Urban Plunge...

Today was the day for the urban plunge. What's that? It is our version of a scavenger hunt...with a twist. The outreach teams start out blindfolded on the bus and dropped of in various locations so they really have no frame of reference as to where they are at. None of them know the LA area so it makes it that much more challenging. They are given clues of things that they have to find, only it's not that easy. Along with each clue there is a challenge that they have to do in the meantime of trying to find the location on the clue. For example, the first challenge for the team I was with was that the leader had to walk backwards the entire time. The second was that all but the leader had to be blindfolded as the walked to the next location. This is a particularly difficult when there are 10 people on the team and only one of them can see. Takes A LOT of trust crossing downtown Los Angeles streets when you can't see. Other challenges were to tie their shoe laces together...the leader can't touch the ground at any time forcing team members to carry them for blocks on end, up hill at times...blindfolding the leader and everyone else has to be silent, making a blindfolded, and very nervous leader I might add, walk up to strangers and try to talk to them and understand the directions they are given enough to convey them to their silent team...that is just a name a few. it is definitely a team buliding and character revealing adventure. I must say, though, that it was nice to be on the giving end of this scavenger hunt this time rather than the one struggling to walk many blocks in the wrong direction while tied to 9 other people...