Later, Jack helped me rappel down a small cliff after I'd watched some of his climbing buddies do it. I put on a harness, thin strips of rope that fit around my waist and thighs like
a pllir of shorts. Jack helped me string a rope anchored to a tree through a carabiner attached to my harness and then instructed me to back off the top of the cliff. For additional safety, Jack had me on belay from the top. I felt like I was stepping into thin air, but instead, horizontal
to the ground below, I "walked" down the cliff,
controlling the rappel rope with my gloved hands. My entire body (especially my legs) shook as I worked my way down, but I made it