They called it the “pamper pole” because you might need a diaper while climbing it. At a men’s spiritual retreat, I attended in the late 1990s, a 40-foot telephone pole was a test of courage and trust in oneself and in others. We were secured with ropes and harnesses, yet fear still had its grip. The goal was to climb to the small platform at the top and leap toward a trapeze bar hanging several feet away.