–submitted by Matthew Lettington
–photography by Jes Garceau and Matthew Lettington
On Saturday, four of us braved the heat to learn the basics of rappelling.
The most challenging aspect of the day turned out to be dealing with the heat! The kids had a hard time managing their temperatures, but we were happy to take breaks in the shade of the Gary oak trees as needed.
By the end of the session, both Trace and Hemingway were able to put themselves on rappel and use their devices to lower themselves down the rocky cliffs at Pipers Lagoon. Jes was down below with a fireman belay, and I had a top-belay backup in place; just in case little hands forgot the importance of the brake hand.