THE VIEW FROM 30-FEET ABOVE
Strapped in to blue safety harnesses and yellow climbing helmets, MMA Summer Campers make their way up the inside steel stairs leading to the top of the 30-foot rappelling tower. Each camper gazes out over the 142-acre campus and prepares for the feat ahead of them…some facing their fear of heights and others anticipating the greatest fun they’ve experienced thus far.
Cinched to safety maximums and feet set the prescribed width apart, each looks downward and calls to the Cadet Instructor situated 30 feet below holding the rope taut, “Camper (last name) on RAPPEL!” to which the CI yells back, “CI (last name) on BELAY!” Grasping the rope firmly with gray suede gloves, each camper assumes a kind of backwards high dive position, legs stiff and straight. The Rappelling Instructor directs, “Lean back…way back…more, more, more, and keep those knees straight and sit back…yeah! You did it. Easy, right?”
As soon as released from the rappel guide lines, most campers make their way back up the steel stairs for Round Two, Three…as much as they can get in within their allotted time on the clock. Oh, what a glorious feeling, and the view from 30 feet above is exhilarating…HOO-RAH!
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Interested in learning more about our summer camp? Visit Marine Military Academy’s all boys summer camp website.