sky high with GLC

This past Saturday the Greenway Leadership Corp (GLC), took high school juniors and seniors on a high ropes course. Just 25 minutes West of Denver, up in the mountains, we all tested our team work skills on the ground and then up roughly 20 ft among the beautiful ponderosa pines at the Genesee Challenge course. 

Upon arrival, we got to know each other better with some games and team builders. Our guides challenged us to come up with the different components that make a successful team. Students worked together to create a list of over 15 traits, including compassion, encouragement, and effort.

Once the GLC high schoolers mastered their team challenges on the ground, it was time to take their skills to new heights. For many, just the car ride into the mountains peering over the cliffs was a challenge. What looked simple on the ground, became a test when you climbed into the canopy and grappled with your fear of heights. The course is all challenge by choice, so our students had to evaluate how they were feeling when deciding to try a challenge course element or not.

With harnesses, helmets, the guidance from Denver Parks and Recreation staff, and the encouragement from their fellow GLC team, many took the leap.  ​We completed two high ropes elements as a team. The first involved a bit of a climb, a balance beam log high up in the trees, and a little zip line. For the second element, we climbed up a telephone pole and jumped to a trapeze bar suspended several feet in front of the top of the pole.

It was an exciting and challenging day for all of us, and none of our students wanted to leave at the end of our day.