Day 19

Rappelling!

I think this image captures the essence of the day. Most of these girls had never done anything like this.  Imagine walking backward off a 60 foot cliff! She is holding the rappel rope in her right hand that controls her descent.  The yellow rope is the belay line or safety rope. This was the harder of the two rappels that were set up. To get the tension in the rappel rope the girls had to lean back off the mountain.  What an adrenaline rush! It was phenomenal to watch each of these young ladies overcome her fear, put her trust in the ropes and the belayer -- (in this case it was Dayna Carroll).  All watching yelled a loud WOO HOO!!! as each girl made the initial plunge. This expression caught the fear, joy and intense adrenaline rush all in one moment. There were screams, tears, and huge smiles from the various girls. What a great achievement! What great knowledge and source of power for each of them knowing they could overcome overwhelming fear and accomplish a tremendous feat. One girl backed out three times before going down. One screamed the entire way down and everyone in the parking lot watched with concern -- she was fine, just letting her emotions out in full force.  She went a second time and screamed just as loud -- no drama queen that one :) 

I can tell you that this is an experience that each of these young ladies will remember all their life. What a great thing to learn that in the face of great fear and overwhelming odds they can achieve great things. They don't need to be a victim but instead can be a leader and a great force for good. Don't mess with these girls from Texas!