and jumped off.

Phewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

I have to say that it is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do and it completely pushed me out of my comfort zone. But I can say I did it and gave every thing a go, no tears were shed and I kept it together.

I am soo pleased & proud that I attempted each task and com pleated the course.

So that has been my week.

Along with work and a Halloween party it has been a relatively abnormal week hopefully next wee will be normal again.

Lots of stock needs to be made for the craft fair, so I best keep going and get some done.

Have a lovely week and remember next time you are pushed out of your comfort zone, it could be worse, You could be hanging in the trees suspended by a rope facing your worst nightmare.

Love