Girl Scouts cut the ribbon on new ropes course at Camp Tanglefoot

(Above) Camp Tangelfoot counselors navigate the new 40-foot tall ropes course. The course contains twice as many elements as the previous ropes course, including multiple levels, two ziplines and individual and partner challenges.

Girl Scouts are going to be reaching higher this summer at Camp Tanglefoot in Clear Lake.  Literally.

Friday, Girl Scouts cut the ribbon on a new high ropes course at the camp, located on the lake’s south shore.  The new 40-foot tall course replaces the camp’s first ropes challenge which was installed 20-years ago.

“In 1995 our first ropes course was built and although it is inspected every year, like everything else it has an expiration date,” explained Camp Director Julia Mannes.  As the 20-year  “expiration date” approached for the poles and other aspects of the course, Mannes said she, along with counselors and campers, began dreaming about new features for a ropes course.  They wanted different and more elements, “where a girl can conquer challenges on her own.”

The result of all the planning and dreaming was an expanded course, which retained the challenges of the original course, but grew upward.  An entire second level provides a progression of obstacles.  A second, longer zip line was added as a fun way to exit the course.  A “leap of faith,” a trapeze which hangs perilously on the center of the upper level looms as the ultimate challenge for the brave.

Staff trained on the course and have become certified to instruct campers on the apparatus.  The course is open to those go-

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ing into seventh grade and older.

Beth Shelton, the new CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa, participated in the ribbon cutting, along with those from the Camp Tanglefoot Inc. and the Hanson Foundation, which helped to fund the project.

“It warms my heart to see the experiences girls will have here at Camp Tanglefoot,” said Shelton.  “Research has shown that activities like this can help girls grow stronger and more confident.  They will have the grit to survive and thrive.”  Shelton said she believes the experience will create lasting memories for generations.

Camp Tanglefoot invites the public to attend an open house on Sunday, June 12, from 1 – 3 p.m., which is open to all families.  The event is an opportunity to see the new ropes course, as well as other camp facilities and programs.

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