Reaching New Heights
By Hannah O’Briant
July 12, 2019
Each program area at Victory Junction provides challenges for campers to overcome and help build their self-confidence.
The Adventure Tower is one of the most physically challenging program areas that Victory Junction has to offer. There are different levels of difficulty on each side of the tower. Campers have the option to tackle the rope ladder, swing on a wooden ladder, or climb vertically up a swinging pole with rock-climbing pegs. The feeling of accomplishment that each camper experiences once they reach the top is unexplainable. It takes a lot of courage to climb to the top of this 55-foot tower.
There is a Misty Mountain Chair installed for campers who are not capable of climbing on their own, allowing everyone the option to go up the Adventure Tower and experience the thrills. The Adventure Tower also offers a 4 to 1 chair hoist that enables campers to pull themselves up on their own without the use of their legs.
“Seeing their reactions once they reach the top makes it so worth it,” said counselor and adventure team member Hali.
There is also a self-activating swing in the same program area where campers can choose how high he or she wants to swing from. A team of “pullers” pull a rope that slowly elevates the swing to the camper’s desired height. Once the camper is comfortable, they unlatch themselves from the pulled rope and fall into a big swing. ‘Brave’ is the best word to describe a camper who chooses to take on the swing next to the adventure tower.
“They’re much more confident in themselves and their abilities when they leave Adventure Tower,” said counselor and adventure team member Mary.
The atmosphere at the Adventure Tower is always positive and uplifting. Because there are three campers allowed on the tower at a time, they are constantly encouraging one another to reach that next pole or make it just a couple more feet to the top of the tower.
Whether it’s heights, animals, or stage freight, campers have opportunities to overcome their fears here at Victory Junction. The Adventure Tower inspires not only campers, but also counselors to take the courage built from climbing the tower and apply it outside of camp in their everyday lives.
The sense of accomplishment campers feel when they overcome a fear or conquer a challenge at Victory Junction is one of the many benefits of camp.
