Imagine dangling from a swinging wooden beam just feet from the ceiling of Barton Hall, or maneuvering up a slim rope ladder to a platform suspended by rooftop cables and then descending via a stone wall. Or climbing up a series of vertically hanging four-by-fours with nothing but a harness and some staples to help you up.

These were just a few of the five challenges that 13 adventurous Cornellians conquered at the Afternoon Highs program, Feb. 17, in Cornell's Barton Hall.

Geared toward spreading the word about self-discovery through challenge, this special program is offered about eight times a year by the Cornell Team and Leadership Center (CTLC). Completed in early 2007, the Barton Challenge Course serves as a year-round opportunity for adventure. The five elements are spread out around Barton, transforming the space into a veritable test of strategy, skill and strength. Some are team activities, others solo challenges.

The goal of CTLC, which is part of Cornell Outdoor Education, is to help groups come together through experiential growth. One appeal of Afternoon Highs, said CTLC Director Amy Kohut, is that students can sign up with friends and explore the elements as a team. The course, she says, is "a positive way for people to understand more about themselves and about the people they came with." Trust building and communication are key factors in confronting such high-adventure courses, she added.

One two-person activity involves a series of hanging wooden beams spaced at a considerable distance from one another. Aptly called "Dangle Duo," the goal is to make it to the topmost beam by shifting weight and balancing.

Matt Zika '11 and a friend got across the "Multi-vine," a cable stretched across the length of Barton Hall with only vertically suspended rope holds for guidance, by tossing his rope hold backwards after finishing a section so that the next climber wouldn't lose balance trying to reach for it above.

"It's a mental game as well as physical," said Cate Zielinski '11, one of Sunday's participants. "You have to figure it out as you're going along, and if you fall, you've got to get back on."

The last Barton Hall element is "Bob's Beam," a soaring horizontal rafter rather like a giant's balance beam that was named for Cornell Outdoor Education advisory board member Robert C. Hoffman '58, who in 1997 made the outdoor Hoffman Challenge Course, CTLC's main facility, possible with a generous gift.

CTLC runs events for corporate groups, Cornell staff and even such specialized groups as a cappella choruses. Programs are custom-designed depending on the goals and particular requests of the organization.

For more information, see http://www.cornellteamandleadership.com.

Jill McCoy '09 is a writer intern at the Cornell Chronicle.