Artesian Beams

By: Madi Van Camp

Tessa never imagined she’d be in this situation; the kind of situation where you question whether you’re going to live or die. But somehow, she’d managed to get herself into this very dangerous pickle. Tessa and her friends had saved for months to come on this trip to Africa, and it was going really well until their safari guide took a wrong turn, flipped the jeep, and left them stranded in the middle of the African Savanna. It was getting dark, and they knew they had to get back soon or they’d be someone’s dinner. She was pretty sure those lions they had seen earlier were stalking them, just waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. And now they were stuck on the edge of a swamp with no way around. They were going to have to go straight through. Tessa knew what was hidden under the murky waters of an African swamp; crocodiles. They would have to get through without falling in the water.

Tessa looked around, scanning the scene, hoping to find anything they could use to get across the water without touching it. She could see that there were tree stumps scattered throughout the swamp peeking out of the water. As long as those stumps were stable, they’d be able to stand on top of them. Off to the side, Tessa saw three large logs. If they placed them on top of the stumps, they should be able to walk across.
“Hurry,” Tessa called to her friends. “Grab those logs. If they’re long enough to reach between those tree stumps, we’ll be able to walk across!”

​Do you think you could get across the swamp if you were in Tessa’s shoes? Bring your family and friends into CLAS Ropes Course to test your imagination, creativity, and problem solving. Our exciting low-course activities will immerse you in situations just like this, and will provide a safe way to experience adventure right here in Provo.