Hanging by a Thread (quite literally)

Why is it-when ever I try something exciting out for the first time-something always goes wrong. It's as if the action I'm doing isn't exciting enough, something else has to happen. Something always so unexpected.

Let's take yesterday for instance.

So my good friend Andrew Fulks has been asking me to go repelling off cliffs with him for weeks now-and I've been turning him down-partly because I've got homework, partly because I was scared. Mostly because I am scared.

But, as I've said in a post before, I'm going to start throwing caution into the wind.

So, yesterday after dinner, Andrew asked me if I would like to go repelling with him and Amanda H.-I naturally said no at first-I really did have a lot of stats homework and a World Lit test coming up Wednesday, which I needed to study for. He repeatedly asked me-and I gave in. It was a nice day-way too nice to spend it inside a library. Besides, I have a life to live. Probability and Faust can wait.

And I went repelling with Andrew.

I've never done repelling before. Something about jumping down the face of a tall cliff with just a harness around your waist and way too much air separating you and the ground just did not appeal to me. But I'm sure it had to fun. Why else would Fulks do it nearly every day of his life?

We got to the cliffs at Wyldewood, specifically at the Riverside where the cliffs look over a nice, gray river. Andrew went down first-that way he could spot me when he got to the ground. Amanda said she would go after me so that she could check my harness was locked in tight. I was strapped in, had my carribeaner-thing locked up and the rope (which I found a little too thin) at my right side. Taking a deep breath, I walked backwards, put the heel of my foot on the ledge of the cliff and began to lean backwards.

Then I splipped.

Fortunately enough, there was a little ledge for me to fall onto. One of those ledges God probably put just to save clutzy fools like me. All was good, except that my shoe had decided to fall off and tumble over the cliff.

Andrew yelled up I would have to go down with just one foot. Perfect. Hadn't even finished my first repelling and I'm already doing tricks.

And so, I went over the next edge with just one foot. I did pretty well considering I had only shoe on.

I took baby steps down the cliff's scraggly and uneven face. Rough enough for their to be convenient little steps for my foot find. There was, however, a nice, flat surface that was just shear wall. And it was here that I discovered the convenient little knot in the rope.

A little knot that got me stuck on the face of a cliff.

This is the sort of unexpected happenings I talked about earlier.

So, there I was hanging by a thread, a thick thread, but a thread none the less, trying to un-knot a serious knot while trying not to look down. I did look down-I still had a good twenty feet to fall if I so chose to.

"You're gonna have to untie that knot!" yelled Andrew from below, who held the rope tight to make sure I wouldn't fall.

Great.

Here I am sitting on the face of a flat stone wall twenty feet in the air, having to untie a knot the size of my fist. Well, I didn't have many choices and freaking out was not a priority. So, I cracked my knuckles and grabbed the knot.

I worked at it and worked at it-I actually made some pretty good progress within just a few minutes. I saw the last bit of entwined rope and I knew I would be home free. With a quick prayer, I gave my last bit of strength to pulling the last bit of rope free.

I pulled it loose-and I began to plummet straight to the ground. Needless to say, I screamed.

That night I thanked the Lord for giving Andrew Fulks mad repelling skills-he felt the rope drop through his hands and grabbed a hold of it within a few seconds. The rope went still and my body stopped falling. For a second-I just kind of hung there, sprawled in the air with my arms out and my face looking to the sky. What a rush.

I made it down safe and easy, with only a minor rope-burn on my side and few cuts on my bare foot.

When I got down, Andrew asked if I liked to do it again.

The second time went with less surprises-which was fine by me.