Adventure #29- "Does not work well with others..."

Isn't that a great photo?!! It's almost hard to believe an adventure could take place in such a lovely space. I sure didn't think we were headed to a winery when Meghan said she was "registering" us for an upcoming adventure and asked for our t-shirt sizes.  Thoughts like, "T-shirts??? She's going to make me run a dang race, isn't she?? <expletive>," were running through my head. (Disclosure: I don't run. At all. Like, if I had to run for my life, I'd happily die.)

Alli's mind wandered down a similar path, and we made an agreement that we would stick together and walk our way through whatever awful race was headed our way. Lucky for us, Meghan doesn't want to have to listen to us whine and complain about running just as much as we don't want to have to run, so she did NOT plan a race-running adventure... instead, we were headed into wino warfare.

This past Saturday, we competed in Stone Pillar winery's Grape Stomp, "A Smashing Good Time!" We were divided into two teams, as the maximum number of participants per team was four. The competition was staged in heats of four teams at a time and there were probably 30-40 teams altogether. Our first team, which consisted of Amy, Alli, Meghan and Leah, was called to partake in the first heat. Here you will see both our teams before their heats started:

Top: Team Fearless Femmes, Bottom: Team DJ Jess

At the beginning of each heat, the participating teams would line up and on the count of three were released to run amongst the rows of vines, frantically collecting grapes in their buckets. Once they had a full bucket, they would run back to their 'stomping station' and dump the grapes they collected into a larger basin for stomping.  Two teammates would then stomp the grapes while another was responsible for funneling the juice into a wine bottle.

Our first team finished third in their heat with a time of 4 minutes, something seconds. The first heat teams were definitely at a disadvantage as they had to figure out their own strategies and make their own mistakes, which everyone else could then learn from.  Being Femmes though, these girls didn't let that hinder their fun, enthusiasm or efforts.

Here we are picking grapes!

I was on the second team, along with Jessi and Jessica, and we competed in the second heat.  We had gained a few pointers from the other girls and used that to our advantage, finishing first in our heat with a time of 3 minutes, 25 seconds and taking the overall top standing. Woohoo! I'm not going to deny that I worked up a bit of a sweat with that stomping performance! Check out my game face below...

Two things to note:
1) Leah is still all smiles and no sweat, even when grape juice and pulp are flying!
2) You may notice my hand in the basin, but that was only for a moment to clear the clogged drain (read: NOT cheating) 

After our heat, a trend started with more and more teams abandoning the foot stomping concept for a more efficient 'hands-on' approach and our standing on the leader board was quickly demolished. Of course, we declared this was against the rules and deemed 80% of the teams "cheaters," even though the event organizers seemed to think this was okay. (Update: according to their website, the winery describes the event as a "competition for bragging rights as the fastest foot juicers in Johnson County!")  So technically, we win as we had the fastest time of all the teams that only used their feet!!  Yeah, yeah, winning isn't everything, blah blah blah... it's really more about the social justice of the situation... :)

MVP awards are definitely owed to Alli and Jessi who volunteered to be the 'funnel-er' for their respective teams.  As you can see, it was a less glamorous, albeit equally invaluable role....

Jessi and Alli manning the 'splash zone'

Despite the (self-induced) drama, and even though we were only adventuring for a few minutes, we all had a great time enjoying the beautiful, mild weather, the frozen wine slushies and each other's company.  In the end, we realize we don't need a gold spray-painted wine bottle trophy to declare us winners... we know we are winning at life as we have a sisterhood others could only dream of!!

It was all smiles and thumbs up after completing our adventure... anyone thirsty? Today's special is Pin-toe Grigio! ;)

Adventure #28- "Remember, 10 year-olds do this".... "Yeah, and they're a lot lighter!"

There's a new kid in town, and he's a beast.

Last Friday, we headed to the brand-new Go Ape Zip Line and Treetop Adventure facility in Swope Park.  Open for less than two weeks, it seemed only appropriate that we be amongst the first patrons to christen the above-ground obstacle course.  We were all excited about the zip lining, but little did we know, that would be the least of it!

Proudly displaying our participation certificates at the end of our adventure at Go Ape

We started by receiving a 30-ish minute orientation to the course and lesson on the equipment. Watching our instructor go over every minute detail of the process made us all feel a little overwhelmed.  Did I mention that each guest is responsible for connecting themselves (via harness and rope system) properly and making all disconnects/trasnfers/transitions on their own??!!  It definitely sounded intimidating, and like a huge liability (had we not signed away our right to hold them liable), but once we got our hands on the equipment and did it ourselves, it was actually more simple, and safe, than it seemed at first.  After our instructor got us started on the first station and verified that we were  capable of operating the equipment properly, we were on our own!

Even though we were responsible for working our own equipment and making all the proper connections, it was rather fool-proof.  We each wore a harness that had a metal loop at our waist, and two ropes attached, one with a carabiner at the end, the other with a "trolley."  You started a station by placing your trolley (your guide through the stations) on a track that led to the cable system it would run on (the bottom right photo is highlighting my trolley on the cable during a foot rings crossing).  The carabiner rope also connected to the cable as a tether for lateral crossings and an additional support for zip lines/swings.  The metal loop at our waist was used  to clip a carabiner line onto ourselves for crossings in which we would be ascending, descending or flying through the air (the top left photo highlights the carabiners attached properly for Alli's Tarzan swing).  For the Tarzan swings, we also had to get our trolley off the cable so that we could freely move through the air.  There was a levered device that allowed us to transfer our trolley from the cable line to a "shuttle" that housed the trolley and attached to our waistband (the bottom left photo highlights this device, the top right photo shows the trolley inside the shuttle, fastened to Jessi's waistband).  Once we made the crossing, there would be another levered device that enabled our trolley to get out of the shuttle and back onto the cable line.  We would then send the shuttle back for the next person via rope and pulley system.

The course is composed of five stations.  Each station begins with a rope ladder climb to a treetop platform.  From there, you must make your way from platform to platform through a series of "crossings."  The crossings included various types of foot bridges, planks, tight ropes, cargo nets, and Tarzan swings.  Each station ended with a zip line descent back to ground level.  Sounds simple enough, but it required SO much upper body strength, endurance and mental control.  It was definitely more intense than any of us expected!  We have been nursing stiff, sore muscles and arms and legs riddled with bruises in the days since.

Although we were working our way through as a group, it was very much an individual adventure.  Per the rules of the course, only one person could be on any given crossing at a time, and only three people maximum per platform.  Due to this, and the fact that we were all concentrating on "not dying," there wasn't a ton of conversation between us, but we were often able to watch and cheer each other from different points on the course. The teamwork aspect totally came through in our mental game though.  Anxieties were high for many; confidence was down at times; I'm certain we all had at least one moment where we felt we could not go on, but through it all I heard so many words of encouragement, instruction and reassurance all around.

I love Amy's face in this one! Just about to drop on the Tarzan swing

Although not everyone completed the entire course, I'd still say it was a huge success.  This was a tough one.  But, the tough ones are often my favorite adventures because I just love the support, trust and pride that we all share during these arduous activities.  I know these sentiments are typically the foundation of strong friendships, and I never doubt that they're always there with these girls, but it's not everyday that you actually get to feel these feels.  Knowing that Jessi believed I could do the "extreme" route, versus the "moderate" route, gave me the boost of confidence I needed to try it.  Although I floundered on that one, when the next "extreme" option came along, I went for it anyway.  This time, Alli cheered and yelled, "There you go, D," with every step I made.  Knowing she stopped to focus on me for that moment and was dedicated to helping me succeed in the only way she could, made me want it even more.  This time, I nailed it!

While Lisa and I were the most comfortable with the height element, Alli and Jessica probably had the hardest time with it.  On one of the more difficult crossings, Jessica was about half way across when we could see the panic set in.  I think she felt stranded, unsafe and insecure.  She started to wobble on the minimal support she had under her feet, and insisted she couldn't do it.  Lisa and I were on the platform ahead of her and reassured her that she could do it and offered step-by-step suggestions to help her get across... and whaddaya know, she did do it!  Not that Jessica would ever be at Go Ape by herself, but I felt like if Lisa and I hadn't been there, she likely would have given up, yelled for help and waited for one of the employees to come rescue her.  Whether or not Jessica felt this way, I'm not sure, but nonetheless it felt so good to be there for her and to watch her succeed at something she believed was beyond her abilities.  I hope she felt as fierce in that moment, as I
believed she was.

Jessica nearing her breaking point with this difficult crossing

I felt such immense pride for all the other girls as well.  Alli, one of our most anxious members, for taking the lead and charging her way through the first station.  Jessi, who has a legit fear of heights, for flying through the entire course and killing it!  Amy, for pushing herself beyond what she thought was her limit, and for being open to trying something outside her comfort zone (something we are continually challenging her with).  Lisa, for completing the entire course (along with Jessi and I), for her calming presence and patience with assisting others, and for letting me photograph her in the flattering harness we had to wear (when we initially put them on she said, "I'd like to retract my photography waiver for the blog.") ;)

Despite the intensity, I had a lot of fun and I think most of the girls did too... not sure I can commit to all the girls.  :)  Go check it out: https://goape.com/zip-line/swope-park  and GO APE!

Zip lining and other moments of fun:

Lisa looooves zip lining!

This is how we all landed pretty much every time- haha

A couple videos of Jessi and I on a Tarzan swing:

Adventure #27- "Barbie's a bitch."

A couple of weeks ago we got together and had our first adventure since June!  Needless to say, I was a little excited.  As "The Boss," I took the initiative to get us back on track and planned this adventure.  My clue for the girls was a photo of a terrified looking woman, who was obviously from the 1990s based on her hairstyle, scream-crying.  If they could figure out that this photo was from the opening scene of "Cliffhanger," the "Sarah falls to her death scene," I thought they could probably deduce that we would be rock climbing.  When we all gathered on the day of, I asked if they had figured out what we were doing.  Most, if not all, had, but I wasn't seeing much enthusiasm on their faces or hearing much excitement in their voices.... I was hoping this was not going to be a major flop of an adventure.

We made our way to Dean's Downtown Underground, a historical and first-of-its-kind subterranean commercial complex.  This "underground city" was a KC phenomenon I had previously heard about, but I really didn't know where or what it was.  The fact that our adventure led us to this little-known part of our city made me aware of a secondary benefit of our adventure club- we've gotten to explore and experience so many different neighborhoods and areas of the metro that we likely would never have reason to visit otherwise.  It has made me more appreciative of all Kansas City has to offer, and I've realized it's a much larger city than I previously believed.  Check out the Underground at http://www.deanrealtyco.com/Downtown_Underground/

When you get to the Underground, all you see is a parking lot and a singular silo-looking structure.  We were a little confused, but the address matched so we proceeded inside and found a vestibule with a single elevator.  There was a sign stating maximum capacity on the elevator was six persons, so we descended the ten stories in two groups.  Meghan, Leah, Amy and myself were on the first elevator and just as the doors began closing, Jessi hopped on and said, "I don't want to ride this thing with Alli!" (Alli is the most anxious of us all)  As the elevator came to rest at our destination, there was a bit of rattling/shaking of the car and a cranking sort of noise that lasted for a few seconds.  I said, "Oh, Alli's gonna love that," and we all laughed and waited for the second group of girls to come down.  Once again, the same noise and vibrations occurred as the elevator came to a stop and from outside the elevator we could hear Alli say, "Jesus Christ! What was that?" Again, we erupted in laughter... so predictable!  Thanks for the entertainment, Alli.

We followed the posted directions down a long hallway and as we walked we all started noticing that something was just different being so far underground.  I said, "the air feels heavier down here," to which Leah followed, "is there oxygen down here?"  Someone wanted to know what would happen if the whole thing caved in.  Simple answer; we'd all be screwed.  Meghan said, "who knew just getting to the adventure, would be an adventure in itself?!"  Finally, we arrived at The Cave Bouldering Gym.

We each paid a nominal fee, signed a waiver, and changed into special rock climbing shoes they lent us.  I had arranged for an instructor to assist us for our two hours at the gym.  Tyler, a slight young man, who was obviously younger (and smaller) than most of us, ended up being our instructor.  My first thought was, "he's not gonna be able to catch me if I fall."  I guess I was expecting someone more Sly Stallone like.  Nevertheless, Tyler was nice, and patient, and pretty encouraging.  He gave us a quick rundown on how things work.  The idea is that you follow a pre-set route as you climb up the wall.  There were small notes all over the base of the wall indicating the starting point of a route, giving it a name and a rating based on difficulty, acknowledging who made the route, and designating a specific color/pattern of tape to identify it by.  Each of the nubbins you were supposed to use to grab hold or step on for any given route were also marked with the same tape, and then there were boxes taped out at the top of the wall indicating the end of the route.  The goal was to climb high enough to touch your designated box.

Tyler helping Leah spot the next move on her route.
Notice all the strips of different colored tape

After about three minutes of instruction, Tyler was like, "ok, go ahead and start climbing."  I'm pretty sure Meagan and/or Leah and myself were the first to try it.  I made it about half way up the wall pretty easy, but then as I reached for one of my designated nubbins that was a decent reach above me, I lost my grip and fell hard, flat on my back.  My thought, "well this is gonna be harder than it looks."  Meagan and Leah had better luck and made it to the top.  Meghan was also pretty good right from the get go.  The three of them were definitely the most adventurous, trying several different routes and moving beyond the easiest ones.  Leah earned the nickname, Squirrel, as she scurried up the walls, making it all look like a breeze.  She tried some sideways climbs and some upside down climbs and she pretty much excelled at all of it!  As she tested out some of the different routes, she found that someone named 'Steve' created the most intense and impossible ones.  After succumbing to one of Steve's climbs, she exclaimed, "F**k Steve!"  Then cowered a little, looked around, and said, "Steve's not here, is he???"  He wasn't. :)

Leah, aka Squirrel, showing us all how it's done!

Leah

After my first failed attempt, I decided that some of the moves on the designated routes were beyond my capabilities, and I was just going to forge my own path up the wall in hopes that I would be able to reach the top just once.  Luckily, my thought process worked and I found it much easier to make it up the wall when I didn't pay as much attention to using the "correct" nubbins.  My intention was to warm up this way and then try a designated route again.  However, after a couple freestyle climbs, I was completely gassed.  After resting awhile, I thought I was ready to try it again and found a route that was marked by Barbie tape.  Barbie tape.  Can't be that bad, right?  I gave it a go and made it about 2/3 of the way up, then I hit a point where my arms felt like jello and I knew if I didn't retreat down the wall as soon as possible, my arms were going to turn to mush and it wasn't going to end well.  Some of the other girls were able to conquer Barbie, which made me want it that much more.  I lingered there for a long time, wishing I hadn't burned all my fuel earlier, pretty much staring down the wall and its Barbie tape.  Alli said, "you want this bad. I can tell."  I did, but I wanted to keep my face and body intact more.  I was done.

I may have cheated, but I made it to the top!

Destiny

I spent the rest of our time there in awe of Leah, Meagan and Meghan who seemed to never stop climbing.  Where was their strength and endurance coming from??  If this were a competition, Meagan and Meghan would have shared the silver medal, behind Leah's gold.  Both took a decent fall at one point, but got back up and kept on going.  They attempted a lot of the same difficult climbs as Leah and made it to the top several times.  Somehow, they never seemed to look tired or pained.  I was truly impressed... and envious.  Props to you, girls!

Meagan scaling the wall like she does this everyday!

Meagan

Meghan

Rock star Meghan!

Jessi struggled a little bit to get started, more so because of her fear of heights than her athletic ability.  Once she warmed up to it, she did really well, but there was an ongoing fight with her anxieties.  She said she always felt like she was much higher off the ground than she knew she actually was, and at one point while she was waiting her turn she admitted, "my hands are sweating just thinking about getting up there!"  Jessi also fell victim to Barbie's wrath, but that didn't stop her.  She went on to try some other, more challenging climbs.  Good job, J!  Proud of you!

Jessi conquering her fears!

Jessi

It took Amy a few tries to get started and she took a few tumbles, but she never gave up and she climbed (almost all the way up) that wall!  Watching Amy has always been one of my favorite parts of any physically challenging adventure.  She will readily admit that she's a bit of a klutz, and has been known to wipe out while walking on dry, flat ground.  But, what she lacks in agility and deftness, she makes up for with confidence, determination and dedication.  While she may not be the one who offers to go first, she is always happy to try whatever the adventure at hand is, no matter how 'out of her comfort zone' it may be.  She never seems to get deterred, upset or self-conscious when she struggles.  She's always smiling at adventures and I often feel like she is the poster child for what I hoped we would all gain from this club.  Thanks for being a truly fearless Femme, Amy!

Get it, Amy!

Amy

I'd have to say Alli and Lisa were the least 'into it.'  Lisa was hesitant to give it a try, but after seeing everyone else do it, she made a few moves up the wall before jumping/falling off.  She preferred to climb 'under the radar' when the majority of the group's attention was focused elsewhere.  I was told that on her best attempt she made it about 3/4 of the way up the wall, but I think Amy may have been the only one to see it.

Alli was uncharacteristically reluctant to try and said that her fears of falling were stifling her, but with a lot of encouragement, a little bit of peer pressure, and everyone's blessing that she didn't have to follow one of the pre-set routes, she cautiously gave it a go.  After a few trial runs, she finally got one little finger on the edge of one of the boxes at the top of the wall.  Mission accomplished!

You did it, Alli!

Alli

Lisa

This is the only action pic I got of Lisa and I was about two seconds too late.
At least she landed on her feet!

Throughout the adventure we discussed how surprised we were by the athleticism required.  I mean, we expected it would require a lot of upper body strength, but weren't prepared for the cardio workout we got.  I was caught off guard by how sweaty and out of breath I became after 30-60 seconds of activity.  Meghan noted, "it's crazy how quickly that makes your heart rate go up."  We anticipated we would be sore in the coming days; we were.  At the end, Jessi said, "I know I always say this, but that was much more enjoyable than I expected."  Maybe someday she'll learn to trust the process. :)

As we were walking back down the Underground hallway towards the elevator and exit, Alli nonchalantly said, "I think I could do that again..." Really, Alli????