Climbing through the trees
OUTDOOR LIVING
Last summer, we had season passes to a local outdoor treetop climbing course, Edge Adventures– Rum Village in South Bend. We love it for many reasons: • Sense of adventure – It’s been perfect for teens who want to try new things! I really enjoy the ziplines. • Spending time outdoors – I love being in the trees, seeing the leaves up close, passing squirrel and other nests, and enjoying the fresh air. • Getting exercise – This has been a good workout for us! You can go slower or speed things up as you master basic climbs. • Building climbing skills – The course actually requires problem solving, planning ahead, and figuring out hand and foot holds. • Seeing things from different perspectives – We really do get a bird’s eye view from up in the trees. Such a calming experience when we’re comfortable with the course. If you’re thinking about going, watch for an online special or discount. Two to three hours are usually plenty for us and wear us out. Reserve your spot online (https://edgeadventureparks.com/) and fill out
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the online waiver before you go to save time. Check height, weight, age and other requirements to verify you can climb. To protect your hands, bring garden gloves or get gloves at the venue. Tie back long hair. We bring water bottles to sip between courses. Go to the bathroom before you start climbing to optimize climb time. The guides will walk you through putting on the safety harness and gear, give a safety overview, and have you practice a training course close to the ground. This gives the participant a chance to get used to clipping into the course and using the zipline before they get higher in the air. Once you climb the ladder, there are three levels of difficulty, with a couple of options. The guide will have you do one of the easy levels first, a medium difficulty level, and then you can choose the harder options if desired. To do all three levels, it will take two to three hours. Courses typically get faster over time as you understand better how to get through the challenges. Typically, the guides and other climbers can give pointers on how to tackle the obstacles. Enjoy climbing through the trees! Dr. Carla Gull blogs at www.insideoutsidemichiana. com and hosts the podcast Loose Parts Nature Play. She is often seen with four tag-along explorers in the greater Michiana area.
