Climbing the Karsts
0 
"That's good! Now, left hand straight up," he ordered.
I looked up and saw what could be loosely described as a fingernail hold. "You're kidding!" I shouted back at him.
"Not kidding. Left hand straight up. Use your legs to launch yourself."
The English teacher inside me was inspired by Sky's grammatically-correct use of the word "launch." So I launched like I had never launched before. I felt my fingers hit the target...well, kind of.
In the space of milliseconds, my fingers slipped. Then my left foot slipped. Then I did what humans usually do while indulging in outlandish behavior halfway up a cliff - I fell.
I felt myself begin to plunge through gravity and thin air. My heart stopped and the fine-print on my medical insurance flashed before my eyes.
Just when an instant sense of panic threatened to unleash embarrassing bodily functions, the rope tightened and my harness caught me. My terrifying drop covered a grand total of 20 centimeters, but I can assure you, it felt like a lot more.
Dangling against the cliff, I looked down and saw Sky on the other end of my rope, steady as a rock. It was weird; I felt nervous, but also deliriously happy. This was one of the most physically intense sports I had tried, which made the view even better.
"I have you. No problem," he shouted. "Try again. Left hand straight up!"
Go to Forum >>0 Comments