Got up, got showered and dressed, and ate. Seems like any other day, doesn’t it? Well, when there are 8 people to get ready and 4 of them basically can’t or won’t fend for themselves and you’re outside (and have been all night) it just gets a lot more….interesting. Thankfully, Josiah and the other kids slept well overnight, so we were pretty much ready to hop up and go. Josiah woke up first, around 6:30, so he was tired pretty quick. We had extra chores this morning because Papa &Grandmere had to pack up all their stuff and be ready to head home after lunch, not to mention the battery in their vehicle was dead because something (trunk light?) had been on for a very long time.
We made it to the Crossroads area and immediately got in line for the SkyHike. This place is basically an ultra-safe ropes course. Each person wears a harness and is attached via rope to a channel above you. The channel allows you to slide your rope with you along each challenge and on the platforms between challenges. Zoe decided she wanted to do it with Abbie and I, so we waited in line for nearly an hour while Papa and Grandmere played with the boys on a smaller course and playground. We would have been able to do it about 2 minutes sooner if the folks in front of us had not kept allowing more kids to “literally” jump the fence and join their party. It made me think of an adaptation of an adage I learned in school…”Failure to prepare for the adventure (i.e., wearing the proper footwear) does not constitute me allowing you to jump ahead of me in line.”
Nevertheless, we suited up and got locked in the channel. There were various spans you had to cross via 2 possible tracks – one was relatively easy and the other more difficult. Zoe did a great job of overcoming her fear and focusing on crossing the 25 foot or so span. Some were just narrow boards to walk on, others were various adaptations of a rope bridge. She got scared a couple of times but with some encouragement and direction made it all the way around the lowest level of the course (12 feet off the ground). Abbie enjoyed it, too, but after trying some of the “hard” obstacles stuck with the easier side for most of the level. I enjoyed watching Zoe do so well and being able to help her and swing along off the ground without fear of falling (because of the harness). >>Abbie note: Zoe also had several people on the ground cheering her on through one part. And a gracious Stone Mtn. worker helped her through the low course which was very sweet
