Opportunities to serve so many children and youth in the capacity that we do at Glisson are very rare, and I am always so grateful for the impact that Camp Glisson has had on my life…I appreciate so very much they way that Glisson compelled me to act out my faith in my daily life…
- Lanta, Summer Staff 2007

High Elements Course

Leap of Faith

The Leap of Faith was a highlight for many summer campers when it was introduced in 2008. With the High Elements course being brand new, most campers had never done anything like the Leap before. While the main goal of the Alpine Tower is to challenege yourself in different ways to make it to the top, the object of the Leap of Faith is twofold: 1) Scale the pole and 2) Jump from it. Participants are suited up in a full-body harness, then attached to a dynamic rope via a steel, triple action carabiner. Next they climb a ladder until they can reach the staples, which serve the same purpose as climbing holds. Camp Glisson High Elements Course: Leap of Faith

When climbers/leapers reach the top they have to work to keep their balance while making a move to stand atop the pole. Once the participant has two feet on the pole and has gained his or her balance, the facilitator calls out a countdown and the participant leaps out toward a big green ball. When he or she jumps, the facilitator and a team of peers pull the rope so that the participant actually flies up a foot or two. While the primary goal is simply to leap, participants feel an extra sense of accomplishment if they get a good punch in on the exercise-like green ball. As its name suggests, the Leap of Faith is a great fleshing out of the leaps we make in life as Christians.

Giant's Ladder

The Giant's Ladder is a bigger version of what is known as Jacob's Ladder on the Alpine Tower. While Jacob's Ladder is one of the most challenging elements on the Tower, the Giant's Ladder offers more width, making the element more conducive to the teamwork necessary to reach the top. The Giant's Ladder is also larger than its counterpart on the Tower. The two climbers work together to scale from one ladder rung to the next. The distance between each of the six rungs varies, often surprising the climbers and forcing them to improvise new ways of working together. Some popular methods include "the sloth" and "the human ladder". The Giant's Ladder is an excellent exercise in teamwork. It is arguably the most physically demanding element, which makes it especially good for high-school-aged climbers who have conquered the Alpine Tower before.

High Y

The High Y is the big brother of "The Flying V" on our Low Elements course. While essentially the same concept, the former is about 30 feet higher off the ground than the latter. The High Y is set up with two cables that start in one tree and then branch out to two different trees, forming a triangular shape. Camp Glisson High Elements Course: High Y

The participants climb a tree using a ladder and climbing staples to reach the bottom cables. They are harnessed-in and hooked-up to a movable belay system that slides on cables directly above the lower cable on which their footwork takes place. The two participants start out close together at the first tree, then work together to see how far apart they can go. The typical method for doing this is called "the human tepee", where the two climbers stand as straight as possible and lean in on each others' hands, creating a tepee of sorts. As they progress toward the ending tree, the tepee gets wider and wider. While the Alpine Tower and Giant's Ladder challenge campers to reach the top, and the Leap of Faith challenges participants to leap, the High Y is the only element where campers spend 90% of the time at a height of 30 feet. This setting gives a canopy-top feel to the element in addition to being high off the ground.