I truly was on top of the world during a recent adventure to Camp Roanoke, and I think my heart is still racing from all the fun!
Camp Roanoke is nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains, and it is beautiful!! Little did I know what was in store for me as I drove past the fields and through the camp entrance. Emma and Charlie greeted me so warmly, and before I knew it, I was getting harnessed up to take on the 44 feet tall climbing tower.
As you may have guessed from previous adventures, I'm not much of a climber. In fact my rock climbing experience started and ended in elementary school gym class, so climbing to the top was not something I pictured myself conquering. With Emma's help, not only with holding the belay, but talking me through whenever I felt stuck, I made it all the way to the top! She was so great at walking me through different placements and reminding me that I can take breaks. 
Just when I got used to being back on the ground, Charlie introduced me to the Pamper Pole. This is a new addition to Camp Roanoke, and like the climbing wall, it gives campers quite the thrill in a controlled and safe environment. Charlie demonstrated climbing up a ladder along a 30 feet tall pole. Once the ladder ended, he climbed up the "staple" steps on the pole before standing on top of it and leaping to touch the buoy a few feet out. When my turn came, I felt perfectly content to just sit on the pole and more gently slide off while Emma again maintained the belay.
At Camp Roanoke, it's all abo
ut achieving what you are comfortable with. Campers, like I was, are encouraged to stretch their limits and see what they are capable of, but comfort levels vary and it's all about creating the best experience for each camper.
We then went over to the "gaga pit" to play Camp Roanoke's favorite game, gaga ball. We hopped in the sand pit, and hit the ball against the short wall in hopes it would knock into someone to get them out. It was very similar to dodge ball, but played with the ball on the ground. My strategy was simply avoiding the ball, which worked at least some of the time!
I'm excited to visit Camp Roanoke again soon to see more of the facilities and get a sense of what campers might expect when going to camp, but for now I'm going to let my heart rate slow back down from experiencing all the popular activities Emma and Charlie showed me!
Interested in learning more about Camp Roanoke? Visit their website here.