People Outdoors and abseiling for the first time

A couple of weeks ago (sorry for delay in posting this) I had the privilege of attending a People Outdoors Camp to Stringybark Lodge Camp.

The photo is of part of our group at the hut building activity. I am standing on the left in the very flattering beanie behind the camper I was looking after that week - Matthew.

Matthew is a great guy and had a fantastic time and pushed himself out of his comfort zone to have ago at activities like the flying fox and low ropes and climbing wall.

I also had an experience of pushing myself out of my comfort zone when I experienced my first abseil. I need to confess here that I am a bit uncomfortable with heights. Often when I am looking down from a high place I feel like I am being drawn over the edge - I don't know if this is just me or whether this is a common experience with heights - it would be great to hear about your experiences with heights - but I know it feels a bit freaky from where I sit.

Many of you will have had a lot of experience with abseiling and so I don't know if you will remember your first time - but that experience of leaning out backwards over the drop for the first time is something that will stay with me for a very long time. Forcing myself (with encouragement from my instructor) to lean out backwards over that, admittedly short, drop was a very rewarding and exciting thing to do. (Isn't it funny how these things always look higher when you are at the top looking down than when you are looking up from the bottom?)

After that first big step the descent was exhilarating and I would highly recommend it to everyone. I am also more committed than ever to work to make sure as many people as possible get opportunities for experiences like this as I want everyone to that same sense of achievement and feeling of self worth that I got. It is one of the benefits that we can offer through camp and outdoor programs that we should be shouting from the treetops.

I have some video of my first abseil and as soon as I can work out how to upload it to You Tube (I have had one failed attempt) I will link it to this blog.